Dr. Elizabeth Marrufo-Esmele, LPC

Dr. Elizabeth Marrufo-Esmele helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction struggles, relationship strain, trauma, and depression. She also supports people dealing with grief, intimacy concerns, parenting stress, anger, low self-esteem, bipolar mood issues, and major life changes. Elizabeth is a licensed professional counselor - LPC - with five years of clinical experience in Texas.

She believes each person knows their story best and brings their own strengths to therapy. Sessions focus on practical steps people can try between visits. Elizabeth listens closely, helps people sort out immediate problems, and works with them to set clear, manageable goals.

Her style blends cognitive behavioral approaches with a client-centered stance. She uses mindfulness and solution-focused techniques to help people notice patterns, try new responses, and build coping skills. The Gottman Method is used when relationship issues are a central concern.

Therapy sessions are straightforward and goal-oriented. People can expect a mix of talking, skill practice, and simple exercises to use outside sessions. Elizabeth aims to make sessions feel calm, focused, and useful from the first meeting.

She has experience addressing codependency, communication problems, drug and alcohol addiction, post-traumatic stress, sexual assault and abuse, social anxiety, and feelings of emptiness or shame. Elizabeth works with clients to rebuild self-worth and repair patterns that get in the way of daily life.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening without judgment and helping people draw on their own strengths. In practice this means the therapist reflects what is said, helps clarify goals, and supports each person's pace and choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches practical skills to change them. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and many stress-related struggles.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with the client to pick methods that match their needs, goals, and comfort level. That may mean blending CBT skills, client-centered listening, mindfulness practices, or relationship tools as goals evolve.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls let people work face-to-face from different locations. Phone sessions are helpful when bandwidth is limited or a camera is not wanted. Live chat and text messaging support brief check-ins, quick skill coaching, or ongoing support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit care into a busy life while still focusing on real progress and skill building.