Caroline Patterson
Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
PHILOSOPHY
“Change in therapy is more than you making the conscious decision to do something different. It is me as a therapist being there for you genuinely, gaining a therapeutic relationship with you, and having you understand your perspectives in your life through your views, beliefs, and values.”
“The tumultuous road to change is traveled often, and people have difficulty driving the car. My role as a therapist is to not take hold of the wheel but to provide guidance through a road map and giving you the tools to repair the car if it gets in an accident. The path towards growth, change, and functional behaviors is right in front of us, but we must first turn on the headlights.”
Specialties
Anxiety
Gender Identity & LGBTQ+
Play Therapy
Women’s Issues
OCD
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Bachelor of Science in Family Science, OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (2019).
Master of Marriage and Family Therapy, ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (2021).
Caroline specializes in working with adolescents and young adults navigating troubles in relationships, anxiety disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), depression, LGBTQIA+, gender identity and expression, and family dynamics. Additionally, she has a passion for working with children ages 7-11 in Play Therapy settings using sand tray techniques, expressive art therapies, and child centered therapy. She primarily uses the Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Narrative therapies and comes from a collaborative and humanistic approach. While working with couples, she uses the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in order to create shared, safe experiences for partners while in therapy.
Caroline began her experience as a therapist in 2020. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings including community clinics, group therapy, and private practice. While in graduate school, she worked at the Marriage and Family Institute and saw children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families experiencing a variety of issues in Abilene, TX. Furthermore, she worked with children in many settings including group therapy
for elementary aged children with autistic siblings and Camp Courage, a summer camp for children experiencing intense grief. She has spent the past year working with undergraduate and graduate students in a therapeutic setting at Abilene Christian University through individual and group therapy, as well as working with individuals, couples, and families in the community in a private practice setting in Abilene.
Besides being passionate about therapy, Caroline loves hiking, swimming, and exploring the outdoors in general. She enjoys hanging out with her husband Blake, her dog Jolene, and her two cats, Piper Elaine and Dapper. You can catch her baking a mean batch of cookies, cultivating a delicious meal, or binging another episode of her favorite show, Ted Lasso.