A practical guide for Pecan Hollow families
Most parents do not wake up one morning and decide to start family therapy. The decision usually builds over months: the same argument at dinner, a teen who seems far away, a younger child who melts down every evening, or a family event that went badly enough to make everyone pause. By the time you are reading pages like this one, you have probably tried a lot on your own.
This guide is meant to make the next step clearer. It covers what family therapy is, how to tell whether your family might benefit, what Dr. Audrey Kteily's online sessions look like and how to get started from Pecan Hollow or anywhere else in the Coppell area. Dr. Audrey has worked with families across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for more than two decades, and her Coppell-based practice now meets with every client online.
What is family therapy, exactly?
Family therapy is counseling that treats the family as a connected system. Instead of asking only "what is wrong with this child," it asks how each person's behavior affects the others and what keeps a problem going. That approach is the heart of Dr. Audrey's doctoral training in family systems.
In practice, that might mean noticing that a teen's outbursts spike when parents disagree about rules, or that a younger sibling acts out whenever the older one gets attention for a crisis. Once a family can see these patterns, they can change them together. Nobody is singled out as "the problem," which often lowers defensiveness right away.
Family therapy is not only for families in crisis. Many parents use it proactively during a transition, such as a move, a new marriage or a child heading to middle school, to keep small strains from becoming big ones.
How do you know if your family needs therapy?
There is no single threshold, but these signs suggest it may be worth a conversation:
- The same conflicts repeat week after week, and nothing you try changes the outcome.
- Someone in the family seems withdrawn, unusually irritable, anxious or hopeless.
- A child or teen is struggling at school, refusing to go, or showing signs of self-harm.
- Parents feel divided, or one parent carries most of the emotional load.
- A divorce, death, illness or move has changed everyone's roles.
- Something frightening happened, and the family has not been the same since.
For background on specific concerns, the National Institute of Mental Health's health topics and the American Psychological Association's topic pages are reliable starting points.
Family therapy, individual counseling or trauma therapy?
Parents often ask which kind of help their family needs. The honest answer is that it depends, and many families benefit from a combination.
When family sessions lead
If the main problem lives between people, such as communication breakdowns, parenting disagreements, sibling conflict or co-parenting tension, family sessions are usually the core of the work.
When individual sessions lead
If one person is dealing with anxiety, depression, ADHD, identity questions or self-harm, individual therapy may come first, with family sessions added to help everyone support that person. Dr. Audrey works with teens ages 12 to 18 and young adults ages 18 to 29; read more about adolescent issues and teen counseling for Coppell-area adolescents.
When trauma is involved
If a family member has experienced trauma, such as an accident, abuse, domestic violence or a sudden loss, Dr. Audrey treats PTSD and complex PTSD directly. She often pairs individual trauma work with family sessions so the household learns how to respond to trauma reactions with patience instead of frustration.
She is also C-DBT certified, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for managing strong emotions fit naturally into all three formats.
What online family therapy looks like
Every session with Dr. Audrey happens over secure, HIPAA-compliant video. You receive a link that opens in your web browser, so there is nothing to install. Family members can sit together in front of one screen or log in separately, which is useful when a parent is at work or an older child is away at college.
Dr. Audrey is a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, so she can see anyone physically located in Texas at session time. She is also licensed in New Jersey and New York, so relatives in those states can join too. Texas sessions are scheduled in Central Time, with flexible options around school and work.
A typical first session focuses on listening: what is happening, what each person hopes will change and what has already been tried. In the following weeks, she shares observations about family patterns, sets a few clear goals with you and introduces practical tools. Parents who want help on their own can also schedule parent counseling; see how parent counseling improves parenting skills.
Practical tips for video sessions at home
A little setup makes online family sessions run smoothly. Pick a room where everyone can be seen and heard, ideally with a door that closes. A laptop on a table usually works better than a phone held in a hand. If younger children are not part of a session, plan an activity for them in another room, or schedule while they are at school.
Teens often prefer to join their individual sessions from their own room with headphones. Parents sometimes take a parent-only session from a parked car or a quiet office at work. Dr. Audrey will help you sort out logistics before the first appointment, and she can adjust the format if something is not working. The goal is for the setting to fade into the background so the conversation can take center stage.
Choosing a family therapist: questions worth asking
Whoever you choose, it helps to ask a few questions up front:
- What is your training in family therapy specifically?
- How do you involve teens while respecting their privacy?
- How will we measure whether therapy is working?
- Do you work with trauma, and how do you pace it?
- How do fees and insurance work?
Dr. Audrey welcomes these questions. She holds a PhD in Family Studies and a bachelor's in Psychology from Texas Woman's University and a master's in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. She has been a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor since 2001 and a Supervisor since 2004, holds a New Jersey LPC and a New York LMHC, and is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations. She is C-DBT certified and a published author on family dynamics. Her practice is LGBTQ+-owned and affirming.
You can read Dr. Audrey's biography, meet Dr. Audrey on the practice page, browse her Ask Dr. Audrey answers, or read what a family counselor does for Coppell families. Her other specialties include grief, addictions and mood disorders. Families who want to look at research directly can search PubMed, and if someone needs services outside counseling, SAMHSA's treatment finder lists programs nationwide.
Next steps for Pecan Hollow families
Dr. Audrey is an out-of-network provider and supplies a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Check your plan's out-of-network mental health benefits before your first session.
To begin, use the appointment request form on the home page or the form below. Include a few words about your family's situation, and she will reply within one business day.
Request a family therapy session, or text or call (917) 905-3183. Texting is easiest; please leave health details out of texts.