Blaine Carr, PhD
Charlotte Howard, PhD, CGP
Claire Usher Miner, Ph.D., LPC-S
Josh Westheimer, PhD
512-627-3583
Blaine Carr, PhD
Licensed
Psychologist
Everyone has difficult times in their lives, and it can be scary and overwhelming to seek outside help. As a fellow health professional charged with helping others, I can personally relate to the struggles that physicians have when life’s challenges interfere. Often it can be a great relief to take that first step and ask for help. Whether your concerns are mild or more challenging, you can count on me to be an empathic, knowledgeable partner to help you weather the storm and get through to the other side.
Working Together
Through working with others in therapy, and through my own experience being in therapy, I know that different approaches can be helpful for different people, and what is helpful at one time might not be helpful at other times. Sometimes, it is better to use short-term techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), coping strategies, or psychoeducation to address specific symptoms. Other times, deeper exploration using psychodynamic approaches that get to the root of difficulties can be more helpful. I usually use some combination of these techniques with my clients depending on the goals we identify together as your areas of deepest need and priority.
Presenting Concerns
I can help you or a loved one with the following mental health concerns:
• Mood, anxiety, stress, and depression at all levels of severity
• Chronic pain and how physical and mental health affect one another
• Feeling stuck in your personal or work life or in your relationships
• Long-standing difficulties that seem impossible to resolve
Background
I am a Licensed Psychologist in private practice with 15 years in practice and specialize in working with adults and teenagers (16 years and older) providing psychotherapy and testing. I have worked in many different outpatient and inpatient settings, including medical and inpatient psychiatric hospitals, chronic pain treatment programs, nursing homes, and mental health clinics. I received my Master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, and my B.A. in psychology from Trinity University in San Antonio.
For more information go to Blaine Carr, PhD website.
To make an appointment with Blaine Carr, PhD call him at 512-627-3583.
512-689-7105
Claire Usher Miner, PhD, LPC-S
Certified Gottman Couples Therapist
Background
Since couples wait an average of six years to come into therapy with their issues, taking that first step sometimes feels like the end of the line. But in fact, it can be the beginning of the transformation of your relationship into the vision you had when you first met! Often, couples that commit to working on their relationship in therapy find that there is more positivity between them, more positivity even in their conflict, and a feeling of partnership to achieve their goals.
I practice the Gottman Method of couples therapy, which is based on the findings of three decades of research on more than 3,000 couples conducted by John Gottman and his colleagues at the University of Washington. You can read more about this approach in Gottman’s books, for example, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and Why Marriages Succeed or Fail. Gottman Method therapy is the only couples therapy approach that is based on observations of what actual, happy couples do in real life to stay that way. The therapy focuses on 1) the quality of your friendship, 2) the regulation of conflict so that it doesn’t damage the relationship, and 3) supporting one another’s individual dreams and creating shared goals for the marriage.
I will help you learn and practice new relationship skills, challenge ineffective attitudes, and build more positive feelings into your relationship. We will also work together to solve underlying problems in the relationship and to accept the ones that cannot be changed. I will also teach you a way of processing underlying resentments from past events that may be undermining the quality of your relationship. If you are having a lot of conflict and fights, you have grown apart and feel emotionally distant, or you are trying to heal from infidelity or other betrayals, please give me an opportunity to expose you to this approach and to coach you in learning some new ways of relating. Clients describe me as compassionate, patient, kind, competent, and professional, and my counseling sessions as practical and protective of the relationship. I hope you will give me the opportunity to work with you long before your problems dominate your relationship.
On a personal note, I obtained my PhD in Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1992. I have been in private practice since 1996, and have been certified as a Gottman therapist since 2008. I have a husband, two children and one grandson – and two fur babies (dogs). My practice hours are generally Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (start times). I look forward to meeting you.
For more information go to Claire Usher Miner, PhD, LPC-S website.
To make an appointment with Claire Usher Miner, PhD call her at 512-689-7105.
