Our Team
At The Oaks Life Center, we believe that every person who seeks counseling has their own answers to their unique situations and our role is to facilitate finding those answers. Good mental health is built on a solid foundation of effective skills and tools we learn or fail to learn along the way. However, our life experiences as children and as adults, can sometimes leave cracks or even shatter that foundation.
Our therapists collaborate with you to explore issues and identify changes that mend and rebuild your foundation, leading to hope, health, and healing.
Debi Mattocks, founder of The Oaks Life Center, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Supervisor who has been in the mental health field since 1998. Her warm, down to earth personality and approachable demeanor enable clients to feel at ease. She is an experienced clinician who uses a collaborative approach, working with the client to identify issues affecting their lives and working together to facilitate hope, healing and growth. Debi has worked extensively with children, adolescents, adults, couples, seniors and families in crisis.
Tiffany is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor with a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Northeastern State University. She began her career working with Child Protective Services providing support to at-risk children and families. She has worked in a variety of settings including inpatient, partial hositalization, and outpatient and has over a decade of experience in the helping field. She currently works as a Coordinator of Crisis Intervention for a local school district, in addition to providing outpatient counseling services for adolescents, adults, families and groups. She uses a variety of techniques based on client strengths and needs to focus on current concerns with an understanding of past experiences to facilitate healing and change. She assists clients in recognizing negative thinking patterns and behavior, to change those patterns and move towards growth, increased quality of life and healing. Treatment approaches are all strengths-based and include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Person-centered, Art and Sand tray techniques.
Krisann is a Professional School Counselor with a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Texas A&M-Commerce and a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from University of Texas at Tyler. She began teaching in 1994, and became a Professional School Counselor at Elkins Elementary in 1999. In 2006 she helped open Greenfield Elementary School, where she continues to work as an elementary school counselor. Her experience has been kindergarten – 5th grade, ages 5-11. She provides psycho-education, teaching children about self-regulation, social skills, mindset, mindfulness, coping skills and self-esteem, for individuals and small groups. She also provides counseling services for adolescents and adults using a variety of techniques including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Strengths-Based Counseling, Sand Tray and Art Therapy and more.
Rah'Meka Patrick is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Arlington and her Master's degree at Liberty University. She has been in education for 12 years, including 9 years of high school biology. She focuses on a variety of techniques but primarily employs Cognitive-behavior therapy. Rah'Meka has worked with children, teens, adults as well as couples. Her passion lies in meeting clients where they are on their journey and walking beside them.
Beth is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Houston – Clear Lake. She has a professional background in education, having worked as a teacher and School Counselor for over 28 years. Through her work as a School Counselor, Beth has had the opportunity to work with teens from a variety of backgrounds, who needed support to help them navigate mental health challenges as well as the normal stressors encountered while transitioning both into and out of high school. At The Oaks Life Center, Beth is passionate about her work with adolescents and adults. In working with clients she draws from her professional background as well as her study of a wide variety of research-based counseling methods including solution-focused, strengths-based, cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based therapy. Beth believes that her role as a counselor is to provide a safe, compassionate environment in which to support her clients as they learn to build on their own unique strengths and use those strengths to resolve the challenges that brought them into counseling.
Taryn is a Licensed Master Social Worker and is committed to helping adults learn how to overcome life’s challenges through a holistic, supportive approach. She believes in working in partnership with clients to utilize their strengths to help them sort through their challenges and achieve their goals. Taryn has a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master’s of Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Anniina Ehrman is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Sam Houston State University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The University of Texas at Tyler. She has been in the mental health field for 4 years and has experience working with both adults, seniors, and children with most of her experience and preferred age range being children between the ages of 5-17. She has worked in both group and individual settings and uses approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused therapy, and Emotionally Focused therapy. She prioritizes communication between families to ensure that these children have a strong foundation to continue to grow into. During the course of counseling, there will be a variety of knowledge and skills that are discussed, such as teaching children self-regulation techniques, social skills, coping skills, mindfulness techniques, and increasing self-esteem.
Supervised by Dr. Thelma Rouse, Ph.D., LPC-S, NCC, LMFT-S
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Brisa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate. She earned her Bachelor's from the University of North Texas and her Master's of Science degree from Texas Woman's University in Marriage and Family Therapy. She completed an internship at Irving Family Advocacy Center where she worked with various populations from troubled adolescents all the way up to aging and elderly clients. She has worked with individuals, families, and groups utilizing a broad range of approaches including Cognitive Behavioral and Emotionally-Focused therapy. She has experience addressing topics such as anxiety, behavioral issues, family and relationship issues, parenting struggles, and many more.
Supervised by Tammie Shelton, LPC-S
Brandi is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate as well as a Professional School Counselor at a local school district. She holds a Master’s degree in counseling from Tarleton State University, a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Texas at the Permian Basin and a Bachelor’s Degree in Deaf Education from Texas Tech University. She began teaching in 1993 and has been in education for 31 years, 22 of those years in middle school ELAR and 2 years as a Professional School Counselor. Brandi has experience with elementary age children and teens. She uses a variety of techniques primarily focusing on Cognitive behavior therapy.
Supervised by Dr. Laurie Hightower, PhD, LMFT-S, LPC-S, NCC, RPT-S
Kolby is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her Masters of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Texas Woman's University. She has experience counseling families, children, individuals, and couples. She has worked in a variety of settings in the past including, outpatient, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient setting. While completing her Masters degree, Kolby worked with children with Autism as an ABA Therapist for over 6 years, working with children as young as 2 years old. Kolby believes that facilitating a relationship that is empathetic and authentic plays an integral part in healing. She utilizes a variety of tools and techniques to meet each client's unique needs. Kolby is trained in TBRI and a Prepare-Enrich Facilitator.
Supervised by Tiffany Turner, LPC-S
Kayla is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. She has experience working with a diverse range of clients, including elementary aged children, teens, and adults. She welcomes clients experiencing anxiety, depression, loss, trauma, family/relationship difficulties and more. Utilizing a variety of techniques, Kayla primarily emphasizes a cognitive-behavioral approach to help clients address and overcome their concerns. She believes in building a therapeutic relationship with her clients based on trust, respect, and collaboration. By fostering this connection, she guides clients toward greater self-awareness and the development of healthy coping strategies, empowering them to experience meaningful, transformative growth.
Gisela runs the day-to-day operations and is often the one who answers the phone when our clients call. Our clients say: she’s helpful, knowledgable, offers great customer services and really cares.