Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Leal,MA,LPC-Associate.
Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve called Houston home for the past 23 years. I originally started my career in the banking industry, working in environments that required problem-solving, trust, and strong people skills. Over time, I realized that what I loved most about every role I held was connecting with people—really listening, understanding their experiences, and helping them navigate stress or uncertainty.
I have a loving and supportive husband and a beautiful blended family that includes my daughter and two bonus children. We live in the Montgomery County area. Family is one of my greatest sources of joy, and I’m grateful to have a healthy, supportive co-parenting relationship with my daughter’s father and his family. We truly operate as a team, and that dynamic has shaped how I understand communication, compassion, and what children need to feel secure.
I grew up as a child of divorce, and that experience has shaped so much of who I am—both personally and professionally. Navigating life in a separated family gave me a deep, firsthand understanding of the emotions, transitions, and communication challenges that often come with parenting, relationships, and mental health.
It’s one of the core reasons I’m passionate about supporting parents, teens, and families today. I know what it feels like to move through those dynamics, and I’m committed to helping others find clarity, connection, and healing along the way.
My path into becoming a mental health professional began with supporting families, adults, and youth in roles centered around advocacy, mediation, emotional and behavioral support, and crisis navigation. I realized that I was always gravitating toward helping people understand their emotions and experiences on a deeper level. Combined with my own personal growth and healing, I feel like I’ve always been called to become a counselor.
That journey ultimately led me to open Wave on Wave Counseling, where I now help and support teens and adults navigate anxiety, trauma, stress, life transitions, and relationship challenges.
I am currently supervised by Dr. Cecily Batiste Dawson
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a counseling practice is both exciting and humbling. Balancing the clinical side with the business side can be challenging—there’s a lot to learn from marketing to administrative systems to community outreach.
I continue to work through the normal fears that come with stepping into something new: trusting myself, being visible, and believing in the value I bring. But each challenge helps me grow, and I’m grateful for that. It allows me to build a practice that feels authentic, grounded, and aligned with my values.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wave on Wave Counseling?
The name comes from the idea that healing is not a straight line—it moves in waves. Some days the waves are small and calm, other days they can feel big and stormy. However, with support, each wave can teach us something about being flexible and resilient- like water.
Wave on Wave Counseling is built on meeting people exactly where they are. I want clients to feel safe, understood, and supported through whatever they’re facing—whether it’s anxiety, trauma, relationships, divorce, or simply the heaviness of life. My mission is to provide practical tools and evidence-based strategies that people can carry into their everyday lives and create lasting change.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’ve lived in other cities, including Dallas, and what I loved most about Houston before moving here was how friendly and laid back it is here. I love the food culture and scene.
The traffic is what I like least. Lol
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.waveonwavecounseling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waveonwavecounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DocvFkD9E/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-leal-4ba71b23b
