Danielle C. Ellis

Dani completed her counseling practicum at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the Tau Center. She later returned to OLOL providing intake assessments, referrals, and placement with the COPE Team for mental health and substance abuse at the emergency crisis level of care through outpatient levels of care. She has experience working in both mental health and substance abuse partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). In her early career she provided case management for children, adolescents, adults, and geriatrics with developmental disabilities chronics mental illnesses. Later in her career, she provided case management for children, adolescents, adults, and geriatrics in the inpatient and intermediate levels of care for mental health, substance abuse, and eating disorders with UnitedHealthcare / United Behavioral Health / Optum Behavioral Health in Houston, Texas. She also provided crisis intervention, individual counseling, and group counseling to homeless adolescents, expectant mothers, and postpartum mothers at Covenant House Houston. Dani has experience providing in home mental health services to seriously mentally ill (SMI) children, adolescents, adults and geriatrics through DebLin Health Concepts. She also conducted Children's Protective Services (CPS) Kinship Home Assessments providing assessment and placement recommendations. She is certified through the International Critical Incident & Stress Management Foundation to offer Critical Incident Debriefings. Dani has provided outpatient counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy as an independent practitioner at Wellness Solutions, LLC. 

Dani sees clients for individual, couples, and family counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy. She accepts clients who are 13 years of age and older who have mild, moderate, or severe mental and behavioral health concerns, substance abuse and chemical dependency, eating disorders, self-injurious behaviors, and trauma recovery. She sees clients for stress management, anxiety, healthy relationship skill development, and other problems of everyday living. Dani also provides seminars on mindfulness skills, boundary setting, and identifying potential red flag behaviors that indicate the potential for abuse and predatory behaviors. Dani welcomes clients from all races, religions, spiritual beliefs, and orientations. She believes in an open minded approach and respect for all cultural backgrounds, spiritual beliefs, and lifestyles.

Dani has an eclectic approach to therapy based on strong client centered values. She challenges and encourages her clients to take personal responsibility and develop strategies to alleviate their distress. Dani has a welcoming, familiar, informal, and amicable personality that conveys support, healing, and positivity. She believes her privileged position as an advocate, healer, and counselor is an opportunity to be a positive force for change in the lives of her clients. Dani’s personal style is transparent, forthright, direct, and candid. She incorporates humor, wit, and common sense into the counseling session. Her clinical style is direct and politely confrontational, as well as, encouraging, compassionate, understanding, and respectful. She engages clients to develop insight with a reality based grounded approach.

Dani is sensitive to the personal suffering of her clients and understands that entering into therapy is a daunting process that only comes from a sincere desire to make positive changes in one's life.  Dani views the therapeutic relationship as a unique opportunity for clients to discuss their emotional issues in a real and honest way. Clients benefit from an impartial observer in their lives as a guide to explore their fears and intimate thoughts. The therapeutic relationship is based on trust, hope, healing, and compassion. Therapy is based on an evidenced based empirical approach to treatment. She uses mindfulness techniques to help clients develop coping skills, improve self-understanding, and actively create the lives they aspire and dream to attain.

Dani lives in Houston, TX with her husband. They enjoy outdoor adventures including "glamping" and exploring the Louisiana and Texas coasts in in their kayaks. She is Harry Potter nerd aka "Potter Head" and enjoys other nerd fandoms like Game of Thrones, Strat Trek, and Lord of the Rings. Dani also enjoys spending time with her much beloved and adored "furry babies". She has four dogs which include a rescue Neapolitan Mastiff named Nadia, a rescue Red Tick Bone Hound named Amelie, a Border Collie puppy named Rukkus, and a Golden Retriever puppy named Davos. Rukkus and Davos are in training to be emotional support/therapy animals and will be part of the WS counseling experience once they complete their canine education. Dani also has a geriatric Paso Fino horse named Vandalero who is her retired childhood show horse. She also has three saltwater aquariums which include coral, clown fish, starfish, an octopus, and an angler fish. She is a student of Eastern philosophy and the martial arts. She has practiced Aikido and Kenpo. She enjoys yin yoga, athletic training, traveling, equestrian sports, music, gardening, reading fiction and true crime, writing, cooking, and is a life long learner.