Author: Dr. Audrey Futrell LPC, LCDC

Audrey has a considerable breadth of experience in multiple clinical settings. She enjoys working with adolescents (ages 13+), adults and geriatric populations. She obtained both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia where she began her career assisting teen mothers with education, parent training and observation of developmental milestones for Child Abuse Prevention Services. She has an innate ability to connect with teens and has worked with at-risk youth successfully at Texans Can Academy. She served as the adolescent Youth Program Manager at Sundance Behavioral Hospital and then transitioned into the inpatient Clinical Director position providing crisis stabilization services, support for substance abuse, grief, depression, anxiety, self-harm and other serious mental illnesses. Audrey has spent several years working with adult and geriatric populations in acute inpatient, intensive outpatient (IOP), and outpatient settings. She enjoys working with those who struggle with chemical dependency (CD) issues and successfully ran a chemical dependency intensive outpatient program (CD-IOP) helping people with addictions in addition to depression, trauma, PTSD, Bipolar disorder, disabilities, schizophrenia, and complex grief. Audrey’s approach is strongly grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). She implements DBT and offers a seasoning of psychodynamic philosophy which enhances the flavor of the therapeutic process. How one thinks strongly impacts feelings and consequent behaviors. We often have developed layers upon layers of ourselves to protect the inner core. Identifying core beliefs and determining their accuracy is often the beginning of significant changes and more effective ways of dealing with life’s challenges. Audrey has graduated with her doctorates in clinical psychologist program in order to offer more comprehensive services to better diagnose and develop an individualized treatment. Helping the individual as a whole is a primary goal. She looks forward to walking with you along your self journey. Audrey offers some afternoon, evening, and weekend (Sunday) appointments .

Self-care

Dr. Audrey Futrell LPC, LCDC

I get asked what self-care may look like to me. I often have found that individuals think self-care means spending money. I try not to spend money for self-care. Don’t get me wrong. I have spent money for self-care, but that is not my focus. One of my favorite ways to reduce anxiety is to look at the big white clouds in the amazing blue sky and visualize I am floating on those clouds. I think of how small this world and things within the world may look from that view. I try to see my situation from a different perspective and wonder if I were up there how would I focus on the current situation or would I find the beauty that is all around me instead of the situation that I am most likely catastrophizing. Additionally, I imagine these same clouds over the ocean and use guided imagery in relaxing my mind and muscles.

Self-care can be walking or sitting in a park and just being present. One of my favorite techniques is the grounding technique. What are 5 things I see, 4 things I hear, 3 things I can touch, 2 things I can smell, and 1 thing I can taste. This technique allows me to be present and not in my head (past or future). That is only a peak at my self-care. I look forward to hearing from others how they self-care to move through a situation.