Meet The Team
Who Are We?
Underwood Counseling & Consultation, PLLC was established in 2014 in McKinney, Texas, by Lucy F. Underwood PhD LPC-S NCC who saw her community was lacking in providers who were effectively trained in trauma recovery therapy and in working with complex mental health issues.
After spending over 20 years as an administrator, program director, and staff therapist in public and private psychiatric hospitals, public community mental health centers, and residential substance abuse programs, Dr. Underwood transitioned to private practice bringing innovative and empirically supported trauma therapy to clients who previously only had options of traditional talk therapy and/or medication management.
Trained in 2012, she was among the first five clinicians in Collin and Grayson Counties in Texas, to offer Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR). In 2019, Dr. Underwood, again brought innovative trauma treatment to clients by adding Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) to her repertoire of therapeutic approaches. In 2023, Dr. Underwood expanded Underwood Counseling & Consultation, PLLC to include an office in Atlanta, Georgia. From her Atlanta office, she offers trauma recovery treatment to clients across the state of Georgia. Private practice has allowed for the provision of empirically supported mental health treatment without the limitations of corporate parameters and insurance directed care. The most enjoyable aspects of working in private practice have been the opportunities to see individuals achieve recovery, experience emotional healing, and develop confidence to pursue their personal goals.
Today, Dr. Underwood has a team of therapists who provide in-office and telehealth counseling to clients across the states of Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. She is committed to teaching therapists who desire to deepen their skill set as well as newly licensed therapists to meet the needs of individuals with complex mental health symptoms. While she continues to provide therapy to clients, Dr. Underwood also provides consultation to and collaboration with other organizations to create trauma recovery programs for first responders and veterans.
What Makes Us Different?
Underwood Counseling & Consultation, PLLC stands out as one of the premier practices in Collin County, Texas, and across Dallas-Fort Worth. Our team goes beyond just talk therapy. They bring over 50 years of collective experience to the group practice.
The Underwood Counseling & Consultation, PLLC team recognizes the need for integrated and collaborative care with other providers. Many general medical conditions can manifest as mental health symptoms.
Our team conducts a comprehensive biopsychosocial intake with all new clients and periodically revisits this information to determine what factors might underly mental health symptoms.
It is very common for our clinicians to collaborate with general medical providers, cardiologists, oncologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, and other specialty services to ensure comprehensive care for our clients.
Underwood Counseling & Consultation, PLLC services the entire family. We have a team of therapists who specialize in therapy with individuals, families, and couples while utilizing EMDR; IFS; Accelerated Resolution Therapy; Cognitive Processing Therapy; Family Systems; Dialectical Behavior Therapy; and Cognitive Behavior Therapy just to name a few.
On the rare occasion that we encounter a client mental health need that we cannot treat, it is our promise that we will provide specific referrals to the client and with client permission provide coordination of care with the new provider.
Clients have reported finding therapeutic success with the Underwood Counseling & Consultation, PLLC team through the experience of safety and acceptance, acquisition of new skills, challenges to their thoughts and behaviors, accountability, and unconditional positive regard.
Dr. Lucy Underwood
PhD, LPC-Supervisor, NCC, ACS, BC-TMH
Owner, CEO
Licensed in Texas, Colorado, Georgia
Therapeutic Modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Family Systems
In 1993, Dr. Lucy Underwood completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Auburn University followed by completion of a Master’s of Science in Counseling and Human Development at Troy University-Montgomery in 1996. In 2006, she graduated with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Memphis. During the doctoral program Dr. Underwood completed an American Psychological Association (APA) approved pre-doctoral residency in Psychology at Mississippi State Hospital (MSH).
Following residency at MSH, she returned to employment in 2005, at East Mississippi State Hospital (EMSH) in Meridian, MS, as the Director of Psychology for the R. P. White Nursing Facility, a 240-bed long-term nursing home facility.
Additional clinical experience has included serving as the Director of Alternative Services for Parkwood Behavioral Health in Mississippi, where Dr. Underwood oversaw the delivery of services in a partial hospitalization program (PHP) for dual diagnosis; a chemical dependency intensive outpatient program (IOP); a school-based therapy program for at-risk youth; and a geriatric unit located within a medical-surgical hospital. In 2010, she relocated to McKinney, Texas, to join an addiction management company with both residential and outpatient treatment programs. Dr. Underwood has been in private practice since 2014.
