About Wimberley Counseling ...

After working for six years specializing with weight difficulty in the Endocrinology Department of The Austin Diagnostic Clinic, Gary, a Licensed Professional Counselor, opened his full-time private practice in Austin in 1995. With the exception of a few years, he has maintained a full-time private practice ever since - helping hundreds of clients with a multitude of issues in the process. When he and his family moved to Wimberley in 2012, he also transitioned his practice to provide "big-city counseling experience" to Wimberley and the surrounding area through a small, boutique practice.

Gary's professional journey as a psychotherapist has paralleled his journey of personal growth. He basically began exploring psychology in the mid-1980s to resolve his own issues. From self-loathing to famly of origin issues to addictive behaviors to relationship woes, as he tells clients, "My life was an FDA-certified mess." His own personal growth journey began in earnest in 1984 when he crossed paths with a gentleman to whom he says he still owes a great debt and still considers his mentor. They worked together in a therapeutic camp for brain injured adults.

"Dennis Root changed by life; he showed me how to be kind, gentle, and respectful ... he demonstrated what love really looks like ... he showed me how to actually love people so they knew they were being loved," says Gary. "I'd NEVER seen that before, and its freshness coupled with its effectiveness got my attention. I wanted to learn how to do what I was watching Dennis do - not to mention - his work had an impact I had never seen before! My experience with Dennis helped also me to begin to ask questions about my own life that I had never asked before ... compelling questions ... right questions ... questions that needed to be asked. That was the beginning of my journey out of my own darkness."

Through his study, understanding and personal growth, Gary was able work through the issues that were giving rise to the above-cited difficulties in his own life. The work has also given rise to what most of us want - a stable, content, happy life replete with fulfilling relationships. He has a stable and happy marriage of almost 30 years to his best friend and life partner, Mary Ann. After all of these years, they still enjoy one another and spending time together. They have also reared two daughters, ages 17 and 20.

The experience with his own issues - including stepping in to a role of being the parent and friend for himself that he always wanted - empowered him with solid perspectives with which to parent his daugthers. As he tell clients, "The girls have never been grounded; they've never had an arbitrary curfew; we've never checked their email; we've never confiscated their phones or gone through their texts; we've never eaves dropped on their conversations; and I never spanked them - Mary Ann did twice against my wishes then came to see that there was a better way. We worked from the time they were VERY young to help them develop self-regulating abilities so we could respect their privacy and not impose artificial consequences. At home we have a light, playful, energy about our interactions - not the constant tense, argumentative energy experienced in so many familes. This does not mean that we do not have issues; we do. We also have trusting relationships and other foundations in place from which to work productively when issues do arise. This was all created by design, and can be duplicated."

All of this personal life experience ... along with thousands of hours of study ... and thousands of hours of therapeutic experience with clients ... is brought into the therapeutic process to empower clients to accomplish what they want to accomplish.

Beyond this, Gary and Mary Ann enjoy daily hikes with their dog, Diva, listening to local live music, hanging with friends, gardening, reading, drinking coffee on their porch, sitting by a fire, and camping. Gary also enjoys working with his hands (he's currently remodeling a camper for them to go camping in), road cycling and playing music (guitar and piano) with friends.