Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Galit Birk, PhD, LPC.
Hi Dr. Galit, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story is not a straight line, and as I’ve come to understand when I turned 50 this year, this is not at all unique for people my age. By a certain time in our lives, if we’ve lived a little and taken some risks in our lives, many of us have pivoted, and this nothing but a straight line adventure adds valuable texture and depth to the story of our lives. So here is mine. I started my path towards the career I am now in over 30 years ago, when I studied psychology as an undergraduate student. Even then, my story was tangled as I changed my major multiple times, eventually graduating with a BA in Psychology in the late nineties. I watched my mother journey through her Master’s and PhD in Psychology and chose an entirely different path, as kids often do. “Maybe I’ll go make a difference for people at work,” I told myself, and others, as I enrolled in a Master’s program for Human Resources and Labor Relations, a career I lasted in for less than two years, before landing back in school for my own PhD in Psychology while still in my twenties.
I finished my Doctorate when my first child was seven months old and decided to delay my post-doc clinical work until my second baby arrived, five years longer than planned later, because as I remind my clients today, so much in life falls outside our circle of control. By the time I was ready to reenter the workforce, the Texas Board of Psychology had changed its rules, and my post-doc experience window had unexpectedly expired, leaving me all but licensed. Over the next few months, I pleaded to and fought with the board (using my voice assertively to advocate for myself as I often teach my clients), and the board agreed to grandfather me in, pending some extra studies on my end. I dove back into classes, with a kindergartener and a toddler by my side, determined to close my loop, but it wouldn’t happen for years later, for just then life happened again, and I launched into a lengthy divorce process, and became a single mom of two little kids. School got put on the back burner, and the dream of my therapy license took a back seat again, as I got a 9-to-5 job to support myself and the kids. During my divorce, I had my own therapist, whom I would see regularly once or sometimes even twice a week; I wouldn’t have survived without her! Divorce is a beast of a journey, and we don’t have to do it alone (as I tell clients today). Day after day, I would cry to Deanne: about him, about me, about the future, about my debt, and that ever-elusive license that felt so out of reach, until one day she looked me square in the eyes and planted the seed that changed the course of my life. The next week I told my mom: “I’m going back to school to get a Master’s in counseling, and finally get licensed.” My mother, a thriving psychologist by that time, looked at me puzzled, fully recognizing the scope of my student loan debt, and said, “You can’t afford to go back to school!” She wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t listen. “I can’t afford not to,” I said, and two and a half years later, I was licensed.
I turned 50 this year, completed my supervised clinical hours, and upgraded my license, finally closing my loop – a milestone moment in my adult life! Today I am living a dream I couldn’t have fully imagined back then. I am a PhD, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Parent Coach, and a Divorce Coach. I am proud, I am grateful, and I trust the timing of my life. I wouldn’t be the therapist I am today, specializing in couples counseling, relationship issues, and life transitions, without my own life story, and I am honored to walk alongside every single client who welcomes me into their life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been anything BUT a smooth road, both getting here (see above) and finding my way once I got here, but growth happens in the struggle itself, so I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I was in graduate school, they said, “Your specialty finds you, and not the other way around.” I wanted to work with women and trauma, but I found myself working with couples and relationship issues, and I am divorced! I didn’t realize then, as I do now, just how much life experience matters.
Couples Therapy found me when I took a job with a group practice with “Couples Counseling” in the name. I asked the admins to funnel as many individual clients my way as possible and limit my work with couples. But soon enough I had a handful of couples in my caseload, and found that to my surprise, I both liked it and had something to offer, or at least the clients kept coming back! I guess your specialty does find you, as they say.
I spent a few years at this group practice that built the foundation for what would later become my area of specialty and my brand, though I didn’t know it then. I am grateful for the time and training I had there. A year and a half ago, I left the nest and started my own practice. For a long time, my narrative was that “I had no business running a business,” and one day I decided to tell myself a different story (as we all have the capacity to do), and brought to life CORE Counseling and Wellness, leaning into counseling and coaching around family, relationships, and life transitions.
Running a small business is its own beast, and I outsource my own support as I journey through budgeting, marketing, social media, and the like. Apparently, I do have business running a business. It’s not perfect, as nothing ever is, but I’m doing it!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about CORE Counseling and Wellness ?
