Fewer spirals. Steadier thinking. A plan you can actually use.
Empowered Wellness is the virtual counseling practice of Dennis Steelman, LPC-S, LCDC. Therapy here is practical and trauma-informed: we look at how thoughts, feelings, behavior, and values interact, then turn that insight into skills you can use on a Tuesday afternoon when everything is loud.
What I help with
Support for the places where life gets loud.
Open any area below to see what the work actually looks like — and grab a free worksheet from that area to try before you ever book a session.
01
Anxiety & stress
Worry, overthinking, panic, burnout
Anxiety is rarely fixed by being told to relax. We start by mapping your specific pattern — the situations, the body cues, the thought that shows up first — and then build responses that interrupt the spiral earlier each time.
- Panic plans you write before you need them
- Practical work on avoidance, sleep, and overcommitment
- Grounding skills that work in a car, a cubicle, or a checkout line
02
Trauma-informed care
Paced, EMDR-informed, never rushed
Trauma work moves at the speed of safety. Before we touch anything painful, you build stabilization skills and a clear sense of your own nervous system — what activation feels like, what shutdown feels like, and what brings you back to a workable zone.
- Stabilization and coping first, processing second
- You keep control of the pace, every session
- Language for what happened, without reliving it on demand
03
Disciplined Thinking
The signature skills track
Disciplined Thinking is not positive thinking. It is the practice of noticing a thought, testing it against evidence, and choosing a response that is more honest, more useful, and more like the person you want to be. It is CBT-informed, values-based, and deliberately plain-spoken.
- Name the thinking trap instead of arguing with yourself
- Test thoughts against evidence, not mood
- Let your values, not the loudest feeling, pick the next step
04
Faith-friendly counseling
Included when you want it, never assumed
Faith can be a source of steadiness, and sometimes a source of pressure. If faith matters to you, it is welcome in the room and we can work with it directly. If it does not, therapy here works exactly the same way — this is your call, not a default setting.
- Your values lead; nothing is prescribed
- Room for grief, doubt, and discouragement
- Clinical care and faith held together, not in tension
The Empowered Method
Four steps, in plain language.
Select a step to see what happens in it. Nothing here is a surprise — you should know what you are walking into before you book.
You ask questions before you commit to anything.
The first conversation is free and there is no script. You describe what is going on in whatever order it comes out. I tell you honestly whether this is a good fit, what the work would likely involve, and what I would suggest if it is not a fit — including a referral elsewhere.
Fit matters more than credentials. If we are not the right match, the referral is part of the service.What to expect
We find the pattern before we try to change it.
Most people arrive knowing they feel terrible but not knowing the sequence. We slow it down: the trigger, the body cue, the first thought, the behavior, the aftermath. Seeing the sequence written out is often the first moment of relief — it turns a fog into something with edges.
You cannot interrupt a pattern you cannot see. Mapping is not a detour; it is the first intervention.Session two and three
Skills, not homework for its own sake.
Each session adds something usable: a grounding sequence, a reframe you can run in your head, a boundary script, a values check. We keep what works for you and drop what does not, out loud, without you having to pretend a technique is helping.
If a tool does not survive contact with your actual week, it is the wrong tool. Say so and we will pick another.The ongoing work
The change happens between appointments.
One hour a week is not where your life is decided. That is why every worksheet and tool in the resource library is free and open — no login, no gate. Fill them in on your phone, keep them on your device, bring them to a session or don't.
Therapy should make itself less necessary over time. That is the point of handing you the tools.Why the library is free
- Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S) · Texas #[ADD NUMBER]
- Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) · Texas #[ADD NUMBER]
- Trauma-informed and EMDR-informed practice
- Speaker and trainer, local through national level
About
Dennis Steelman, LPC-S, LCDC
Grounded, direct, and genuinely warm — the kind of counselor who will tell you what he actually thinks.
Dennis provides virtual counseling to adults across Texas through Empowered Wellness. His style is shaped by years of clinical practice, trauma-informed care, and leadership in suicide prevention — and by a conviction that people are not stuck with the way they currently relate to their own thoughts.
That conviction became Disciplined Thinking: a plain-language, skills-based way of working with your mind that clients can explain to someone else after a few sessions. It is the throughline in the counseling, the worksheets, and the training work.
Speaking & professional training
Dennis has trained and presented at the local, state, and national level for clinicians, agencies, schools, and community organizations. Sessions are practical and built for people who have to use the material on Monday.
Practical questions
The things people ask before they call.
If your question is not here, ask it in the form below. A real question gets a real answer.
Who do you work with?
Adults located in Texas, seen virtually. Common reasons people reach out: anxiety and panic, trauma, chronic stress and burnout, grief, self-critical thinking, and life transitions. If what you are facing is outside my scope, I will say so and help you find a better fit.
How does virtual therapy actually work?
You join a secure video session from a private space — home, a parked car, a closed office. You need a reasonably stable connection, headphones if other people are around, and about an hour. Many people find it easier to be honest from their own couch than from a waiting-room chair.
Do I have to live near you?
No. Counseling licenses are state-based, so you need to be physically located in Texas during sessions, but the practice is fully virtual and serves clients statewide — including small towns and areas where in-person options are thin.
What does it cost, and do you take insurance?
Current rates, insurance participation, and superbill options are covered in the free consultation, where I can answer for your specific situation instead of guessing. Ask in the form below and you will get a straight answer in writing before you commit to anything.
How long will this take?
It depends on what you are working on, and anyone who promises a number before meeting you is selling something. What I can promise is that we will name your goals early, check progress out loud, and talk openly about wrapping up when you are ready. The aim is for therapy to become less necessary.
What is "Disciplined Thinking"?
A practical, CBT-informed method for noticing a thought, testing it, and choosing a response that fits your values. It is not positive thinking and it is not arguing with yourself until you lose. There is a free workspace for it in the resource library if you want to try it before we talk.
Will you bring faith into sessions?
Only if you want it there. Faith-friendly means it is welcome and can be worked with directly, not that it is assumed or required. Plenty of clients here never discuss it, and the care is the same either way.
Is anything I type on this website private?
The worksheets and tools save only in your own browser on your own device — nothing is transmitted, and clearing your browser data erases it. The consultation form below is sent to Dennis by email, so please keep it to scheduling and general questions, and leave clinical detail for the session itself.
The full privacy page lists exactly what is stored, where a consultation request goes, and how to delete either one.
Get started
You don't have to untangle it before you reach out.
Send a few sentences. That is enough to start.
- A reply, from a personDennis reads and answers these himself, usually within two business days.
- Then a free consultationA short conversation to see whether this is the right fit — no charge, no obligation.
- Prefer plain email?drsteel01@gmail.com
- This form is not for emergenciesIf you are in crisis, call or text 988. In immediate danger, call 911.
Your request is on its way.
Thank you for reaching out — that first message is often the hardest part. Dennis will reply personally, usually within two business days.
While you wait, the resource library is open. The First Session Prep guide is a good place to start.