Meet Andrea Cunningham of Mindful Journey Counseling & Wellness in Plano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Cunningham.

Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor–Supervisor and a Certified Yoga Teacher. I believe counseling was my path, my journey, from the beginning. As a child, I tended to empathize more than others, maybe even too much at times. I felt things intensely and was curious about people and relationships with others and the world. It took years to learn to regulate these tendencies so that they did not overwhelm me. I remember an inner dialogue of positive self-talk combatting automatic negative thoughts, and I recall being conscious of this thought process, not knowing if others had similar experiences. I was also a gymnast and participated in various sports, enjoying the sense of being in my own body, setting and achieving goals, learning that I could never be the “best” and that I was worthwhile nonetheless. After participating in counseling in college, I became passionate about becoming a therapist and learning as much as possible about the profession. I am on a constant quest for knowledge with an understanding that I will forever be growing and learning, just as the field is constantly evolving. I can’t remember the last time I have read a book for “pleasure”, as my nightstand is stacked high with books about mindfulness, yoga, the vagus nerve, and spiritual growth.

After graduate school, I began my career at the Dallas County Juvenile Department, conducting therapy and psychological evaluations for children in the court system. I loved my job and felt a true connection with the kids who I was lucky enough to encounter. I became a strength-based counselor and fell in love with Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I transitioned into private practice after five years in order to work closer to home and meet the needs of our growing family. Along the way, in 2006, I took my first yoga class and was enamored with the entire experience. I practiced five times per week, noticing reductions in symptoms of anxiety and stress. I felt the sense of being in my own body again, being present with moment to moment awareness. I was simultaneously introduced to Dialectical Behavior Therapy, which teaches mindfulness as one of its four pillars. I was able to see first-hand how mindfulness and yoga could enhance the benefits of cognitive treatments. I began using Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and most recently applied techniques from the polyvagal nerve theory. My interest in yoga expanded over the years and I became a certified yoga teacher through Purple Lotus’s teacher training program in 2017.

In January 2018, Jamie Jaubert, MS, LPC-S, and I founded Mindful Journey Counseling & Wellness, PLLC in a quest to provide counseling services with an emphasis on wellness of mind and body. Jamie shared my vision in providing treatment that focused on the connection between mental health, physical health, mindfulness, quality of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Jamie has been extremely supportive of my dream to incorporate yoga into a counseling practice. She has the most amazing energy and mindset, and her values in business, personal life, and family life align with mine in every way. Between the two of us, we take on the attitude that if we can dream it, learn about it, work hard, and take the first step, then our path will lead us to where we are meant to be.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are plenty of bumps in every road, and Jamie and I have both experienced setbacks along our journey. With continued assistance from our husbands, families, and friends, we have overcome difficulties and realized our dreams. After our own struggles professionally and personally, Jamie and I set out to create an environment in which there was support and consideration for others, as well as an emphasis on work/life balance. We both leave the office early on some days to pick up our children, and we both work late evenings to accommodate our clients’ schedules. We do not expect any of our colleagues or employees to mimic our styles. We encourage each team member to explore what they need, what their clients need, create a schedule, and identify an area of therapeutic interest that compliments these priorities. We recognize that areas of interest change as we age and develop and that the balancing act between life and work is always in flux. With a relaxed and understanding team, one can be client-focused without experiencing symptoms of burnout. Under these conditions, a counselor will have the client’s best interest in mind at all times and have energy to grow, learn, and collaborate.

Please tell us about Mindful Journey Counseling & Wellness.
Mindful Journey Counseling & Wellness, PLLC is an integrative mental health and wellness center offering both traditional and holistic mind-body approaches to counseling. Our goal is to help clients achieve a more joyful, peaceful, and fulfilling life. We strive to create an empathic and nonjudgmental environment in order to foster growth toward a lifestyle of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Mindful Journey Counseling & Wellness offers outpatient counseling services for adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Our therapists provide specialized counseling services including Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and the Gottman method. What makes us different is that we also offer integrative therapies including yoga/meditation classes for anxiety and stress reduction, trauma informed yoga, and nutrition and wellness consultations. We work closely with medical doctors as well as other wellness providers including diagnosticians, dieticians, and massage therapists in an effort to develop an individualized treatment plan for each client. We partner with a diagnostician, a play therapist, and a children’s yoga teacher on site. We also offer family and children’s yoga classes, camps, and workshops at our office.

Our therapists are skilled in treating mood and anxiety disorders including depression and bipolar disorders, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Social Anxiety Disorder. Our therapists are also experienced in treating stress and other symptoms caused by abusive relationships or adjustments to major life changes such as job loss, difficulties in corporate environments, marriage, birth of children, parenting, divorce, launching children, retirement, and grief. One of our counselors earned a Specialization in Affirmative Therapy for LGBT clients at SMU, the first specialization of its kind in the country. This included coursework for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) clients, training and education tailored for the Transgender community and LGBT Couples and Families.

We are most proud of the positive and collaborative community of caring, unique, and talented wellness professionals that are part of the Mindful Journey team. We are always sharing ideas, pushing each other out of our comfort zones and learning new things from one another. We are also proud to offer a cheaper private pay rate than most practices in the area, and we accept certain insurance plans.

What were you like growing up?
I was strong-willed, outgoing, intensely sensitive and emotional, loving and loyal. I gave my parents a run for their money. I loved school, was a gymnast and later played golf, ran cross country and was a cheerleader. I was driven and goal oriented, but also limited by my physical capabilities. I learned at an early age that I was going to have to work really hard to accomplish my athletic and musical goals, that they were not going to come easy to me, and that I was worthwhile anyway. I had to dig deep to find a connection with God and my inner strength and confidence. I finally began believing in myself and my strengths in high school and it changed my life. I was able to walk away from unhealthy people, not needing to prove myself, and focus on what I knew was right for me. Meaningful relationships with family and friends was as necessary to my life as breathing. I am still very close with a few friends that I met before I even started kindergarten. Family and friends remain essential in my life. Relationships continue to be a powerful force, even relationships with clients. I am humbled every day to be able to work with the amazing people that enter into my office. I learn so much from them.

Pricing:

• $115 for initial session
• $95 for all subsequent sessions
• $12 for yoga classes

Contact Info:

• Address: 5509 Pleasant Valley Dr, Suite 70
  Plano, TX 75023
• Website: www.mindfuljourneydfw.com
• Phone: 2147189693
• Email: andrea@mindfuljourneydfw.com
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/groups/147382085893378?ref=share

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