01 · Who Denise works with

Denise works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse

Denise lists 9 specialisms and 7 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Denise chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Denise's own words

What Denise says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Connection with others and healthy, strong relationships are what I am passionate about. There are many times in life when journeys are hard, situations exhausting, and trying or overwhelming, and my desire is to come alongside and help process and encourage my clients. Counseling for clients can be hard work but can be so rewarding and healing in the process and on the other side of the valley they might be up against. People dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma of various kinds, relationship struggles and life change are many of who make up my clients. I work with a wide range of ages and journeys.

I received a masters in science from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2013. I am a licensed professional counselor as well as certified by the national board as a nationally certified counselor. I use a solution focused approach as well as CBT and trauma-focused therapy. This means I am looking for ways to help my client process, find tools to help them in the midst of their struggle and then get them to implement the tools so they can move forward to a healthier way of living. We can often get stuck in the way we have always done something and sometimes having a person on the outside can give us a new perspective and lens with which to see things and make changes necessary to move to health and peace.

Denise Thornton, on the BetterHelp listing · read 8 Nov 2026

03 · How Denise works

The 3 approaches Denise lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Denise lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Denise's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Denise runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Denise practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Denise's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Denise at this point.

2. Naming Denise specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Denise is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Denise.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Denise

Built from what Denise actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Denise's - Denise has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Texas

Licence

TX LPC 72711, CO LPC 0020057

Licence number

72711

Licence expires

31 Jan 2028

NPI

1801455985

Years in practice

6

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Denise's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 8 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Denise. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.