01 · Who Elaine works with

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

Elaine lists 15 specialisms and 41 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Elaine chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Elaine's own words

What Elaine says about the work

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

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor MS, LPC in Texas .

I have 26 years experience as a psychotherapist in private practice, virtually online, and I offered individual therapy to nursing home and assisted living residents. I was also a teacher and school counselor for 20 years. I have a special heart for educators and teachers.

I have been on Better Help since September 2020.

I am a Christian who believes in prayer and the Bible. I offer Faith Based, Bible based counseling and prayer if desired. Religious faith can be a source of comfort, grounding, and healing.

I am currently accepting new clients ages 18+ for individual therapy sessions only.

I do not offer couples therapy or family sessions.

My Office Hours are Mondays 6 am - 4pm, Wednesdays 6 am - 4pm, Fridays 6 am -4pm, Saturdays 6 am - Noon CST. Some Sundays 9 am - noon. 2 pm- 3 pm CST.

My Areas Of Expertise Include: Trauma, Toxic Relationships, Narcissistic Abuse, Christian Counseling, Women's Issues, Anxiety, Panic, Depression, OCD, Relationships, Communication, Boundaries, Divorce, Separation, Life transitions, Ages and Stages of Life, Grief and loss, Geriatric issues, Dementia / Alzheimer's, Hospice / End of life issues, Chronic Illness and pain, Caregiver wellness , Compassion fatigue.

My client centered approach & pace is customized to individual needs. I offer unconditional positive regard to clients with a holistic approach of wellness in body and mind.

Therapeutic dialogue, or talk therapy is a positive approach to processing thoughts & emotions. I am patient, empathic, and I am excellent at active listening.

Therapy is a safe, judgement free, no shame, no blame zone. I want my clients to feel safe, heard, validated, and understood.

My hope is that all clients will feel lighter, brighter and more hopeful after each session.

Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process. I look forward to working with you!

https://www.betterhelp.com/elaine-messarra/

Elaine Messarra, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Elaine works

The 8 approaches Elaine lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Elaine lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Elaine'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 Elaine 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.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

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.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Elaine 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 Elaine'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 Elaine at this point.

2. Naming Elaine specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Elaine 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 Elaine.

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

4 questions worth asking Elaine

Built from what Elaine actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Elaine's - Elaine 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.

• “With 26 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “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 12798

Licence number

12798

Licence expires

30 Apr 2027

NPI

1669630232

Years in practice

26

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Elaine'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 9 Oct 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 Elaine. 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.