Anne M. Vano, Ph.D.

It can be hard to pick a therapist when so many qualified people may be in your area. It is often a connection with a person's words, or a feeling from their photograph, that leads to making a call. For most psychologists, there are specific theories that guide our thinking and approach. My own particular style has developed not only from sitting across from patients for 25 years, but also from my graduate studies, ongoing consultation, and personal therapy.

I consider myself a flexible psychologist who will meet you exactly where you are. With me, the pace for change is thoughtful and gradual. We decide together what the weekly schedule and sessions might look like for the difficulties you are facing. I do not make set prescriptions for "this issue vs. that issue." Instead, from the onset, the work is collaborative and tailored to you specifically.

I hold a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. I have been in practice for 25 years and helped a variety of people with a wide range of psychological difficulties. I work with adults, couples, and families.

These are examples, not limits — whatever brings you in, there is room for it here.

Individual therapy

Individual therapy gives you a place to think and feel without judgement — a place away from distractions where you can make meaningful contact with yourself in the presence of a trained professional. It may be a place to grieve, a place to remember what is feared to be lost, a place to yearn, a place to say out loud what once was silenced, a place to dream without inhibition, or a place to practice new ways of being in the world. No matter what you are struggling with, it is through talking that creativity flows, ideas take shape, fears can be verbalized and lessened, and new ways of approaching “the same old problems” emerge. But, while therapy is often said to be a “talking cure,” it is also a “listening cure.” The exchanges between patient and therapist, if they are alive and creative, are the links to unlocking whatever is stuck — and transforming it into something new.

Couples therapy

It is not uncommon for couples to seek therapy when their relationship is in a crisis. One partner may convince the other that it’s time to get professional help. At this juncture, one or both partners may feel panicked, desperately hoping that therapy can help mend whatever turmoil, betrayal, or upset may be jeopardizing the relationship. It is common for partners to feel frustrated when the same fight or disagreement arises time and again — often a sign that there are deeper dynamics at play keeping things going in a negative, painful, repetitive direction. Naturally, frequent arguments erode connection, and couples can easily begin to lose sight of strengths in their relationship. Therapy, surely a place to express upset and pain, can also be a place to recognize capacities inherent to both partners. Through therapy, positive exchanges once buried by conflict can be unearthed.

Family therapy

Families, similar to couples, often seek help when there is a crisis. Often a family therapist is called when hurt feelings have been mounting beyond what is tolerable, and/or communication painfully fails too many times. The family can feel broken. Members might express loss and sadness over what has become a family they don’t recognize anymore. Confusion about how things got so off course is common. Naturally, families are complicated. Each person in a family is also a person outside the family and feel their existence in their own right. Coming together as a cohesive group, therefore is not always easy. In good times, personal differences are accepted and even celebrated, but in tense times, these differences can lead to ruptures. I work from the position that what is transpiring in the family is signaling a need for change (i.e. meaning is derived from the conflict). For example, why this? why now? become vital questions. Often families are surprised to uncover how their dynamics are actually expressing other hidden feelings/thoughts unbeknownst to them. In a paradoxical way, the conflict may be the best way in, or back in.

Parenting help

Parents need support. Raising a child, or multiple children, is one of the most transformative experiences in a person’s life. It can come as a surprise how challenging this endeavor is. The joy and love one feels can at times, be offset by exhaustion, frustration and even despair. When difficult feelings arise, it can be complicated. Feelings of guilt for negative emotions can be as equally powerful as loving ones, sending parents into a spiral of shame and silence which can be hard to admit to friends or family. It is my strong belief that parents require a particular kind of support. In my opinion, it is not enough to just listen when children are being affected. There are active interventions that can help parents understand and appreciate what is taking place in their children’s minds, as well as their own, so that the dynamic can change into something new and healthy. As kids grow, so must the relationship. I commend all parents who are attempting to have difficult — sometimes scary — conversations with their kids.