Uptown Dallas

I want you to get excited about who you are, what you are, what you have, and what can still be for you. I want to inspire you to see that you can go far beyond where you are right now.

– Virginia Satir

I specialize in treating couples, families, children, and adolescents. My therapeutic approach is collaborative, emphasizing self-awareness and tailored to individual needs.

I help couples untangle their miscommunications and conflicts to regain the underlying love, attraction, and respect in their relationships. I value each person’s self-knowledge and believe in an empathetic approach that recognizes our respective awarenesses to work towards specific goals. I foster warm, supportive and nonjudgmental environments, where I aim to identify strengths and enhance communication to create lasting change.

Jenni Jennings, M.Ed. LPC-S, is a licensed professional counselor supervisor (#10663) in Texas and distinguished mental health professional. She received her Master’s Degree from Texas Woman’s and completed specialized training at the Family Study Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Gestalt Center in New Orleans.

In 1993, she founded the school-based Youth and Family Mental Health Centers for the Dallas Independent School District, which would expand to ten locations and earn her state and national awards, including recognition from the White House.

Jennings is an esteemed presenter on child and adolescent mental health, family therapy, spirituality, trauma, and family support policies on both the national and international stage. With over 30 years and hundreds of clinical hours of experience as a professional counselor, she is deeply committed to guiding positive transformations in the lives of her clients. She specializes in child, adolescent, and family therapy and also has a love for couples therapy. She feels particularly comfortable with the most difficult of issues that face individuals, couples, and families.

I view every client as a unique and valuable individual to our world. Specializing in depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and couples counseling, I strive to be a guiding light on each client’s path to healing and growth. I dedicate time to curate each session to an individual’s/couple’s own needs and strengths. Upon meeting with clients, my priority is building a strong rapport to create meaningful connections and significant conversations. It is an important part of my own journey to continue to grow as a therapist along with my clients.

My journey into the field of mental health began with a deep desire to understand the complexities of the human mind and different emotions we experience daily. Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders are challenges that many of us face at some point in our lives. I am dedicated to providing you with a safe and supportive space as we explore your thoughts, feelings, and concerns without judgment. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), I empower my clients to identify and challenge negative thought patterns, leading to positive changes in behavior and emotional well-being.

For couples seeking to strengthen their emotional bonds and rekindle their connections, I offer Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). I believe in the power of emotional awareness and its importance in our everyday connections. Working towards forming deeper understanding of each partner’s needs and desires, leading to a fulfilling relationship. My approach to counseling is deeply rooted in empathy and respect for each individual’s unique experiences and strengths. I believe that you are the expert of your own life, and together, we can explore and discover the best strategies to overcome the obstacles that may stand in your way.

Maria Aurora Rodriguez is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (#91537) in Texas, supervised by Cheryl Morris, LPC-S (#84392). Aurora graduated with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. Maria Aurora previously received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University. Aurora works with a variety of presenting issues including depression, anxiety, life transitions, stress, and relationship problems. Being bilingual, Maria Aurora works with clients in both English and Spanish.

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. – Chuang Tzu

Going to therapy is an act of self-care and self-love; a courageous gift we can offer ourselves. Whether you’re experiencing a crisis or looking for that something more, I can help you bridge the gap between where you are today and where you wish to be in your life.

I thrive on cultivating relationships and having deep, meaningful conversations that make a difference for others. I am a stand for people having it all and living a life they love. I believe in our capacity for change should we be willing to embrace the struggle, confront our pasts, heal our wounds, and come to face our truest selves. Only from a place of self-acceptance and love can we truly create the lives we imagine.

I believe that we are all on a lifelong journey of becoming perfectly imperfect, that anything is possible that we are willing to work towards, and that we are all capable of choosing, re-choosing, and creating our preferred futures.

Humanistically-existentially-person-centered trained, I hold a positive view of the human being; one in which he is the expert and change-agent of his life, the focus is forward-focused and together we co-create his reality, bridging the gap between where he is and where he or she wishes to be, integrating more directive approaches as needed to bring about deep, meaningful, and lasting positive change.

I am grateful to be engaging in this delicate and important work of supporting others in their lives; of cultivating meaningful relationships, holding safe space, and helping individuals, couples, and families thrive. You can have the life you imagine, and I am pleased and honored to walk beside you as you journey there. Thank you for trusting me.

