Family therapy for Woodridge families after a hard season
Some families seek therapy because of a slow buildup of tension. Others reach out after something specific knocks the household off balance: a death, a frightening accident, a parent's serious illness, a job loss, a cross-country relocation, or the discovery that a child has been hurt. In those moments, each person tends to cope differently, and those differences can pull a family apart just when everyone most needs each other.
Dr. Audrey Kteily, PhD, LPC-S, LMHC, CFLE helps Woodridge and other Coppell-area families find their footing again. She provides family therapy, teen counseling and trauma therapy entirely online, has worked with DFW families for over two decades and holds a PhD in Family Studies.
How does trauma affect a whole family?
Trauma rarely stays with one person. After a painful event, a parent may become overprotective, a teen may turn irritable or reckless, and a younger child may regress, cling or have nightmares. A spouse may throw themselves into work while the other cannot stop replaying what happened. Each reaction makes sense on its own. Together, they can create misunderstanding and conflict.
Family therapy helps everyone see these reactions as part of the same experience rather than as personal attacks. Dr. Audrey treats PTSD and complex PTSD in adults and teens, and she works with families to:
- Understand common stress responses so no one feels "crazy" or alone
- Rebuild a sense of safety and routine at home
- Talk about what happened in ways that fit each child's age
- Support the family member most affected without sidelining everyone else
- Grieve losses together, including losses of normal life and plans
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration publishes plain-language information on trauma and recovery, and the Cochrane Library gathers reviews of research on trauma treatment for children and adults.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911. Dr. Audrey's practice is not a crisis service.
Grief in the family
When someone in the family dies, each person grieves on a different timetable. A parent may need to talk about the loss constantly while a teen refuses to mention it. Young children may seem fine for weeks and then ask the same questions again and again. None of these patterns is wrong. Family sessions make room for all of them, so no one feels pressured to grieve the way someone else does, and so anniversaries, holidays and other hard days can be planned for together.
Building resilience, not just getting through it
Resilience is not about pretending things are fine. It is the ability to bend under strain and recover, and families can practice it. Dr. Audrey's family systems approach looks at the strengths already present in your family, such as humor, faith, routines, close relatives or a shared sense of purpose, and builds on them.
Sessions often include practical skills drawn from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, in which she holds C-DBT certification. Family members learn to name emotions, ride out distress without lashing out and ask clearly for support. These skills help long after the crisis that brought you in has passed. Her article on what a family counselor does for families in Coppell gives a broader view of how she structures this work.
Moves and big transitions
The DFW area draws many families relocating for work, and a move can be harder on children than parents expect. Leaving friends, starting at a new school and losing familiar routines all at once can show up as anxiety, withdrawal or anger. Family sessions give kids words for what they miss and help parents ease the transition. The same applies to divorce, a new baby, an aging grandparent moving in or a child leaving for college.
Support for Woodridge teens and parents
Teenagers often carry the effects of family stress quietly. Dr. Audrey works with teens ages 12 to 18 on anxiety, depression, self-harm, school stress, identity and LGBTQ+ concerns, and trauma. Teens can meet with her individually, in family sessions or both. Learn more on her adolescent issues page and in her post on teen counseling for Coppell adolescents.
Parents may need their own space too, especially when they are grieving or recovering themselves while trying to hold the family together. Her article on how parent counseling can improve parenting skills describes that kind of support. She also helps with ADHD, autism spectrum, grief, addictions and other issues listed on her other specialties page. Her practice is LGBTQ+-friendly and LGBTQ+-owned.
What if my teenager does not want to come?
Reluctance is common and does not mean therapy will fail. Teens often resist because they expect to be blamed or lectured. Dr. Audrey starts by listening, and online sessions lower the barrier: a teen can join from their own room, sometimes with the camera angled away at first. Parents can also begin on their own, since changes in how adults respond often open the door for a teen to join later.
It also helps to be honest with your teen about why you are reaching out. Saying "this has been hard on all of us, and I want help too" lands very differently from "you need to get fixed."
How online sessions work in the Coppell area
Dr. Audrey's sessions are all secure, HIPAA-compliant video calls. You open the link in your browser; there is no app and no office visit. For a family already stretched thin, removing the drive and the waiting room makes it easier to keep going week after week.
- She is a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor. Participants must be physically in Texas, New Jersey or New York during each session.
- Sessions for Texas clients are scheduled in Central Time and arranged flexibly.
- Relatives in different homes or cities within those states can join the same call.
When you are comparing therapists, directories such as Psychology Today and professional groups like the American Counseling Association can help you understand license types and what to ask.
About Dr. Audrey Kteily
Dr. Audrey earned a PhD in Family Studies and a Bachelor's in Psychology at Texas Woman's University and a Master's in Counseling at Dallas Baptist University. She has held her Texas LPC since 2001 and her Supervisor designation since 2004, and she is licensed in New Jersey (LPC) and New York (LMHC). She is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations, C-DBT certified and a published author in family dynamics. Read her full background, visit the meet Dr. Audrey page or browse questions she has answered on Ask Dr. Audrey.
Taking the next step
When your family has been through something hard, reaching out can feel like one more task. Keep it simple: send a short message, and Dr. Audrey will respond within one business day to talk about what happened and how she can help.
The practice is out of network with insurance plans. You receive a superbill to submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement, so check your out-of-network mental health benefits first.
If only one or two family members are ready to start, that is fine. The work can begin with them, and others can join when they feel able. Healing in a family rarely happens all at once.
Use the secure appointment request form on this page or the request form on the home page, or text or call (917) 905-3183. Texting is easiest; please keep health details out of texts.