CORE Counseling and Wellness – Helping You Thrive! This is not just a tagline – it’s my mission. What gets me up in the morning is knowing that I get to walk alongside people who are up to something, and helping them move from where they are to where they wish to be in their relationships with others, with themselves, and overall in life. I help people not just survive, but also thrive! And Ruby, the unofficial therapy dog (a sweet frenchie), makes everything better for clients in the Dallas office!
Exploring a journey towards self-discovery, healing, and growth? CORE Counseling and Wellness is a private practice in Dallas, offering tailored counseling support for individuals, couples, families, or groups in person (Dallas) and virtually throughout Texas, and coaching support nationwide. CORE stands for Center for Relational Empowerment. Our curated services blend virtual convenience with in-person warmth for a holistic therapeutic experience.
We offer compassionate support to couples and families along the continuum from pre-marital to marital to parenting, and if necessary, to co-parenting too: Embark on a path to self-discovery and understanding together with your partner or family members. Relationships don’t come with a manual, so couples/family counseling is often a re-education of sorts. Let us guide you towards a more fulfilling relational life with 50 or 75-minute sessions offered both in-person and virtually. Remember, you can be right or be in relationship.
We offer empowering support for individuals, including teens (14+): Our 50-minute sessions provide a safe space for reflection, healing, and growth, whether in person or virtually. Let us help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you wish to be in your life so that you can live the life you imagine.
We walk with you through your divorce with compassionate divorce coaching, because we’re not meant to do it alone. Divorce can shake the ground beneath you. I’ve been there, and I can be there for you. Divorce coaching offers a steady, judgment-free space to sort through the overwhelm, clarify your next right steps, and build resilient boundaries as you move forward.
We offer Concierge Counseling and Coaching for clients who want to go deeper, because we want to go deeper with you. The Concierge Model offers longer sessions and higher access between sessions; it is high touch and high value. We hold your hand and help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you wish to be in your life. We want to help you not just survive, but thrive, and live a life you love!
We offer the Parent Pause (discounted session packages) for single parents who may not otherwise be able to afford quality care. As a single mom myself, I know how hard it can be to put yourself first sometimes. I see you, I am you, and I’ve got you.
We offer engaging presentations, transformative workshops, and group coaching. In December 2025, we launched the Self-Care in the 21st Century workshop in the workplace, a collaborative project with Dr. Gregg Grossman of Beyond Perseverance, because collaboration matters, and we’re not meant to do it alone isn’t just a slogan – it’s a way of life!
Today, the “we” in CORE consists of just Ruby and me, but we’re just getting started, and growth is definitely in our future. Growing a brand is an exciting journey. While I’m only just beginning in some ways (CORE Counseling and Wellness is just shy of two years old), in many ways this work has been evolving for years through my own becoming. I hope my brand continues to be a reflection of me; inspired, empowered, and on a never-ending journey of becoming! Like the caterpillar who must struggle against the cocoon to strengthen her wings to fly, so must we endure life’s challenges to get to the other side – to flourish, to grow, to bloom, and to fly! I’m here to take on that journey with you!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Just keep going! So often we quit too soon, just as I often tell clients (especially couples), who quit when the going gets tough. Therapy doesn’t always feel good, and neither does starting a business, or running one, or being a therapist, but growth happens IN the struggle. I learned this when I ran my first marathon in my twenties, and my second, and third, and then wrote about it in my dissertation, which took me years to write! I learned it when I was pregnant, when I was married, and during my divorce. And I learned it again as I counted each hour towards licensure. We can’t short-circuit growth in therapy, in business, or in life just like we can’t cheat our way to a finish line and still get the same adrenaline rush as we do after 26.2 – IYKYK. If you’re thinking about getting started, just start. Baby steps lead us to beautiful destinations too. Perfectionism keeps us stuck. Just keep going, and if you need help – Ask. We’re not meant to do it alone.
Pricing:
- We do not accept insurance, We are out of network / private pay. We can provide you with a Superbill to self-submit to your insurance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.core-counseling-wellness.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/drgalitbirk
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/galitbirkphd
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/galit-birk-dallas-tx/981369
Image Credits
Photos of me courtesy of Danny Bollinger