Dr. Birk is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in Texas (#88706) under the supervision of Mary Mayorga, PhD, LPC-S (#18031). She graduated from Saybrook University with a PhD in Psychology, Amberton University with a Master’s in Professional Counseling, and Michigan State University with a Master’s in Human Resources. Dr. Birk has Gottmain Level 1 training and is Prepare/Enrich certified, which is the most widely validated and utilized premarital counseling curriculae in use today. She is also a PCI Certified Parent Coach® with a former private practice in Dallas where she supported families dealing with divorce, fertility issues, learning differences and other parenting challenges, as well as led parent-education seminars and women’s empowerment groups. A former Pastoral Care Director for a local non-profit, Dr. Birk has also worked with grief, loss and end-of-life issues. Dr. Birk is also fluent in Hebrew and is happy to offer therapeutic services in Hebrew.

I believe psychotherapy should be a transformational experience. We often get stuck in patterns of relating and being that, at one time, were adaptive and protective, but no longer help us to be our best selves. Psychotherapy helps to understand those patterns, develop strategies to disrupt them, and create new ways of being and relating that get us closer to our personal and professional goals. I strive to create an environment that is warm, nonjudgmental, collaborative, culturally sensitive, and challenging enough to explore and make necessary changes in areas of your life that we identify together as being important to address. I am an integrative therapist and draw from humanistic, cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and interpersonal modalities to help clients achieve symptom relief and lasting change.

Dr. Jennifer Fast was initially licensed as a clinical psychologist in Illinois in 2011 and has been a licensed clinical psychologist in Texas since 2018.

She has trained and worked in a variety of settings including higher education, community mental health, and residential facility. She graduated with her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and classical studies from Loyola University-Chicago. Dr. Fast’s areas of specialty include treatment of adults, young adults and adolescents, LGBTQIA+, trauma, crisis assessment, group psychotherapy, clinical supervision and training, and community/organizational interventions. She provides treatment from a feminist and humanistic framework and integrates other evidenced-based interventions to meet the individual needs and goals of clients. She is also trained and practices Discernment Counseling for couples on the brink of divorce. Dr. Fast views psychological and cognitive assessment as an empowering experience for clients and as an important adjunct to psychotherapy.

Before making Texas her home, Dr. Fast served as Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Health and Wellness at Lake Forest College. She was active as an area chair for the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education; served on the Lake County Sexual Assault Prevention Consortium; and served as a consultant for the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Wellness Task Force. She has presented nationally on sexual assault prevention in higher education and clinical supervision and training as well as providing trainings on diversity and identity, management and leadership. Dr. Fast also treated individuals and couples in a private practice setting.

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I specialize in treating couples and individuals with relationship issues. Whether you’re married, living together, or dating, I’m experienced in helping people just like you. Or maybe you’re divorced and need help co-parenting, I work that population too. I am trained in interpersonal relationship dynamics and processes. I’ve conducted research on couples and would love to help your relationship thrive. I help people reconnect with their partner, rekindle the passion they once had, and redefine their relationship moving forward. I work WITH clients instead of for them. Your goals are my goals and I have the training and experience to assist you in meeting those goals.

As a Christian, I recognize the power of faith in anyone’s life and relationships. Although I am not a Christian Counselor, I love the opportunity to incorporate faith into the therapeutic process when applicable. I have seen firsthand the transformative power of faith in and out of the therapy room, and would be happy to walk that path with you as well. However, if you are not a person of any particular faith or don’t see that as a part of your journey, I’m always desiring to meet you where you’re at in life.

Dr. Stanford is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor (#202565) in Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Nova Southeastern University with a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy, and from Florida State University with a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Stanford is an adjunct professor for the marriage and family therapy program at Texas A&M – Central Texas and Pepperdine University, teaching courses in family theory and couples therapy among others.

Dr. Stanford is a certified service provider for Twogether in Texas, a trained facilitator of the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), and a certified provider of Discernment Counseling. Dr. Stanford also has training in couples therapy, sex therapy, sexual abuse and trauma, and play therapy. He has been educated in the following therapy models: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, and Structural Family Therapy. Dr. Stanford has interned at the Brief Therapy Institute in Fort Lauderdale, the Center for Couples and Family Therapy at Florida State University, Healing Transitions: Creative Counseling for Children and Families, Inc., and S.U.P.E.R.B., an anti-bullying program. Dr. Stanford has conducted research on romantic relationships, specializing in the effects and aftermath of infidelity. Dr. Stanford is also a clinical fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and a former Member at Large on the Board of Directors for the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (TAMFT).

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