Meet Kristen Thierolf | Kristen Thierolf, LPC | Anxiety Therapist & Founder of Healthy Horizons Counseling

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristen Thierolf and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting my own practice came from a very personal place. I loved being a therapist, but I kept seeing how many people, including other therapists, were quietly burned out, anxious, and disconnected from themselves even while “doing everything right.” I was working inside systems that were fast, rigid, and focused on productivity, and it didn’t match what I knew people actually needed to heal: safety, consistency, and a sense of being truly seen.

I didn’t start my business because I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I started it because I wanted to practice therapy in a way that felt more human. I wanted to create a space where clients could slow down, feel regulated, and do meaningful work without being rushed through a system that treats mental health like an assembly line.

At the same time, I was also learning to listen to my own nervous system. I realized that if I wanted to help people build more regulated, balanced lives, I had to be willing to build one for myself too. Starting Healthy Horizons Counseling was a way of aligning my work with my values, flexibility, depth, and sustainability, instead of sacrificing my wellbeing to keep up with a model that wasn’t working.

Today, my practice allows me to serve clients across Texas and Montana through telehealth, and to meet people where they are, whether they’re dealing with anxiety, burnout, relationship stress, or major life transitions. It’s been both challenging and incredibly grounding, and it’s shown me that when you create something from a place of clarity and care, it has a way of attracting the right people.

What should our readers know about your business?
Healthy Horizons Counseling was created out of a very personal frustration with how mental health care is often delivered rushed, rigid, and disconnected from how people actually live. As a licensed therapist, I kept seeing high-functioning, deeply thoughtful people who were doing “everything right” on the outside but quietly burning out, anxious, and disconnected on the inside. I wanted to build a practice that didn’t just treat symptoms, but helped people understand their nervous systems, their patterns, and themselves.

What sets my practice apart is that it blends evidence-based therapy with a very human, relational approach. We don’t just talk about coping: we work on regulation, attachment, boundaries, identity, and the deeper reasons people feel stuck. Many of my clients come to me feeling overwhelmed, high-achieving, or emotionally exhausted, and our work is about helping them feel grounded, clear, and more at home in their own lives.

Building Healthy Horizons hasn’t been easy. Starting a private practice takes courage (financially, emotionally, and professionally). There were moments of uncertainty, slow growth, and a lot of behind-the-scenes learning about business, marketing, and showing up consistently. What carried me through was staying anchored to why I started: I truly believe therapy can change how someone experiences their entire life, not just a season of it.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that success doesn’t come from being loud or flashy. It comes from being aligned. When you build something that reflects your values, people feel it. That’s what I want the world to know about my work: it’s not about perfection or productivity. It’s about helping people feel safe in their own minds and bodies so they can actually live.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If a close friend were visiting Houston for a week, I’d want to show them both the heart of the city and the places that make it feel calm, beautiful, and alive.

We’d start mornings with coffee at places like Siphon Coffee or Common Bond, then take long walks through Buffalo Bayou Park or Hermann Park. Houston has such underrated green spaces that really help you breathe a little deeper. A visit to the Museum District would definitely be on the list, especially the MFAH or the Contemporary Arts Museum, because Houston’s art and culture scene is incredibly rich.

For food, we’d lean into what Houston does best — amazing global cuisine. I’d take them to Uchi or Nobie’s for something special, and then somewhere more casual but iconic, like The Original Ninfa’s or a great taco spot in Montrose. One night would be reserved for a relaxed dinner in River Oaks or a cozy wine bar in The Heights.

We’d spend an afternoon wandering through Rice Village or Montrose, browsing little shops, grabbing matcha or iced coffee, and just letting the city’s personality show itself. And if the timing was right, we’d catch a sunset along the bayou or an evening walk through Discovery Green, those quiet moments in a big city feel especially grounding.

Houston has this beautiful mix of energy, creativity, and depth. It’s a place where people come from all over the world to build lives, and that diversity and resilience is part of what makes it feel so meaningful to me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a huge shoutout to the therapists, mentors, and clients who have trusted me with their stories over the years. Being invited into people’s lives during their most vulnerable moments has shaped not only how I practice, but how I live.

I’m also deeply grateful for my family and the people in my personal life who supported me while I built something that was actually aligned with my nervous system — not just my résumé. Their encouragement gave me the courage to create a practice rooted in depth, sustainability, and real human connection.

None of this happens in isolation, and I carry that support with me into the work I do every day.

Website: https://www.hhcounselingtx.com/

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