Bruce Maclean

Philosophy: All of us are doing the best we can with what we have to work with in order to lead a successful life.  From childhood on we attempt to discover how to successfully navigate life’s challenges.  Through trial and error, we continually modify our approach as we face life’s detours and roadblocks. We make a series of decisions that we hope will lead us to a successful life.   However, our decisions are  influenced by emotional trauma, available information, our beliefs, and external events.  Eventually, even after talking to friends and family, many of us get to a place where we can’t find a path out of life’s forest.  At this point, we need a guide, a therapist, someone who can engage with us and help us with three basic questions: 1)  What is the problem? 2) How did I get here? and, 3) How do I get to where I need to go?

If I were looking for a therapist, I would want someone with training and experience who could listen to what I say (and don’t say) who would help me find a solution to whatever it was that was keeping me bogged down or stuck.  I wouldn’t be interested in psychobabble or lectures.  I would want someone who was knowledgeable and direct who would work with me toward a solution to whatever was my problem.

Focus: My focus has been to acquire the training, to develop my skills, and to apply the wisdom necessary to achieve a positive outcome for my client and justification for what they pay.  My background in both business and psychology enables me to see that value is expected for both the client and the therapist.  I use a wide variety of techniques as dictated by the needs of my client.  I work with individuals and families, many of them with depression, communication, and/or addiction problems.  I have also focused on therapy related to a patient’s family-of-origin and the effects on relationships within that family or a current family.

Academics/Licensure: My academic education includes a Bachelor in Business Administration, a Masters in Rehabilitation and Social Services, and a Doctorate in Psychology.  I have a Clinical Internship (within the PhD program) in School and Counseling Psychology. My work experience, though mostly in psychotherapy, also includes jobs in business and marketing, computer programming, and light construction (varying from roustabout to roofer).  I am a Licensed Professional counselor (#00260), and have past Certifications as an Employee Assistance Professional and an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor.

Personal Profile: I grew up as the only son of parents who were ultimately married for 57 years.  My father was a successful business executive and I followed a typical path of college preparation ultimately enrolling in the University of California at Berkeley.  Unfortunately, I lacked the maturity to benefit from that and embarked on an odyssey of grandiose dreams and free spirited living eventually landing in Houston, where I began to attempt to put my life together and gain the maturity that I was lacking.  I re-enrolled in college, working full or part time, and graduated in 2 ½ years (I did have some credits from the past).  This led me to work for IBM for several years and start an MBA program.

In a class mathematically modeling inventory control, I asked myself why I was taking the class and what would I do with the degree.  I had no acceptable answer other than that it would advance my career and “I was supposed to.”  Many friends and work associates had been questioning my business career aspirations and had been saying that they saw me more as a counselor or therapist. After some research and testing, I switched fields and pursued what was to become my life’s work in counseling and therapy.  I continued to engage in a bachelor’s life, until some years later I decided to marry and assume those responsibilities.  To this date I have never questioned the career change or my marriage decision.  It is interesting that I did everything that my parents said would lead me to a happy life and then found that I was destined for something else entirely.

Interests: Spending time with my wife of 23 years, traveling and seeing new places (we spent a month in France on our honeymoon), rafting down a river, fly fishing, watching movies or the Military Channel on TV, occasional walks down a nature trail with our Old English Sheep dog or Cocker Spaniel, cooking, music, and hoping the Texans will finally reach the playoffs. Also, I find work interesting and often fun.

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