Pamela Salaam, MSSW, LCSW

After being laid-off from a huge defense contractor some 22 years ago, I took the opportunity to return to school and complete the degree I’d started earlier at the University of Texas at Arlington.  While earning my Bachelor and Master degrees in Social Work, I had wonderful experiences which were only made possible due to my reversals of fortune.  There can be happy endings to traumatic and unexpected situations.

Since then, I have used my social work training in a variety of settings, which continues to be invaluable in my private practice.  I’ve worked as a High School Counselor in an alternative high school, in a Family Literacy Program for immigrants from many countries, in a Chronic Pain Clinic, in chemical dependency treatment programs, in psychiatric hospitals, and had the honor to work with people in their final months as a social worker with a Hospice organization.  In addition to seeing clients in my office, I also work with Special Education students in several AAMA charter schools in Houston.

I primarily use a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach in my practice. My experience has shown me that so much of how our lives evolve is dependent upon or greatly affected by how we think about those events we encounter, how we respond to those events, and with what type of consequences- positive or negative, we then find ourselves handling. Usually we are much harder on ourselves than is even realistic.

Our approach to life situations is certainly shaped by our earlier experiences, but if those were not positive, we don’t need to stop there. We will find ways to turn that around. And the good news is that it doesn’t take as long to turn it around as it took to develop those self-defeating coping skills.

I have significant experience in dealing with divorce issues, blended families, and step-parenting, as well as various multicultural issues.  I have recently been trained in the Gottman Couples Counseling, which I find to be a helpful approach to resolving many relationship problems.

It’s never too late to be who you might have been. Begin today.