Counseling · Lufkin, Texas & by video statewide
Toughing it out isn't working.
Talk to a licensed counselor who grew up around here. Start with a free 15-minute phone call to see if we fit. You don't have to know what to say. That's my job.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) · Private and confidential · Insurance or self-pay
What you're carrying
Around here we fix our own fences and keep our problems to ourselves. That works for fences.
It doesn't work for the stuff below. Left alone, it doesn't fade. It leaks into your sleep, your temper, your marriage, and your kids. Here's what I help people set down.
- Anxiety: The tight chest. The mind that won't shut off at 2 a.m.
- Depression: When getting out of bed is the whole day's work.
- Grief: A death, a divorce, a diagnosis. The one nobody brings up anymore.
- Your marriage: When you've stopped talking, or can't stop fighting. Come together or come alone.
- What happened: Trauma, at your pace. Nothing gets forced.
- Keeping it together: For everyone else. For years. You're allowed to put it down.
Fifteen minutes on the phone. Nothing to fill out first.
One hour a week that's just yours. No fixing anybody else.
Who you'd be talking to
Leah Whitfield, MA, LPC
"I grew up in Angelina County. I know what it costs to ask for help in a town where everybody knows your truck."
Sessions are plain talk. I ask good questions, I'll tell you what I see, and you leave with one thing to try that week. No couch, no clipboard stare, no homework you'll feel bad about skipping.
- Licensed Professional Counselor, licensed by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council. License #SAMPLE-00000. Look me up →
- Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Stephen F. Austin State University
- Adults, teens 15+, and couples, in person or by video
Straight answer: who I'm not right for
Court-ordered evaluations, custody evaluations, and kids under 15. If that's you, call anyway and I'll point you to someone good.
What it costs
Know the price before you sit down.
$130
per 50-minute session if you pay yourself
You'll get a Good Faith Estimate in writing before your first session. That's federal law for anyone paying their own way, and it's how it should be anyway.
Using insurance
In network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare. I'll check your benefits before we start, so your copay isn't a surprise.
Also
HSA and FSA cards work. Ask about a reduced rate if money is the only thing stopping you.
- 1
Free 15-minute call
Tell me a little about what's going on. I'll tell you honestly if I can help.
- 2
First session
In my Lufkin office or by video from anywhere in Texas. Evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- 3
We decide together
How often, what we focus on, and when you're ready to stop. You're never locked in.
Worried someone will see your truck?
Parking is around back, out of sight of the road. The waiting room seats one, and sessions are spaced so you won't pass the person before you.
Rather not leave the house at all? Video sessions are just as private. Plenty of people take them from a parked car on their lunch break.
Book my free 15-minute callThe questions people don't ask out loud.
Does needing counseling mean something's wrong with me?
No. It means something is hard, and you'd rather deal with it than carry it another year. That's the opposite of weak.
What if I don't know what to say?
Most people don't, at first. I'll ask the questions. You can start with "I don't know why I'm here" and we'll go from there.
Is what I say private?
Yes. Texas law protects what you tell me. There are a few exceptions, like if someone is in danger or a child or older adult is being hurt, and I'll walk you through all of them on day one, before you tell me anything.
Will my employer or my insurance know?
Your employer gets nothing from me. If you use insurance, your plan gets what billing requires: the dates and a diagnosis code. Paying yourself keeps it all between us.
What if we're not a good fit?
Say so. It won't hurt my feelings. I'll help you find someone who is. That's the reason the first call is free.
Fifteen minutes. That's the whole first step.
Leave your name and number. Leah calls you back within one business day, at the time you pick.
Rather call? (936) 555-0142
This form isn't for emergencies. If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 any hour, or call 911.