Behind the front door in Shadow Ridge Estates
From the street, Shadow Ridge Estates looks like a neighborhood where things run smoothly. Lawns are kept, kids are busy, and parents seem to juggle careers and activities with ease. Inside many of those homes, though, the picture is more complicated. A parent has just been laid off and is carrying the worry silently. A teenager is anxious about college and taking it out on younger siblings. A marriage has gone quiet in a way nobody wants to name.
When a family is used to looking capable, asking for help can feel like admitting defeat. It is not. Seeking support is often the most capable thing a family can do, and reaching out before a crisis gives everyone more room to change course calmly.
Dr. Audrey Kteily works with families in Shadow Ridge Estates and throughout the Coppell area, where her long-standing practice is based. Her practice is fully online, so sessions happen over secure video, out of sight of neighbors and without anyone rearranging a workday to drive to an office.
Do we need family therapy or individual counseling?
Families often are not sure which kind of help to ask for. A simple way to think about it:
- Family therapy fits when the problem lives between people: repeated arguments, a breakdown in trust, a child's behavior that everyone reacts to differently, or a transition that affects the whole household.
- Individual counseling fits when one person needs space to work on their own anxiety, depression, trauma or identity questions, even if the family is supportive.
- A combination is common. A teen may meet with Dr. Audrey on their own while parents join some sessions, or a couple may work on their relationship alongside family sessions.
You do not need to decide alone. In your first conversation, Dr. Audrey will help you sort out which format makes sense and who should be involved. The article what a family counselor does offers more detail on the family format.
What if someone in the family does not want to come?
This is one of the most common worries, and it should not stop you from starting. Reluctance is normal. A teen may expect to be blamed. A spouse may think therapy is for people with "real" problems. A grandparent living in the home may see it as private business.
From a family systems perspective, change in one person often ripples through everyone else. When a parent responds differently to a teen's outbursts, the teen's behavior frequently shifts too, even if the teen never attends a session. So Dr. Audrey is glad to begin with whoever is willing. Over time, she can help you invite a reluctant family member in a way that feels like an offer rather than a summons, and many people join once they see that sessions are about understanding, not assigning fault.
Online sessions lower the barrier as well, and they let a reluctant member listen in for part of a session before deciding to participate fully. Agreeing to sit in front of a laptop for fifty minutes at home is a smaller ask than agreeing to drive to a counselor's office.
How to bring it up at home
The way therapy is introduced can make a difference. A few approaches that tend to land better than an announcement at the dinner table:
- Talk with each person privately and lead with your own part: "I want us to argue less, and I think I need help with how I react."
- Frame it as an experiment, such as trying three sessions and then deciding together whether to continue.
- Give a teen some control, like a say in the session time or the chance to meet Dr. Audrey alone first.
- Avoid using therapy as a threat or consequence, which tends to confirm the fear of being blamed.
How Dr. Audrey works with families
With a doctorate in Family Studies, Dr. Audrey grounds her work in family systems counseling. She helps families see the roles each person has fallen into, such as the peacekeeper, the rule-enforcer, the one who checks out, and how those roles keep a problem going. Then she helps the family try different moves. When emotions run high, she may teach practical skills from dialectical behavior therapy; she holds C-DBT certification.
Teens and young adults
Dr. Audrey works with teens ages 12 to 18 on anxiety, depression, self-harm, school stress, performance pressure and identity, and with young adults ages 18 to 29 who are figuring out independence. See her adolescent issues page and this article on teen counseling for Coppell adolescents.
Parents
Parents who feel stuck often benefit from sessions of their own focused on consistency, limits and staying connected to a teen who is pulling away. Learn more in how parent counseling improves parenting skills.
Stress from outside the family
Job loss, financial pressure, a parent's illness, a move or a death in the extended family can unsettle a household that was doing fine. Dr. Audrey helps families talk openly about these stressors so children are not left to fill in the gaps with their own fears. She also treats grief and loss, trauma, addictions and other concerns listed on her other specialties page.
Online therapy for Shadow Ridge Estates residents
Sessions take place on a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. Your link opens in a web browser on a computer, tablet or phone, so there is no app to install. Family members can join from the same room or from separate devices in different places.
Dr. Audrey is a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, which means she can work with anyone physically in Texas during the session. Scheduling is flexible and set in Central Time. A parent traveling within Texas for work or a young adult at a Texas university can still be part of family sessions.
For families who value discretion, online sessions mean no one sees you arrive at a counseling office and no one needs to explain an afternoon away from work.
Experience and qualifications
Dr. Audrey Kteily holds a PhD in Family Studies and a BA in Psychology from Texas Woman's University, along with a Master's in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. She has been a Texas LPC since 2001 and an LPC-Supervisor since 2004, and she is also a licensed LPC in New Jersey and LMHC in New York. She is a Certified Family Life Educator (National Council on Family Relations), C-DBT certified (Evergreen Certifications) and a published author on family dynamics. Her practice is LGBTQ+-friendly and LGBTQ+-owned.
Read more on the About Dr. Audrey page or learn about the practice. If you want to learn about family therapy as a field, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the National Board for Certified Counselors, the APA's Monitor on Psychology and Psychology Today publish accessible articles.
Ready to take the next step?
Dr. Audrey is an out-of-network provider. She supplies a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement, so check your out-of-network mental health benefits before starting. Questions can go to Ask Dr. Audrey, or you can use the request form on the home page.
A text is the easiest first step. Please keep health information out of it and simply mention that you live in Shadow Ridge Estates and are interested in family therapy. Expect a reply within one business day.
Book a first family session, or text or call (917) 905-3183.