Learn About Rochelle….
Hi, I’m Rochelle Bridges and I want to welcome you to Friendswood Family Counseling. We are located in Friendswood, Texas, and serve the Clear Lake area, including Pearland, Webster, Seabrook and League City, as well as the greater South Houston area.
Vision Statement: Friendswood Family Counseling exists to bring hope, healing and wholeness to one individual, one couple and one family at a time.
Mission: The mission of Friendswood Family Counseling is to provide personal and interpersonal growth opportunities for all individuals, couples and families who are seeking successful strategies that will enable them to live wholeheartedly.
Let me tell you how I came to be a Marriage and Family Therapist.
I spent the first part of my life primarily investing time and energy into my husband and our four children as a stay-at-home mom. This was immensely gratifying and often exhausting work. I am proud that I’ve been married to my husband, David, for almost 31 years and that our children are growing into vibrant, resourceful, loving grownups. Being a wife and mother gave me a lot of experience in handling the joys and sorrows that face all families.
However, back in 2007, I was at a crossroads. My oldest child was leaving home for college soon and I knew my days of mothering were changing drastically. Too soon the nest would be empty. And I felt that I still had so much more to give to others.
On top of that, my husband became the senior pastor at a local church. We began working more intently with individuals, couples and families that were working through some very difficult challenges. As a pastor’s wife and friend, I desired to help them in practical ways. But I felt inadequate and unprepared to do so.
At the same time, I had spent several years working a sales job from home. The work began to bore me. I felt restless crunching numbers from day to day.
I yearned for more than the fleeting excitement that came when convincing shoppers to buy my products. I needed a deeper connection with others than I could obtain in sales.
That December, I traveled to Kansas for Christmas following a horrific ice storm. Many trees littered the hills along the roadside, some uprooted, some dead. One in particular caught my eye. That lifeless-looking tree felt symbolic of both the upcoming change in my role as wife and mother and the deep dissatisfaction I was experiencing in sales.
I needed to make a significant change in my life. But what? How? I was both afraid (some days terrified) and excited.
I began assessing my life. I delved into past interests and recalled previous joyful experiences. Then I began investigating my current options.
About Rochelle’s Educational Background….
For instance, I remembered my college internship in a chemical dependency counseling center. I recalled how satisfied I felt working with individuals working toward sobriety and living more meaningful lives. I had forgotten how much I learned in that experience and how it shaped my understanding about substance abuse.
Then, in 1988, I graduated from Friends University with a BS in Human Services / Psychology. Shortly thereafter, my husband and I relocated to a new area of the country and I was unable to find a job in this field. We decided to begin a family and a whole new chapter of my life began.
This happy and meaningful memory prompted me to pull out and re-read some of my favorite books. I love reading stories that are written by or about individuals who have faced incredible hardships in life who not only survived, but thrived.
I was inspired.
So in 2008, I enrolled in the University of Houston – Clear Lake, which has a highly competitive and deeply respected Marriage and Family Therapy Program. As part of the training, I worked in the clinical counseling center on campus for two semesters. I spent another year and a half training at the Family Enrichment Clinic in Houston. Finally, in 2012, I obtained an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy. My practicum and internship experiences reinvigorated me and gave birth to Friendswood Family Counseling.
In 2014, I attended Brené Brown’s Daring Way training and am now a Certified Daring Way Facilitator. Dr. Brown’s work is foundational in my approach in working with clients dealing with vulnerability and shame and how that is negatively impacting their lives.
In 2017, I completed Dr. Jonice Webb’s recovery training program for helping individuals suffering from Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN).
Then in 2018, I attended an iEQ9 Enneagram training program in Washington D.C. and am an iEQ9 Integrated Enneagram Accredited Practitioner. With this accreditation, I am able to help individuals gain clarity about their personality and how it’s hardwired to function in unique ways. The Enneagram has been an assessment tool for many years to help individuals learn about their blindspots, their strengths and their weaknesses in ways that will improve the quality of their relationships.
Now I have the honor of listening to the narratives of courageous clients who are often facing difficult times in their own lives. My clients are brave and inspire me as they navigate their challenges with dignity, strength and hope.
I love what I do and would love to get to know you!
Professional Memberships:
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), Clinical Fellow Member
- Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (TAMFT), Clinical Fellow Member
Affiliations:
