Steve Jett

Deciding to get help is a big step toward getting unstuck, setting down burdens, fixing what’s fixable in our lives. It requires hard work, and I’m hopeful your next steps will lead to a great counselor match. Here’s some info to help decide if you would like an appointment with me.

I’ve worked in community mental health in several roles: mobile crisis resolution, managed two high acuity assertive community treatment teams, as well as determined medical necessity for services (severity of need) on the utilization management side for two counties. I’ve worked in private practice, as well as church-based spiritual counseling. I have worked with AIDS/HIV facility residents, youth coping with substance use/addictions, and multiple hospital in-patient environments. I’ve worked to help restore hope to former inmates seeking to resurrect relationships with alienated children, military and civilian Post-Trauma Stress Disorder issues, spiritual abuse, personality disorder issues, expected and unexpected grief/loss, cancer caregivers, progressing dementia, relationship rejection, sexual abuse, verbal/emotional abuse, identity issues, and temptations toward self-harm. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy strategies for multiple issues beyond just depression, anxiety, bi-polar medication compliance, and schizophrenia (with medication). I have training in Cognitive Processing Therapy and Trauma-Focused CBT to help address intrusive effects of past traumas as well.

As a part of community mental health management, I came to believe I could influence needed change at a State-level to retire our inadequate Texas assessments in favor of more comprehensive ones. Eventually, everyone who said it ‘could NEVER be changed’ through a lot of resilient cooperative efforts over time agreed it must be improved and they ‘got changed’ for the better, improving treatment planning and goal setting for nearly a million assessments per year! It wasn’t easy, or pretty. My point is, ‘What you BELIEVE you can do—always matters, because they change what you DO to bring about the changes you want.’ Beliefs always matter.

I’ve been licensed as a professional counselor in Texas since 2007. I earned my Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1996. The research-supported outcomes of Cognitive Behavioral therapies (CBT, REBT, DBT etc.) were an important focus. I enjoyed contemporary perspectives including Solution-Focused, Brief Therapy, and still found Adler, Jung, Rogers, Ellis and others essential. Even though the program was housed at a Seminary, like a breath of fresh air–my professors modeled sensitivity and value for all cultures and religious beliefs including Christian denominations, non-Christian, agnostic, and atheistic orientations. I feel very comfortable crossing the intersection of evidence and beliefs.

I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, cum laude from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1992, graduating from their University Honors Program—where I designed and conducted a human subjects research study on expectations about counseling. The results supported existing research that clients expect greater outcomes with counselors they feel share more things in common with them. Perhaps this might be a consideration in your counselor selection.

I believe we can all grow, discover more in ourselves, tell ourselves more truth, and help inspire each other—first, by learning to be healthier ourselves. I believe achieving your goals is possible. We will need realistic steps and expectations to guide the way. Regular homework is often helpful. I believe you have value and deserve respect for what you’re here on this earth to accomplish. We need you healthier to do that. I would be honored to learn about you and how we can put things on a better path.

My wife and I love our blend of six boys ages 9 to 22 — four are still in our home. We enjoy playing music together every week for a local assembly.