When everyone is busy and no one is talking
Families in The Estates of Coppell often run on tight logistics. Parents balance careers, sometimes with regular flights out of nearby DFW Airport. Kids move between Coppell ISD classes, rehearsals, club teams and tutoring. The calendar on the kitchen wall is full, but real conversations can get squeezed out entirely.
Over time, that gap shows. A teen stops sharing anything beyond "fine." Parents find themselves negotiating instead of connecting. Small disagreements flare into big ones because there is no reserve of goodwill left. Family therapy helps families slow down long enough to understand what is happening and rebuild the connection everyone misses.
Dr. Audrey Kteily has served families across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for more than two decades from her long-standing Coppell practice. Today all of her sessions are online, so families can meet without adding another trip to the week.
Why online family therapy fits a packed schedule
The most common reason families postpone therapy is time. Online sessions remove most of the friction. There is no travel, no waiting room and no need to pull a teen out of school early. You join a secure, HIPAA-compliant video link that opens in your web browser, with nothing to download.
Family members can also join from separate places. One parent might log in from an office in Las Colinas, the other from home, and a college-age sibling from a dorm. Dr. Audrey is a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, so anyone physically in Texas can attend; she is also licensed in New Jersey and New York, which helps when relatives live there. Sessions for Texas clients are scheduled in Central Time, and scheduling is flexible around school and work.
Consistency matters in family therapy. A format that makes it easier to show up every week, or every other week, is often the difference between a few scattered sessions and real progress.
What if my teenager refuses to participate?
This is one of the most common worries parents bring to a first call, and it is very workable. Teens often resist therapy because they expect to be blamed, lectured or labeled. Dr. Audrey's approach starts by making it clear that therapy is not a punishment and that the teen's point of view matters.
- Start with parents. Changing how parents respond often shifts the household before a teen ever joins.
- Offer the teen a private session. Many teens agree to talk one-on-one before they will sit with the whole family.
- Keep it practical. Teens engage more when sessions address things they care about, like fewer arguments over phones or more freedom earned through trust.
- Be clear about confidentiality. Dr. Audrey explains what stays private and what parents will be told, especially around safety.
Her work with teens ages 12 to 18 covers anxiety, depression, school stress, performance pressure, self-harm, ADHD, identity and LGBTQ+ concerns. You can read more on adolescent issues and in her post on teen counseling for Coppell adolescents.
How Dr. Audrey works with families
Dr. Audrey's PhD is in Family Studies, and her clinical approach is rooted in family systems therapy. She looks for patterns in how the family operates: who takes charge in a crisis, who withdraws, who becomes the peacemaker. These roles usually developed for good reasons, but they can trap people over time.
Sessions combine conversation with concrete tools. Families practice listening without interrupting, repairing after an argument and making decisions together. As a C-DBT certified clinician, she often teaches skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, particularly validation and emotion regulation, which help parents and teens meet each other halfway.
Parents can also schedule sessions on their own to work on consistency, co-parenting and how to stay calm in the moment. Her article on how parent counseling improves parenting skills describes these sessions.
Signs your family could use outside support
Every family has rough patches, and not every hard month calls for therapy. Still, some patterns tend to grow rather than fade on their own. Consider reaching out if any of these have lasted more than a few weeks:
- Most conversations with your teen end in an argument or a closed door.
- You and your partner disagree about parenting in front of the kids, or have stopped discussing it at all.
- A child's anxiety, anger or sadness is affecting school, sleep or friendships.
- Siblings fight constantly, or one child seems to absorb most of the household tension.
- A recent change, such as a move, a divorce, a new stepparent or a loss, has left everyone unsettled.
- You notice yourself reacting to your children the way your own parents reacted to you, and you do not like it.
Recognizing a pattern is not the same as failing as a parent. Families that seek help early often need fewer sessions, because the patterns have not had years to harden. A first conversation with Dr. Audrey can help you decide whether family therapy, individual sessions or parent coaching makes the most sense right now.
Help when trauma affects the family
Sometimes family tension has a specific source: a car accident, the death of a grandparent, an assault, domestic violence or a frightening medical crisis. Trauma changes how people react, and family members may misread those reactions as moodiness or defiance.
Dr. Audrey treats PTSD and complex PTSD and can combine individual trauma work with family sessions. The person who was hurt gets focused, paced care, while the rest of the family learns how to respond in ways that support healing. The National Institute of Mental Health offers accessible information about how trauma affects children and adults, and families who like to read research can explore studies on PubMed.
Meet Dr. Audrey Kteily, PhD, LPC-S
Dr. Audrey 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, and she holds a New Jersey LPC and a New York LMHC. She is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations, C-DBT certified through Evergreen Certifications, and a published author on family dynamics. Her practice is LGBTQ+-owned and affirming.
Read her full biography, meet Dr. Audrey on the practice page, or see answers to common parenting questions in Ask Dr. Audrey. Her article on what a family counselor does for Coppell families is a helpful primer, and her other specialties page lists concerns from grief to addictions.
If you are comparing professionals, the American Psychological Association offers guidance on choosing a mental health provider, and the American Board of Professional Psychology explains how specialty board certification works for psychologists.
Getting started
Dr. Audrey is an out-of-network provider. She provides a superbill after sessions that you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement, so check your plan's out-of-network mental health benefits first.
To request a time, use the appointment request form on the home page or the secure form on this page. Mention your family's scheduling needs, and she will respond within one business day.
Request your first session, or text or call (917) 905-3183. Texting is the easiest way to reach her; please keep health details out of texts.