Grayson Best
University of Texas
Austin (30.2° N, 97.7° W)

featuring Andrew Tessmer, Counselor & LGBTQ+ Therapist, Eddins Counseling Group, Houston (29.7° N, 95.3° W)

Andrew Tessmer is a professional counselor who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and currently specializes in eating disorders and LGBTQ+ concerns. He works at Eddins Counseling Group in Houston, Texas. Andrew graduated from Texas A&M University with a psychology degree in 2010 and then completed a master of education in counseling at University of Houston in 2013. Andrew discussed interesting and unique aspects to the counseling field with me.

Andrew’s parents encouraged him to follow whatever path he cared for as long as he maintained his academic standing. When it came to the decision to become a counselor, it was not until the fall of his senior year that Andrew felt sure about his decision on what he wanted to do. There was no grand switch or leading cause that influenced his decision; rather, small experiences scattered through his development showed him who he was and what he liked to do. For instance, in late high school, Andrew discovered his interest in psychology; through volunteer work in college, he learned of his preference for one-on-one interaction. He then refined his interests in graduate school.

Finding a keen interest in exploring forms of anxiety, Andrew studied the ins and outs around eating disorders during college, as it gave him a good opportunity for research. During college, Andrew had unique working experiences, some of which included bartending and being in service work. He explained how he thinks working in a service position helps develop important skills that are very useful in counseling. According to Andrew, a service position develops your social skills and helps you build a resistance to less-than-ideal social situations. Along with this, it is important to have a job you need to stay “on” for, one where you cannot choose not to assist people because you don’t feel like it or they are being rude. Since therapy is more than just listening to someone, a service position is a solid introduction to some of the skills that are used in counseling, such as how to handle people.

When it comes to counseling, many areas do not have a counselor who has in-depth, specific training and expertise on LGBTQ+ concerns, which leaves a huge gap in the counseling field where many people may not find the connection they are looking for in their geographic area. This puts Andrew in a unique position to help people, who might otherwise not be able to find such a connection, using video calls. This is one of the things Andrew enjoys about technological integration in the counseling field. For example, one of his clients is only able to visit him in person for several months out of the year. With weekly video calls, they are able to continue their sessions and the relationship they have built. Andrew made a point of specifying how not every innovation is a good one, though. The sudden influx of mobile applications that attempt to regulate your breathing or make you feel calm are not replacements for counseling—but they are sometimes treated as such. It is an easy entry point for self-care and lowers the accessibility bar, but a mobile application or the process of texting your problems cannot replace the human connection built in counseling.

While he touched on many issues in therapy, such as accessibility and affordability, he felt the lack of standardization is the biggest issue in the industry right now, due to how it can limit the work a counselor can do and the help they can provide. Each state has its own requirements you must meet in order to become a counselor. This means you have to go through many hours of training in whatever state you would like to practice in in order to become licensed and then work in only that state. While it is possible to transfer your LPC (licensed professional counselor) license to another state, it is a cumbersome process. The lack of standardization creates an inconvenience for counselors and adds extra hoops to jump through in order to help people.

I find it incredibly interesting to think about the specificity of Andrew’s position in what he can offer as a counselor to another person. When thinking about counseling, I had not previously considered how your personal story or characteristics can affect the clients you bond with. When I hear people talk about looking for a counselor and things not working out, usually the reason is something along the lines of “just not connecting.” After talking with Andrew, however, it seems that being more open about personal aspects of your life, as a counselor, may allow clients to select a counselor fit for their lifestyle and connect more effectively with them. This is also a reflection on how counseling uses more than just a degree and practice experience; it uses your own life experiences as well.