- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- Client-centered methods
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
About Elaine
Elaine Messarra is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Texas with 26 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, addictions, stress, relationship concerns, self-esteem, parenting strain, and life transitions. Elaine also integrates faith-based options when requested, including prayer and Bible-centered conversation.
Elaine has worked in private practice and provided therapy to nursing home and assisted living residents. She spent two decades as a teacher and school counselor, which informs her understanding of educators and school-related stress. Her background includes helping people facing chronic illness, caregiver fatigue, and end-of-life concerns.
Her approach begins with a client-centered stance that values listening and pacing that fits each person. She uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and narrative techniques to address feelings that are hard to name and patterns that keep repeating. Talk therapy is used to process thoughts and emotions and to build clearer ways of communicating and coping.
Sessions can include faith-informed counseling when clients prefer to bring religious beliefs into the conversation. Elaine has experience supporting people through divorce and separation, blended family dynamics, abandonment, and family-of-origin issues. She also works with those managing chronic pain, cancer, or caregiving responsibilities.
People meet with Elaine for practical skills, clearer thinking, and a steady listener during difficult changes. She encourages small, manageable steps and aims to help clients feel more able to cope after each session.
How EFT, client-centered work and CBT translate to online sessions
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on identifying and naming emotions and the ways they shape relationship patterns and personal responses. It can help when feelings are intense, confusing, or repeating in harmful cycles. Client-Centered Therapy centers the conversation on the person in front of the therapist. It emphasizes listening, pacing, and following the concerns the client brings so changes happen at a comfortable speed. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and offers practical strategies to shift them. It is often useful for anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems. Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about needs, goals, and preferences, and then recommend which methods to emphasize. That decision is collaborative and can change as therapy progresses. Confirm current session options before booking, since formats are not specified in this profile. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into daily life, such as using appointments around work hours, fitting a shorter check-in into a lunch break, or avoiding travel time. These practical benefits can help therapy feel more manageable while clients and licensed professionals focus on the therapeutic goals.Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
26+ years
Listed in
Texas
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, sleep problems, parenting strain, anger, self-esteem, career stress, and coping with life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered and conversational. She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), CBT, mindfulness, and narrative approaches to help name and work through difficult emotions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 26 years of experience as a psychotherapist, including private practice work and time providing therapy in nursing home and assisted living settings.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, licensed in Texas and practices there.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions billed or priced?
Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps do I take to begin?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.