Christian Counseling in Houston That Goes Beyond Symptom Relief
Integrated care for mind, body, and soul — helping you move from surviving to genuinely thriving.
You Were Made to Thrive — Not Just Cope
Shade Tree Counseling is a Christian counseling practice in Houston, Texas. We are committed to a biblical worldview, traditional family values, and the belief that people are made of mind, body, and soul — and that all three must be addressed for real healing to happen.
Most counseling moves people from a -10 to a 0. We want to take you from 0 to +10 — from managing symptoms to living a life of genuine purpose, maturity, and thriving. That's not a marketing slogan. It's the entire reason we exist.
What Makes Shade Tree Different
We treat the whole person
Mind, body, and soul — not just the symptom. We talk about your thinking, your physical health, your faith, your community, and your purpose. All of it matters.
We hold a biblical worldview
We believe God's design for human life is good, and that real thriving happens when we align our lives with that design. Our counselors hold a Christian worldview and do not affirm what Scripture does not affirm.
We are not just symptom reducers
We want you to move beyond depression and anxiety management into purpose, meaningful relationships, and a life well-lived. Symptom reduction is a milestone, not the destination.
We use CBT because it aligns with Scripture
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is built around changing how you think — which is precisely what Romans 12:2 describes. We chose CBT because we see it as a practical framework for renewing the mind.
Movement therapy is part of our model
We offer outdoor sessions — walking, golf, and other active formats — because we believe sunlight, movement, and being outside are part of physical and mental health, not a novelty.
We are cash-pay and completely private
No insurance claims. No diagnostic labels you didn't ask for. No limitations on what we can address. Your care stays between you and your counselor.
A Structured Path to Real Change
Phase One: The Intensive (Weeks 1-8)
The first phase of counseling at Shade Tree focuses on your presenting issue — the thing that brought you in. Anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, marriage crisis, grief, or any other struggle. We work with focused intensity over approximately eight sessions.
Phase Two: Maintenance and Stabilization
After the intensive phase, we recommend a period of regular but less frequent check-ins — often monthly — to solidify the gains made, address setbacks, and continue building the skills and habits that support long-term health.
Phase Three: Thriving and Coaching
After the presenting issue is stabilized, many of our clients choose to continue — not because they are still in crisis, but because they want more. They want to lean into their gifts. They want to be better fathers, better husbands, better leaders.
"Most counseling moves people from negative ten to zero. We want to take you all the way to positive ten."
The standard mental health model is built around diagnosis and symptom reduction. You come in struggling, and the goal is to get you back to baseline — to functioning, to coping, to not drowning. That's not nothing. But at Shade Tree, we believe that is only the beginning.
We believe you were made to thrive — to live with purpose, to grow in maturity, to engage meaningfully with your family, your community, and your God. We want to help you get there. That means we don't stop when the crisis is over. We walk with you into what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shade Tree Counseling offers individual counseling for adult men and women, counseling for teens, integrated Christian counseling, movement therapy, life coaching, executive coaching, and parent coaching. Our primary modality is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) integrated with biblical principles and attention to physical health.
We are a private-pay practice and do not bill insurance directly. Session rates range from $155–$175. We provide superbills you can submit to your insurance provider for potential out-of-network reimbursement. We believe private pay protects your confidentiality and frees us to provide the best possible care without insurance-driven limitations.
Many of our psychological and physiological strategies are beneficial regardless of faith background. We are transparent that our worldview is Christian and that we believe genuine human thriving is connected to faith. We welcome people who are exploring faith, questioning faith, or simply want skilled counseling from people with clear convictions.
We recommend starting with approximately eight sessions — one per week for eight weeks. This is our standard intensive phase for most presenting issues. After that, the right path depends on your progress and goals. Some clients transition to monthly maintenance. Others continue weekly because they are in the thriving phase and want to keep growing.
Yes. Virtual sessions are available for adult clients. We find them especially useful for busy professionals who can schedule a lunchtime session from their office. We prefer in-person sessions for teenagers and do not recommend virtual for younger teens.
Yes. Marriage and relationship restoration is one of our core areas of focus. We believe marriage is worth fighting for and will do everything in our power to help couples heal. We work with couples in crisis, couples preparing for marriage, and couples in the thriving phase who want to go deeper in their relationship.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
Most of what holds people back from counseling is the belief that needing help is weakness. We disagree. Seeking help — honestly, intentionally — is one of the most disciplined things you can do. We offer a free 30-minute consultation so you can decide if Shade Tree is the right fit before you commit to anything.
(832) 535-2620
Call or text anytime
mat@shadetreecenter.com
Email us directly
10200 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77042