A station for children sits at Tyler Family Counseling. Tyler Family Counseling specializes in working with children and recently added more counselors to accommodate more clients.

Tyler Family Counseling, PLLC, owned and operated by licensed counselor Rebekah Walker opened its doors in 2018. However, for several years Walker was the sole practitioner for the business.

All of that changed earlier this year when Walker decided she wanted to expand and add additional counselors and offer more services.

“We moved this July to a larger location to accommodate more counselors. We currently have eight clinicians at various levels of training from Graduate students, Counseling Consultants, Counseling Associates, and fully licensed Counselors.”

Walker explained having a variety of ranges in counselors offers a broader range of pricing.

“Having a range of levels allows us to offer various levels of pricing,” she said. “Just because someone is a graduate student, consultant or associate does not mean they are not as good of a counselor; it means that they are just newer at it and under supervision of a fully licensed clinician.”

Tyler Family Counseling offers counseling for children, teens, adults, and couples, parenting skills sessions, pre-marital counseling, adoption home studies, and immigration assessments.

During the summer it offers social and emotional learning camps for children, and throughout the year it offers different parenting seminars that cover various topics.

Tyler Family Counseling is the only counseling practice in the city that is owned by a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, according to Walker.

“We have multiple clinicians who are working towards their Registered Play Therapist denotation. Registered Play Therapists (RPT) and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisors (RPT-S) have met the stringent standards set by the Association for Play Therapy,’ she said. “Play therapy is a systematic and therapeutic approach. Play therapy is unique because children do not sit on a couch and talk about their feelings for an hour straight.”

“Children are not just little adults, so specific play therapy training enables our counselors to help them in a developmentally appropriate way,” Walker said. “Play therapy utilizes play, children’s natural medium of expression, to help them express their feelings more easily through toys instead of words. Each item in the playroom is specifically chosen to enhance expression and healing.”

Walker went on to say the expansion was a way to reach more people with different needs and that her counselors offer a wide variety of expertise with many counseling in both English and Spanish.

“We have clinicians who specialize in different areas, including several who are bilingual in English and Spanish. Five of our clinicians are working towards earning their Registered Play Therapist credential and have training in play therapy,” she said. “We have clinicians that specialize in teens, women, and couples. Several have extensive experience in the foster care and adoption system.”

“One of our clinicians has specific training and experience working with blended families,” Walker added. “Another has worked in numerous areas of healthcare including end of life care and is gifted at walking alongside families through care giving.”

Walker said her passion to help other was the deciding factor on expanding her practice.

“I love helping others. When I was a kid, I would get in trouble for talking in class and I just had a passion to help others, so I figured why not ‘talk for a living.’ I love helping kids and families understand big emotions,” she said. “However, it got to the point that I could only see so many people in one day. My practice was full, and I had a waiting list. Meanwhile, I had calls from master’s degree counseling students looking for somewhere to gain experience, so I added them to my practice and Tyler Family Counseling grew.”

Tyler Family Counseling is currently taking new clients and often offers parenting seminars and helpful tips on its Facebook page.

Tyler Family Counseling is located at 515 West Southwest Loop 323, Suite 101 and can be reached at 903-402-3822. Visits are by appointment only and hours vary per counselor.

For more information, visit the Tyler Family Counseling Facebook page.