Today we’d like to introduce you to Viviana Coles.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Viviana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Houston and as a Junior at Duchesne Academy, I remember being asked my college counselor Ms. Epps what I enjoyed doing most. I quickly replied with a grin, “Well, I love to talk but that’s not a job.” She then said, “Oh, yes, it is, but it depends on what you like to talk about.” I shared with her that I seemed to always be talking to friends and acquaintances about their problems at home or with their boyfriends and she encouraged me to take Psych 101 and Sociology 101 my first semester of college. I was hooked. Coming from an entrepreneurial family of professionals, I knew I’d be going for my doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy with an ultimate goal to be the best relationship therapist in private practice in Houston. While in my first year in Graduate school, I opted to become a Certified Sex Therapist “in case any of my clients ever ask me about sexual issues.” Once I moved back home in 2007 after completing my doctoral courses, I put that I was a Certified Sex Therapist on my business card and within the next year, I brought on my first intern to help with my client load. I currently have six associates working with me at 2 locations with plans for online expansion, I created the Texas Sex Therapy Institute to help other mental health professionals become Certified Sex Therapists. I am currently a featured relationship and sex expert on Lifetime’s “Married at First Sight” where I am able to use my experience and training in a very unique way. I’m writing two books and developing online programs for couples in need of practical and effective relationship help.
Has it been a smooth road?
Thanks to my incredibly supportive parents Gabriel and Silvia, my educational pursuits have gone smoothly. They allowed me to always put my coursework first which permitted me to finish my undergraduate work in three years and my Master’s in two years. Getting through my Doctoral studies was another story. I met and married my husband, we had our daughter, and it took becoming pregnant with our son to really light a fire under me. My goal was to complete my Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy before he was born because I knew how difficult it would be to do it once he was here. So, in June of 2011, I walked across the Commencement stage at 7.5 months pregnant (I even received special permission to fly) looking like a ripe blueberry. More recently, my husband continues to help me juggle my TV life with our home life. He is beyond supportive of this new facet of my career even though it takes me away a few times a month. And when we are feeling the distance, a date night is always in order.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Houston Relationship Therapy – Dr. Viviana Coles & Associates story. Tell us more about the business.
My private practice Houston Relationship Therapy- Dr. Viviana and Associates offers premarital counseling, relationship therapy, and sex therapy to individuals and couples. While we are all trained and experienced with a wide array of psychotherapy issues, we primarily focus on relational and sexual issues. I have always felt that focusing on this niche of mental health would allow me to become extremely good at it versus seeing issues across the board. I have chosen a team of really like-minded and talented clinicians to further my goal. I’m most proud of my reputation and that of my businesses. Houston Relationship Therapy and Texas Sex Therapy Institute continue to grow every year and it is because of all of the positive feedback and repeat business that I am setting my sights on a more national platform. My intention is to help clients and fellow clinicians through systematizing what I do with clients so that I can help more people.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think psychotherapy will finally embrace distance counseling. In recent years, there has been a push for e-therapy but I believe crossing state boundaries will become necessary and sanctioned my state licensure boards. I also believe that sex therapy will become more commonplace, so much so that clients will feel just as comfortable sharing who their sex therapist is as they are sharing who their primary care physician is.
Pricing:
- Sessions with Dr. Viviana Coles – $325/hour
- Pre-Licensed and Licensed Associates- $115-165
- Student Intern Assocates- $95/hour
Contact Info:
- Address: HRT Central Office: 1302 N. Shepherd Dr., 3rd Floor, Houston, TX 77008
HRT Katy Office: 25310 Roesner Lane, Katy, TX 77494 - Website: www.HoustonRelationshipTherapy.com and www.DoctorViviana.com
- Phone: 1-800-913-9613
- Email: frontdesk@houstonrelationshiptherapy.com
- Instagram: @houstonrelationshiptherapy and @doctorviviana
- Facebook: @houstonrelationshiptherapy
- Twitter: @doctorviviana
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/viviana-coles-dmft-lmft-s-cst-houston-relationship-therapy-houston
- Other: @hrttiktok
Image Credit:
Justin Hardy for Seated Photos
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