Angela (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Texas. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston, her Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law and her Master’s of Social Work from the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work. She previously worked as a licensed Texas attorney in the oil and gas field. She explored a transition from oil and gas work to another area of law such as family law, criminal law or probate law. However, what she found, was that what client’s appeared to need most was an ear to listen and someone that could help manage their emotions and stressors during difficult situations. She also realized that she was experiencing burn out in a profession that believes in running their workers into the ground. Indeed, she had heard from many attorneys that their retirement plan was to “die face down at their desk” and had spoken with many other attorneys about fantasies of working at a job with simple tasks such as bagging groceries because of the enormous stress that comes with legal work. Angela decided to make the decision to go back to school and become a clinical social worker because of its ability get to the heart of a matter. Clinical social work offers help and hope to people where they need it most, in their own inner world, in their own definitions of self and can transform their relationship with self and the world in a profound way. From her experience as a burned out attorney, Angela is passionate about working with other professionals that are feeling stressed out, used up, exhausted and disengaged from their own lives.
Becoming a clinical social worker was the right decision for Angela . She quickly learned that there were some social work skills she had been doing her whole life, without realizing it. She easily bonded with the ideas of a client being the only expert in the room on themselves and offering all clients unconditional positive regard as a fellow human being. Unconditional positive regard is the idea that everyone should be seen as a human doing the best they can and worthy of love and support and it is a defining feature of client centered therapy.
Angela also found her feminist perspective to fit perfectly with social work. Angela is a believer in the radical notion that women are people too (an idea attributed to Marie Meiselman Shear). She believes strongly in the right of all people to live freely and safely in this country despite their race, gender, sex, sexual orientation or being differently abled, which is expressed nicely in social work’s pillars of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Angela also has a passion for working with client’s experiencing grief. Grief touches us all and affects us in different ways. Grief can come about from losing a loved one or a pet literally (such as from death) or from losing an identify from the loss of a job or a home from a move. Indeed there are unlimited ways to experience grief and everyone has their own path through grief. Angela feels that walking with someone along their grief path is an honor.
Angela has experience working with children, adolescents and adults on a variety of issues and has worked with clients in both individual and group settings. She is passionate about helping her clients live their best lives, supporting their strengths and helping them learn new ways of coping with life’s stressors.
Angela has previously worked at Jewish Family Service Houston as their first post graduate social work fellow and at the Behavioral Hospital of Bellaire in their inpatient program.
Angela is a member of NASW (National Association of Social Workers) and HGPS (Houston Group Psychotherapy Society).
In her spare time, Angela has a passion for writing, painting and gardening.
