Associate Licensed Counselor under the supervision of John Ruffin, LPC-S, Supervising Counselor.
I became a counselor because I kept meeting people who were carrying far more than anyone around them realized — and who had quietly decided that was just how it had to be.
Maybe you have gotten so good at holding everything together that no one realizes how much you are carrying. You may look strong from the outside. But underneath that strength may be anxiety, relationship struggles, shame, unhealthy coping skills, unresolved trauma, or patterns you intellectually understand but cannot seem to change.
I have found that people rarely need to be told what they are doing wrong. Most already know. What is often missing is a place to look honestly at how those patterns started — and what it would take to do something different.
My approach is person-centered, trauma-informed, and grounded in the belief that our behaviors make more sense when we understand the beliefs, environments, experiences, and relationships that shaped them.
I integrate motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and solution-focused brief therapy while recognizing that therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Together, we may explore the thoughts and beliefs keeping you stuck, identify patterns that no longer serve you, strengthen coping skills, and build on the strengths you already possess.
I believe accountability and compassion can exist in the same room. We can acknowledge choices and their consequences without allowing shame to become your identity. We can make room for the difficult parts of your story while also making room for hope, growth, and the possibility of something different.
Most importantly, I see you as a person — not an addiction, a diagnosis, a mistake, a trauma, or the worst thing that has happened to you.
I am licensed by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling and practice under required clinical supervision as an associate licensee.
Adults working through anxiety, shame, unresolved trauma, or coping strategies that have stopped working.
Partners who want to understand the patterns between them, not just relitigate the last argument.
Work that holds accountability and compassion together, without reducing you to a diagnosis or a relapse.
LGBTQ+ allied and welcoming to single parents. You should not have to explain or defend who you are.
Kerensa Houston, M.A., Associate Licensed Counselor under the supervision of John Ruffin, LPC-S, Supervising Counselor.
I am licensed by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling (license ALC05899) and provide counseling services to clients located in the State of Alabama.
Clinical supervision is an important part of the associate licensure process and supports continued professional development, ethical practice, and quality client care. While I am your counselor and our therapeutic relationship remains central to our work together, my practice is conducted within the scope of my associate license and under the supervision required by the state.
License status may be verified with the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling at abec.alabama.gov.
If any of this sounds like the kind of work you have been looking for, the next step is a short conversation — not a commitment.
Telehealth for clients located in Alabama · $55 per session · Sliding scale available
Counseling services are provided by Kerensa Houston, M.A., Associate Licensed Counselor under the supervision of John Ruffin, LPC-S, Supervising Counselor.