Our Mission
Maura is dedicated to providing a safe therapeutic relationship for all ages. She hopes to create a positive therapy experience for you and your children. Her passion is to develop competent social workers and offer high-quality mental health services to her community.
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Outside of her dedication to work and community Maura enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband Shane and their dogs. She is a woman of faith who has volunteered at many community and church events. Maura still enjoys a passion for reading and music as well as playing the piano.
Maura believes every person is capable of change. She feels honored to be invited into her client’s healing journey and understands the courage it takes to ask for help. It is her goal to provide the space and support necessary to move her clients from surviving to thriving.
LCSW-S RPT
Maura Messer
Maura is an exceptionally well qualified Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor and Registered Play Therapist. She always had a strong connection to helping others and fell in love with the Nacogdoches community during her time her time at Stephen F. Austin State University, where she completed her Bachelors degree. Staying true to her upbringing and with the support of her parents and husband, Maura achieved her masters from U of H by commuting to Houston every other weekend while working full time in the child welfare system.
Since establishing firm roots in Nacogdoches, Maura has become a very active member of the Community including leadership roles in Nacogdoches Junior Forum, an active board member for Nacogdoches Community Partnership and Better Together Nacogdoches. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and serves on the board of the Deep East Texas branch, and she maintains membership in the Association for play therapy. Maura has also cultivated a strong working relationship with judges, law enforcement and attorneys in Deep East Texas. The years working in the foster care system opened Maura’s eyes to the need for highly specialized counseling for children and adults. Therefore, Maura chose continuing education with certifications focused on the following areas:
Child Therapy:
Registered play therapist
EMDR Sand tray specialist
Trauma Focused Therapy for Adults and Children:
Art certified – (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) LENS certified (low energy neurofeedback system) EMDR trained (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Hadley Dotson, LMSW
Hadley is originally from East Texas and graduated from SFASU with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2023. She graduated from Baylor University in August 2024 with her Master of Social Work. She has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. She has worked with a range of presenting problems including anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions.
She and her husband love Nacogdoches and enjoy serving in ministry together. She believes in a strength-based approach and enjoys watching people find the strengths and values within themselves. Hadley feels privileged to work with anyone she crosses paths with.
Hadley is currently accepting new clients.
Supervised by Maura Messer, LCSW-S, RPT
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Emma Yeager, LMSW
Emma graduated with her Bachelors of Social Work from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2022 and her Masters of Social Work with a Concentration in Mental Health and Substance Misuse from The University of Texas-Arlington in 2024. With valuable experience as a Special Education Counselor for elementary and middle schoolers, Emma enjoys empowering individuals through a strengths-based lens. She has worked with a variety of challenges, such as mood dysregulation, attachment, and trauma. Emma believes in supporting her clients to guide their therapeutic process while navigating the journey as a team. She utilizes a variety of techniques, such as play-based strategies, dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and trauma-informed strategies while striving to ensure that her clients feel heard after each session. Emma is currently accepting new clients. Reach out to her directly for more information.
Email: eyeager.counseling@gmail.com
Supervised by Maura Messer, LCSW-S, RPT™
