Dennis Hounshell, LPC

Dennis Hounshell is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Missouri with 20 years of professional experience. He helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, or depression. He also supports clients dealing with relationship strain, family conflict, addiction concerns, and parenting pressures.

He aims to make the first steps toward therapy easier. Sessions focus on clear, honest conversation without judgment. Dennis emphasizes practical strategies people can try between meetings and guides them in building small, steady changes.

His approach draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at how thoughts influence feelings and behavior. He also uses ideas from the Gottman Method to address communication patterns and rebuild trust in close relationships. These approaches are used to help with mood problems, panic attacks, and ongoing worries about connection and meaning.

Dennis often works on issues that stem from family of origin, fatherhood concerns, guilt, shame, and isolation. He offers support for men navigating emotional struggles and for people coping with compassion fatigue and emptiness. Clients can expect a straightforward, problem-solving style that still allows room to process painful feelings.

Sessions are offered in English. The work is collaborative: Dennis listens first, helps identify goals, and then creates a plan that fits each person’s life and schedule.

How CBT and Relationship Work Translate Online

CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving; online sessions let a therapist coach specific tools and homework between appointments. The Gottman Method looks at communication patterns and emotional connection; those skills can be practiced and reviewed during video or phone sessions to improve interactions at home.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will listen to concerns, talk through goals, and together decide whether CBT, Gottman ideas, or a mix is the best fit. This collaborative planning helps tailor sessions to the person’s needs and preferences.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which makes scheduling more flexible. Video calls work well for longer conversations and practicing communication skills. Phone sessions can be useful when bandwidth is limited or a quieter setup is easier. Live chat or text messaging can be used for brief check-ins, to review homework, or to keep momentum between longer sessions. These options help people fit therapy into work, family, and daily life without traveling to appointments.