Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherry Fancher.
Hi Sherry, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Before founding Burleson Counseling, I never imagined I would be leading a growing team of therapists. What’s funny is that counseling was never part of my original vision, yet life, faith, and calling had other plans. Sometimes the bigger picture doesn’t make sense until you’re able to look back and see the thread that connects it all together. As the daughter of Chinese-Cambodian immigrants and genocide survivors, I was raised with a deep respect for hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice. Over time, those values, combined with faith and purpose, guided me into counseling and building a mission-centered practice.
After escaping the Khmer Rouge communist regime, my parents were sponsored to come to America by a kind church family. They boarded the plane with nothing but the clothes on their backs, a little cash, and a family of seven to take care of. They worked long, exhausting hours in the restaurant industry and often held two jobs just to make ends meet. Although their own dreams were interrupted by survival, they carried the belief that those dreams could live on through their children. I have vivid memories of helping at the restaurant at a very young age and feeling deep admiration for my mother and father’s commitment. Watching their sacrifices firsthand shaped not only who I am, but the heart behind the work I do today.
Like many immigrant families, stability was highly valued in my household. Medicine was seen as the safest and most honorable path, so I entered Baylor University with that goal in mind. However, attending a Christian university introduced me to faith in a deeply personal way and completely transformed my perspective. I experienced an internal shift and realized I no longer needed to prove myself to others. Instead, I began discovering how my strengths could be used to serve people in meaningful ways. That realization helped me discover my calling and ultimately led me into the field of counseling.
After graduating from Baylor, I pursued my graduate degree in counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. At the same time, I began volunteering at The Women’s Center of Tarrant County, working with survivors of sexual trauma and providing crisis intervention. Those early experiences shaped my heart for advocacy and taught me the power of walking alongside people in their darkest moments. Shortly after, I accepted a position as a trainer and visited schools around the metroplex teaching children how to recognize, resist, and report abuse. I completed my internship and licensure there, where I developed a passion not only for clinical work, but also for community education and awareness around mental health. I also experienced the power of working together with others on a shared mission to fight for a cause that was much bigger than ourselves. It took a team to support survivors, and this helped me recognize that if I were going to do this work long term, that I couldn’t do it alone.
I later put my career on pause for a few years during the birth and caretaking of my three children. Those were some of the best years of my life, and I am deeply grateful for the time I was able to spend with them. I eventually returned to the counseling field through a virtual group practice. When my family settled in Burleson, Texas, I quickly saw the growing need for accessible mental health care in the community. That was the beginning of Burleson Counseling.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Choosing counseling meant pushing against deep cultural expectations where emotional struggles were often minimized or carried quietly within families. As an Asian-American, mental health was rarely discussed growing up. Survival, strength, and endurance were valued far more than vulnerability. I was taught, like many in immigrant households, to move forward by “being strong” rather than by processing pain.
What made this journey even more complex was realizing how much of that silence was rooted in intergenerational trauma. My parents survived war, displacement, and unimaginable loss. While they rarely spoke about their experiences, the weight of what they endured shaped our family in subtle but powerful ways. I began to see how unresolved trauma can pass from one generation to the next — showing up in emotional distance, pressure to succeed, difficulty expressing needs, and even anxiety. In many ways, my work today feels deeply connected to their story and the legacy they carried.
Entering the mental health field as a minority also came with its own challenges. When I attend professional conferences or trainings, I am often one of very few Asian therapists in the room. That underrepresentation reminds me how much our community needs culturally aware clinicians who understand the unique experiences of immigrant families and Asian American identity. Because of this, one of my personal missions in therapy has become creating space for people of all cultural backgrounds to process trauma, break generational cycles, and learn that healing does not mean dishonoring their family’s sacrifices. It means allowing ourselves to heal while still honoring where we came from.
Launching Burleson Counseling brought a different kind of challenge. I remember sitting in a borrowed office one day a week, honestly not knowing if anyone would even call. Within weeks, my schedule filled. Demand grew quickly, and I found myself stretched between family life and an overflowing caseload. Turning away clients was heartbreaking, but at the same time, it was also the catalyst for growth. One therapist from graduate school reached out about supervision, then another, and eventually more clinicians joined the team. What started as a small solo practice slowly became a collaborative group practice serving our community.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Burleson Counseling?
Burleson Counseling was built with two core priorities: caring deeply for clients and supporting the therapists who serve them. We believe sustainable mental health care starts from the inside out and when clinicians are encouraged, connected, and equipped, everyone benefits.
Our team provides both in-person and virtual therapy services for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. We support clients through a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, substance use, behavioral challenges, mood and personality disorders, life transitions, self-esteem, and relationship concerns. We utilize evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), trauma-informed care, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Play and Sand Tray Therapy. Using an integrative approach, we tailor treatment to meet the unique goals and needs of each client. Accessibility is also a priority for our practice. We accept most major insurance plans and offer superbills for out-of-network benefits so individuals and families can receive the care they need.
What I am most proud of is the heart of our team — therapists who truly see people in their hardest moments and are willing to hold hope for clients until they are able to hold it for themselves. They show up every day ready to meet people where they are at and help them find their courage within to heal.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I would not be where I am today without the people who believed in me long before I fully believed in myself. I am deeply grateful for the professors and supervisors who invested in my early development as a therapist, modeled strong leadership, and showed me what it looks like to serve with both humility and compassion. Their guidance helped shape not only my clinical skills, but the kind of leader I strive to be.
I also owe so much to my team at Burleson Counseling. These therapists are the heart of our practice. They show up every day with integrity, empathy, and dedication to the people we serve. Watching them care for clients, support one another, and grow professionally has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.
My friends have also played an important role, offering encouragement, prayer, honest feedback, and steady support during both the exciting and challenging seasons of building this practice. My family deserves tremendous credit as well. Their encouragement and unwavering support made it possible for me to pursue both my calling and motherhood. There were many moments when the path ahead felt uncertain, but these people reminded me to lean into my calling rather than allow fear to shape my decisions.
Finally, I am incredibly thankful for our clients, who trust us with their stories and allow us to walk alongside them during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Their courage and resilience continue to inspire everything we do, and their stories stay with us long after they leave our office.
Pricing:
- We are in network with most major insurance companies
- Private pay rate is $100-$130
- We provide superbills for Out-of-Network benefits
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.myburlesoncounseling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burlesoncounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burlesoncounseling
