Annette Rios-Barrera, LCSW
Therapist in Texas
Annette Rios-Barrera is a licensed clinical social worker with 23 years of practice based in Texas.
- License 53659 · Texas Expires August 2027
- NPI 1891147039 · national registry
- Experience and languages 23+ years in practice English, Spanish
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Annette
Annette Rios-Barrera is a licensed clinical social worker with 23 years of practice based in Texas. She uses a relational lens to help people facing anxiety, depression, grief, and the friction that shows up in close relationships. Her pronouns are she/her and she welcomes clients who identify as LGBT and those exploring identity and relationship styles.
She emphasizes practical skills and steady emotional support. Sessions focus on building trust, increasing self-awareness, and creating clearer communication.
Background and approach
Annette brings warmth and a grounded presence, and she sometimes uses light-hearted exercises to ease tension and invite new perspectives. Her approach draws on methods that help people notice patterns and make small, manageable changes. She uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to link values with actions, Attachment-Based Therapy to look at relationship patterns, and the Gottman Method for improving communication and connection.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools are also used to shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Annette has worked with a wide range of concerns across many life stages, including family strain, caregiving stress, chronic illness, adoption and foster care issues, and sexuality-related topics like kink and BDSM. She also supports people coping with career stress, body image struggles, and grief from loss.
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish, and she accepts international clients. Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth, focused on what will help a person move forward in day-to-day life.
Credentials
- LCSW (Texas)
- License 53659 · expires August 2027
- NPI
- 1891147039 · national provider identifier
Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the therapist lists and checks neither.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Annette lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Stress, Anxiety
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Annette names
- Gottman Method
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Systemic Therapy
These are the approaches Annette names on their own professional profile. Naming an approach is not evidence of training or certification in it, and this directory checks no training records. Ask directly if it matters to you.
Online support
Practical therapy approaches for online care
Annette uses the Gottman Method to support clearer communication and repair patterns that cause disconnection. This approach focuses on specific skills for managing conflict and rebuilding closeness in relationships. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, is used to help people identify their values and take small steps toward a life that feels meaningful despite difficult thoughts or feelings. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current connections and helps people change how they relate to others.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Annette collaborates with each person to pick methods that match their goals, needs, and comfort level. She adjusts interventions over time so therapy stays useful and relevant to everyday life.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, and text-based messaging to make scheduling easier. Video is good for deeper conversations and visual cues, phone works well when bandwidth is low or for shorter check-ins, and messaging or chat can fit into busy days or provide ongoing support between sessions. These options can help people fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while keeping the focus on practical progress.
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Frequently asked
What concerns does she commonly address?
She helps people with anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy challenges, grief, and stress. Other focuses include career strain, body image, caregiving issues, and sexuality-related topics.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm and practical. She blends skills training with relational work and uses some playful exercises when helpful.
What is her professional background?
She has 23 years of experience as a clinician. That experience spans trauma-informed care, relational work, and long-term counseling across varied concerns.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds an LCSW credential and practices from Texas.
Which languages are supported and can international clients participate?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish, and she does accept international clients.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies by location and other factors; sessions are provided through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing a short matching questionnaire. Then schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.
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