Golden Paws Counseling Services, PLLC in Austin, Texas is the team of Karen Jones and her therapy animal partner, Deuce.  The primary focus is on helping children (starting age 6), adolescents, and adults with issues ranging from emotional regulation to navigating transitions and changes, to gaining empowerment through a stronger sense of self-efficacy.  Animal-Assisted Counseling can be especially powerful for neurodivergent clients in such areas as social skills development and self-advocacy.  Karen believes that clients have inherent strengths that may have yet to be discovered or honed.  Solution-focused counseling techniques, expressive therapy, and elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy may be used to capitalize on strengths or to mitigate "faulty" thinking or barriers to achieving balance and growth.  Through a collaborative process, the goal of therapy is for clients to gain a more hopeful outlook and to immediately apply effective coping skills and strategies to everyday life.