Olive Branch Counseling

03/28/2026

Maybe no one ever hit you. Maybe your family looked fine from the outside.
But inside, you felt like your emotions were “too much.”

Or maybe… not important at all.
That’s emotional neglect, and it’s a form of trauma we don’t talk about enough.

It can lead to:
-Anxiety and people-pleasing
-Shutting down during conflict
-Struggling to feel worthy in relationships
-Chronic emptiness or self-doubt

We recently wrote a blog breaking down how emotional neglect often leads to Complex PTSD, and what healing can actually look like through trauma-informed therapy.

🧠 Read the blog here: https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/how-childhood-emotional-neglect-can-lead-to-c-ptsd/
🤝 We’re here to support teens, adults, and couples — in-person or virtually across Texas.
👥 We also have affordable spots available with our practicum clinicians ($40 per session).

03/21/2026

Have you ever wondered if what you’re dealing with could be trauma, even if nothing “big” ever happened?
You might be living with Complex PTSD, or C-PTSD.

Unlike PTSD, which is often tied to a specific event, C-PTSD shows up after years of chronic stress, emotional neglect, or relationship trauma. And it can look like:
👉 Constant people-pleasing
👉 Emotional flashbacks
👉 Feeling “too much” or “not enough”
👉 Struggling with trust, rest, or self-worth

You are not broken. Your symptoms make sense. And with the right kind of support, they can change.

At Olive Branch, we use approaches like EMDR, DBT, and ACT to help our clients feel safer in their bodies and in their relationships, maybe for the first time ever.

💻 Read our blog about C-PTSD here: https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/what-is-complex-ptsd/
📍In-person therapy in Plano, TX + virtual sessions across Texas

01/10/2026

As clinicians, we’re seeing more and more clients who are deeply exhausted, and not just in the “tired from work” way.

They’re the ones who say things like:
“I’m sleeping, but I never feel rested.”
“I feel like I’m watching my life from the outside.”
“I’m just trying to keep it together.”

What we know, and what they often don’t yet, is that this isn’t laziness or lack of resilience.

It’s a nervous system that’s been in overdrive for too long.
It’s trauma-related fatigue, and it deserves to be named.

At Olive Branch Counseling, we wrote a piece to help clients begin to understand this experience with compassion and without shame. If you’re a fellow clinician, feel free to share it with your community or clients who may be struggling with these symptoms but don’t yet have the language for it.

👉 Why Am I Always Exhausted? What Emotional Fatigue Really Means
https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/why-am-i-always-exhausted-understanding-emotional-fatigue-and-trauma/

We’re proud to offer trauma-informed therapy for teens, adults, and couples, both in-person in Plano, Texas and virtually across the state.

Feeling emotionally exhausted even when nothing is “wrong”? Learn how trauma and nervous system overload cause deep fatigue, and how trauma therapy in Plano can help.

12/26/2025

Maybe your biggest victories this year weren’t visible.
Maybe they were quiet. Small. Internal.
Like finally saying no without guilt. Or just making it through.

At Olive Branch Counseling, we believe those moments matter.
And we’re honoring them in our blog series:
The Year You Held More Than Anyone Knew
💬 This week’s post: Tiny Revolutions That Changed You This Year
https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/emdr-and-trauma-therapy-in-plano-tiny-revolutions-that-changed-you-this-year/

Also a little joy moment!
Our team spent the holidays battling it out at Game Show Battle Rooms in Farmers Branch (highly recommend for your next team outing 🎉).

🧠 Need a therapist for yourself or someone you love?
We’re accepting new clients for teens, adults, couples.
We offer sessions in English, Spanish, and Malayalam.

📌 Get to know our team: olivebranchcounselinggroup.com/our-team

12/05/2025

We’re not here to push resolutions or fresh starts.

We’re here to make space for the people quietly surviving a year that asked too much of them.

This December, we’re sharing reflections on all the invisible ways people have kept going and the kind of healing that doesn’t get enough credit.

💬 New blog:
Trauma Therapy for Burnout and Emotional Exhaustion
https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/trauma-therapy-for-burnout-and-emotional-exhaustion-what-no-one-saw-you-carry/
If you’ve felt emotionally numb, constantly tired, or like you’ve been “performing” wellness, this one’s for you.

🧠 Now accepting new clients (teens, adults, and couples)
🌎 In-person in Plano + virtual across Texas
🗣 Services available in English, Spanish, and Malayalam
📌 Meet our team: olivebranchcounselinggroup.com/our-team

You don’t have to carry it all alone.

11/28/2025

You don’t have to be falling apart to deserve therapy.
At Olive Branch Counseling, we see so many clients who are high-functioning, thoughtful, successful — and still quietly struggling.

They’re showing up for everyone else, but barely breathing themselves.
You’re not broken. You’re just tired.

And you don’t have to do this alone.
Our founder, Jessica Russell, LCSW-S, created Olive Branch to be a place where clients are never treated like a diagnosis — but as powerful, whole humans doing their best to heal.

Whether you're facing complex trauma, chronic stress, or just a quiet sense that something needs care… this could be your place to exhale.

📍 We offer trauma-informed therapy in Plano and across Texas
📞 In-person and virtual sessions available
🩺 Now accepting Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) — call us and we’ll check your benefits

📝 Read more about Jessica’s story and the heart behind Olive Branch:

The heart behind Olive Branch is simple: healing through connection. Our complex trauma therapy offers compassionate care in Plano and across Texas.

10/31/2025

What if you didn’t have to pretend anymore?

What if being “too soft” wasn’t something to hide?

In his latest blog, Rickie Jacob, LPC-Associate, shares what he’s seen time and time again in his work with men: shame is one of the quietest, most painful burdens they carry; and it often shows up in the form of isolation, comparison, and self-doubt.

Therapy can be a space where you stop performing and start healing.
Rickie offers EMDR and trauma-informed counseling in Plano and virtually across Texas.

📍 Read the full post: https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/soft-isnt-weak-rethinking-masculinity-after-trauma/
📲 Learn more or book a free consult via our site

10/17/2025

Therapy isn’t just for people who are falling apart.

Sometimes it’s for the ones holding generations of pain, quietly.

Araceli Valenciana, LPC-Associate offers culturally sensitive, trauma-informed therapy for adults navigating grief, identity stress, generational trauma, and more.

She’s especially passionate about supporting Spanish-speaking and first-generation clients who are learning to break cycles without losing themselves in the process.

Araceli is also EMDR-trained and offers EMDR therapy to help clients process trauma safely and effectively, often without needing to relive every detail.

🧠 New blog: “Breaking the Silence Around Generational Trauma”
📍 In-person sessions in Plano
💻 Virtual sessions across Texas
🗣️ Therapy available in English and Spanish

https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/breaking-the-silence-how-generational-trauma-passes-down-in-immigrant-families/

Generational trauma doesn't start with you, but healing can. At Olive Branch Counseling, we offer trauma-informed, culturally aware therapy for first-gen and immigrant families in Plano and virtually across Texas.

10/03/2025

Not all new moms are okay.
And not every mom feels safe saying that out loud.

At Olive Branch Counseling, therapist Gracie Brownell, LMSW offers trauma-informed therapy for new mothers who are overwhelmed, grieving, triggered, or just feeling completely lost.

Whether you’re navigating postpartum depression, unresolved pain from your childhood, or just feel like you’ve disappeared inside your new role. Therapy can help you find your footing again.

📖 Read our latest blog: “Processing Postpartum: Why Therapy Can Be the One Hour You Don’t Have to Be Okay”
https://olivebranchcounselingtexas.com/processing-postpartum-why-therapy-can-be-the-one-hour-you-dont-have-to-be-okay/

🍼 Now enrolling for our postpartum processing group
📍 In-person therapy in Plano
💻 Virtual therapy across Texas

Feeling overwhelmed after birth is more common than you think. At Olive Branch Counseling, we offer postpartum therapy and DBT-informed support for new moms navigating identity shifts, emotional overload, and grief — in Plano and virtually across Texas.

09/17/2025

Healing happens together. Olive Branch Counseling’s therapy groups are now open for registration and waitlists! Whether you’re navigating grief, postpartum changes, or looking to strengthen your coping skills, our groups provide connection, accountability, and community.

Register today or share with someone who could benefit! Link in our bio or scan the QR code from your desktop or mobile device!

09/04/2025

Have you ever felt sad about something that technically wasn’t a big deal...but it still felt like a huge deal?

That might be grief.

Not all grief is about death. Some grief comes from breakups, identity shifts, moving, graduating, or realizing the life you pictured isn’t going to happen.

This is the kind of work Gayley Cook, LMSW, does with teens and young adults in grief therapy. Honoring losses that don’t always get noticed and helping clients find a way to move forward without letting go of what mattered.

Read more about grief here:

When people hear the word grief, they often think of funerals, black clothing, and casseroles delivered to grieving families. But grief doesn’t only show up when someone passes away. Sometimes grief is quiet. Sometimes it hides in moments that don’t seem “big enough” to mourn. And sometimes,...

09/03/2025

Grief isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s just heavy. Quiet. Confusing.

That’s where Gayley Cook, LMSW, steps in. Gayley works with teens and young adults who are navigating grief in all its forms — the loss of a person, a relationship, an identity, or a future that didn’t happen.

Using trauma-informed CBT, she helps clients process what they’re carrying without rushing, minimizing, or judging the process.

Gayley offers Therapy in Plano and across Texas, and is available for In-person and virtual sessions with a special focus on students and young adults.