512-228-7791
Josh Westheimer, PhD
Licensed Psychologist
Background
Dr. Westheimer grew up in Houston, Texas, the son of a physician and a psychotherapist. He went to The Colorado College for his undergraduate studies where he majored in Spanish. After college, Dr. Westheimer went to spend several years in the San Francisco Bay Area where he worked in digital advertising around the time of the first dot com boom. He became interested in psychology and mental health while conducting research on refugee mental health with a professor of psychology in San Francisco.
Dr. Westheimer earned his Masters’ and Doctoral degrees in Counseling Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. His concentration was in health psychology and his dissertation focused on utilizing the group therapy format to conduct medical interventions targeting chronic disease. He completed his residency at Denver Health Medical Center in Colorado. He has enjoyed working in multidisciplinary healthcare settings and spent his first several years in practice at the VA. He held various roles in his time there, including working with home-bound veterans, completing consults in a mental health clinic and acting as behavioral health specialist embedded in a primary medical care team.
Dr. Westheimer started a private practice in 2013 and has transitioned to full-time. He works with individual adults and couples and enjoys assisting people as they navigate career and relationship challenges. He treats people with depression, anxiety, trauma, mood disorders and substance issues. He also has extensive experience with people with chronic medical illnesses. Dr. Westheimer is dedicated to making mental health services accessible and reducing stigma.
For more information go to Josh Westheimer, PhD website.
To make an appointment with Josh Westheimer, PhD call him at 512-228-7791.
Deep Eddy Psychotherapy
The TCMS Safe Harbor Counseling program has a close relationship with Deep Eddy Psychotherapy, a large practice offering the expertise of a number of doctorate level therapists. In addition to seeing clients for therapy herself, Dr. Charlotte Howard helps us coordinate and triage our physician colleagues to therapists within her group who may possess special expertise in specific practice areas. Visit their website at
www.deepeddypsychotherapy.com.
To schedule with Dr. Howard or one of her associates or to request triage assistance based on your specific needs, please contact the practice manager, Rachel Villareal directly by calling 512-461-0239.
512-461-0239
Charlotte Howard, PhD, CGP, Lead Therapist
Licensed Psychologist & Certified Group Psychotherapist
Deep Eddy Psychotherapy
Practice Philosophy
People are naturally resilient with the right support. When we ask too much of ourselves or don’t slow down enough to integrate the many evocative, and sometimes difficult, experiences we have every day, we begin to tax our nervous systems in a way that can lead to anxiety, depression, mistreatment of ourselves, burn out, or failing relationships. The approach I use varies by client, from life coaching and focusing on alleviating symptoms quickly with empirically-validated and present-focused techniques, to deep healing work addressing the underlying causes of these symptoms.
Specialties
Relationships
Often the struggles and pain that bring people to counseling are based on experiences in past and present relationships, and the image of ourselves we develop from those relationships. The health of our many complex relationships tremendously impacts quality of life and functioning.
Stress & Anxiety
I specialize in relieving anxiety, stress, tension, & panic disorders, as well as the many consequences these can create. Many of my clients are highly successful and driven, and in that process have allowed stress to decrease their quality of life. Anxiety can also stem from a backlog of unprocessed feelings or ignoring parts of yourself or your needs. Taking time to listen within, understand your experience, and employ the latest coping techniques relaxes the nervous system and relieves symptoms naturally.
Background
I attended Middlebury College in Vermont and received a full fellowship to graduate school in Counseling Psychology at the University of Iowa. My behavioral health internship at the University of Texas Counseling & Mental Health Center focused on physical health issues related to mental health, such as eating disorders, headaches, tension, panic attacks, IBS, sleep disorders, and chronic pain. I began private practice as a psychologist in 2006 and became the director of Deep Eddy Psychotherapy in 2014.
For more information go to Charlotte Howard, PhD, CGP website. Charlotte Howard, PhD, CGP website.
To make an appointment with Charlotte Howard, PhD contact the practice manager, Rachel Villareal directly by calling 512-461-0239