Ava Pickard

Qualifications & Experience

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor (LCSW-S) with more than thirty years of mental health experience. I hold a Bachelor of Science from The University of Texas at Tyler and a Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work.

My Call to Christian Counseling

I started counseling informally in the 1970s at the Christian Broadcasting Network broadcasting offices in Dallas. We worked on the phones during the 700 Club program and provided counseling after training with the leadership. I went on to provide a radio program once a week, and there I realized I wanted to pursue more education to make my living as a counselor.

As an undergraduate, I was drawn to social work partly due to my strong affiliation with faith and community service, and partly because of the wide range of service delivery options that would include counseling. When I was growing up, my mother was an Education Director in our church and she did much counseling with church members and others. I believe I had that same strong calling she had and her modeling was very influential on me.

More About Me/On a Personal Note

I love to go to movies and enjoy reading, especially non-fiction Christian books. I started reading through my Bible with the One-Year Bible plan more than thirty years ago and still do it every day. I also am very interested in political science and sociological change.

Areas of Expertise/Specialties

• Abandonment and Neglect
• Aging and Geriatric Issues
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder
• Codependency
• Couples Counseling
• Depression
• Family Counseling
• Grief and Loss
• Group Counseling
• Individual Counseling
• Infidelity and Affairs
• Lifespan Integration
• Marriage Counseling
• Online Counseling
• Personal Development
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Premarital Counseling
• Professional Development
• Psychological Testing
• Relationship Issues
• Sexual Abuse
• Spiritual Development
• Trauma
• Women’s Issues

Aging and Geriatric Issues

I have worked with geriatric and aging clients for more than thirty years. I enjoy hearing their stories and finding ways to help them as they adjust to the changes in their bodies and their lives. As a clinical social worker, my background has equipped me to see the barriers that aging clients sometimes face, such as a dismissive attitude by caregivers, physicians, nurses, family members, or other therapists.

As a Christian and a therapist, my first responsibility is to show love and respect to all clients. That is my primary goal, along with listening with an ear toward understanding clients’ stories with compassion. I truly believe the “greatest of these is love” biblical principle should be the platform from which change is possible.

Abandonment and Neglect

Feelings associated with abandonment and neglect continue to surface in clients regardless of their age. If a client comes to me with anxiety and/or depression, a good history is needed to discover whether they have felt abandonment, neglect, or rejection by primary persons in their lives. Clients may present with feelings about their marriages or other relationships, traumatic experiences, separations, or simply the feelings of repetitive failures in life, and are seeking the answers they so desire to resolve.

By using the kind of love and disciplined work essential to therapy, clients can feel safe enough to realize they have abandonment pain in their lives. My goal for them then becomes to walk beside them in healing, invite the Holy Spirit into the process, and allow the power of God’s love to begin to heal the broken places in their hearts – a process that will continue long after our therapy has been completed.

Anger Management

Anger may be explosive, but it can also be hidden in many other behaviors, marital conflict, unsuccessful relationships, rebellion, or other manifestations. The Bible teaches us to “be angry but do not sin . . . do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). I use this passage as a starting point with clients, suggesting to them ways to deal with anger quickly and identify where it really comes from so that we can begin the task together of recognizing how to get to the root of bitterness that seems to make a place for it. This process provides a lifelong skill in not just managing anger, but it can be a road to freedom from unmanageable anger that can destroy so many lives in its wake.

Grief and Loss

In working with those suffering with grief and loss, I will often utilize principles from the Logo-therapeutic theory, which includes skills to help clients let go of the desire to reconcile “why” their loss. We work toward giving up the impossible task of trying to answer the “why” at all, but instead seek the Lord’s help and grace to leave that to the providence of God. During our time together, we rather focus on the Logo-therapeutic goal of discovering how the loss may provide meaning to the rest of their life and use illustrative metaphors and insights, to discover how their perspective has changed for their own life.

Women’s Issues

In my work with women, I will seek to empower you and assist you with whatever issues you are experiencing. Whether you come to me for support, to “find yourself,” to discover your own gifts and strengths, to leave behind the codependent and dependent beliefs that limit you, or for other reasons, I would be honored to help you explore your identity in Christ and find ways to help you overcome the challenges you face.

Sessions: I offer 53-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.

Availability (by office location):

• Keller – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
• Online Counseling – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment the full fee per session is required at the time of service.

Insurance: As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor (LCSW-S), most insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider).

Receipts/Statements: In the event you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express). A fee of up to 4% per transaction may be added for credit card payments.