Avery is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. She holds a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin in Education.

Prior to working at Nikaō, Avery taught kindergarten in Highland Park Independent School District. Additionally, Avery has worked at The Housson Center with children, teens, and their families, utilizing play therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for social, emotional, and behavioral concerns.

Avery is passionate about working with clients throughout their lifespan, particularly middle school, high school, and young adult women. She knows these life stages are crucial to making sense of ourselves and our families, understanding what is not working, and finding freedom and joy through alternatives. Avery knows counseling is not always comfortable, and often we are afraid of what change may look like. She hopes to provide a safe, warm space throughout the process, and help her clients make choices out of love rather than fear.

Avery specializes in:

• Anxiety
• Perfectionism
• Family Systems
• Boundary and Identity Issues
• Parent-Child Relationship Dynamics

Avery is a Dallas native and is dedicated to walking alongside clients as they face the unique needs of growing up and living in high-performance communities. Avery knows firsthand the power a therapeutic relationship can bring in the midst of a broken world. She hopes to be both a confidant and source of information as clients navigate and discover their past hurts, and fears, and find hope for the future.

“Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us.” – Elizabeth Elliot

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Avery is supervised at Nikaō by Rachel Hopkins, M.A., LPC-S