Wes Parks, M.S., LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

“None of us gets through life without some serious hurt, and some serious joy. The ways we respond to challenges or capitalize on opportunities is based on myriad experiences and encounters throughout our lives. I believe that whatever leads us to this moment, we always have an opportunity for personal growth and improvement. Through a careful exploration of our individual histories and valid world-views, we can better understand ourselves and how to make the most of our lives to be happy, healthy and productive.”

Major Practice Areas:

• Individual Therapy
• Trauma and Abuse Issues
• Career Counseling
• Social Skills Training
• LGBT Issues
• Psychological Evaluations

Training and Experience:

Wes Parks is a Licensed Professional Counselor. He has always been drawn to an understanding of others’ behaviors. Or, more to the point, he has always been curious about why people do the things they do, even when they are unhealthy, unwise or otherwise counterintuitive. That was the initial interest in psychology, fostered by observations on the playground, in church, at parties, in the workplace…anywhere people gather, behaviors happen that left him trying to understand what he was witnessing, making sense of the “why.” Once the why becomes clear, making the transition from maladaptive to healthy, prosocial functioning completes the cycle he finds so interesting.

Prior to completing his bachelor’s degree, Wes worked in service- and product-oriented retail sectors in management, training and consulting roles. Needless to say, this provided many opportunities to observe others and ask himself “why?” When he could not stop thinking about human behavior, Wes decided to study psychology. He completed his undergraduate degree as a nontraditional student with a good amount of life and real world work experience. Following that, he completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology, with a specialization in neuropsychology, from the University of Texas at Tyler.

Wes has worked with diverse problems that have included mood issues, anxiety problems, stress management, anger management, relationship problems, social skills training, sexual trauma, pervasive developmental issues, ADHD, PTSD, meditation and mindfulness, and personality disorders.  He has specialized training and expertise in neuropsychological assessment, including specialized diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Additionally, Wes has experience working in the forensic arena in terms of psychological assessment, court-ordered counseling, sentencing/mitigation investigations and trial consulting.

Clinical Approach and Goals:

His approach to therapy is primarily rooted in constructive psychotherapy. Constructivism is an approach to life that focuses on the ways we create meaning of the world through our individual experiences. It originates from ancient wisdom traditions, and it reflects the lessons of continuing scholarship and science. The goals of constructive psychotherapy are to help you better understand and appreciate yourself and others in your world, develop coping strategies and problem solving skills, and to encourage your efforts to develop in directions you find fulfilling and meaningful. It is “constructive” because it emphasizes your strengths and abilities. To aid in the treatment process, he often utilizes other approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused therapy, to supplement the constructive process. He believes strongly in a collaborative approach that focuses on understanding where you are, what has happened in your life to lead to this moment, and how you, as an active participant in your own life, can institute positive change.

Education

M.S. Clinical Psychology with a Specialization in Neuropsychology
University of Texas at Tyler

B.A., Psychology
University of Texas at Dallas