Dr. Lucy Underwood’s experiences have ranged from clinical and program administration to individual/group/family therapy to psychological testing. Diagnoses that she has treated include sports performance (professional and amateur), chronic mental health issues (e.g., Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Eating Disorders, etc.), medical-psychiatric issues (e.g., Huntington’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, etc.), chemical dependency, chronic health issues (e.g., cancer, brain injury, infertility, etc.) and developmental disorders.
Dr. Underwood has also had extensive experience in treating childhood and family disorders and working in outpatient mental health programs. Integrated into all of her clinical experiences has been a large element of formal teaching and training of nurses, social workers, CNA’s, etc. in behavior management, psychological issues of various populations, and conflict resolution/management.
One of the most exciting developments in the treatment of mental health is the use of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Move Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition to being a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in Texas and Colorado, Dr. Underwood also holds credentials as a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDR Consultant-In-Training; and is Master Certified in Advanced & Enhanced Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Dr. Underwood is an authorized provider of ART SAF-T. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC); an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS); and a Board Certified-Telemental Health Therapist (BC-TMH). Dr. Underwood enjoys providing clinical supervision to students and those LPC therapists who are completing their hours for licensure. She is a member of the Colorado Counseling Association, Texas Counseling Association, Dallas Psychological Association, EMDRIA, ART-International, the Association for Applied Sports Psychology, and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Dr. Underwood’s conceptualization of issues is based in Systems Theory, which suggests our cognitions and behaviors are largely influenced by the various layers of our environment in which a client was reared. It does not discount genetic issues. Her treatment application is grounded in Cognitive Behavior Therapy or what we commonly refer to as “talk therapy”. Dr. Underwood frequently incorporates the use of EMDR and ART in conjunction with traditional talk therapy. With that said, she believes it important to figure out what works best for the client. At times, Dr. Underwood utilizes other treatment modalities including experiential therapies such as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Originally from Alabama, Dr. Underwood moved to Texas in 2010. In her spare time she enjoys flower and vegetable gardening, cooking, exercise, photography, and traveling to attend Auburn University football games and Dave Matthews Band concerts. Dr. Underwood has been collecting recipes from family in hopes of someday writing her own cookbook. She enjoys music, her kitty (Piper), three Basset Hounds (River, Lily, and Ruby), as well as her friends’ dogs and horses. Dr. Underwood is active in First United Methodist Church of McKinney, the American Cancer Society, the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Association, and has served in local community programs such as the advisory committee for the Women’s Alliance of McKinney, a division of the McKinney Chamber of Commerce.
Allison Detloff
MS LPC NCC
Licensed in Texas
Therapeutic Modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy, Family Systems, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Allison is a graduate from Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor in Psychology and minor in Sociology. She is a graduate from the University of North Texas with a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in adolescence therapy.
Allison’s primary focus as a therapist is establishing a genuine therapeutic relationship and fostering a safe therapeutic space with the client. She operates from a Client-Centered approach, allowing her to partner with each client to address their individual needs and utilizing a strengths-based approach to focus on their positive characteristics available to assist in their personal growth. Allison provides therapy to adolescents, adults, families, and seniors. She offers individual, group, and family counseling. Allison specializes in adverse experiences; anxiety; depression; emotional awareness and regulation; self-esteem; and women’s issues, such as communication and boundary setting, and relationship issues.
Allison is a native of Illinois and moved to the DFW area in 2018. In her free time, she is often traveling, reading, going to concerts or drinking coffee. Allison has recently discovered her love of national parks and is working towards visiting all 63 parks in the United States.
Rayna Patterson
MS, LPC-Supervisor
Licensed in Texas
Therapeutic Modalities: Trauma Informed-CBT, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Family Systems, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI)
As a native Texan, Rayna grew up in the small north Texas town of Bells before moving to the DFW area to pursue higher education at The University of Texas at Dallas. In 2008, she completed a minor in biology and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UT Dallas. During Rayna’s time as an undergraduate student and for several years following completion of her bachelor’s degree, she worked with incoming undergraduate students providing college and career counseling at UT Dallas.
In 2012, Rayna completed a Master of Science in Community Counseling with honors from Texas A&M University – Commerce. She is fully credentialed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC). Rayna is an approved LPC-Supervisor by the Texas BHEC for the clinical supervision of LPC-Associates who are in the process of becoming independently licensed clinicians. She enjoys helping others achieve their personal and professional goals by offering clinical supervision and training.
Rayna has served in leadership roles and as a clinical therapist in various non-profit agencies, in private practice, mental & behavioral health medical practices, and educational settings including five years within special education for K-12 students. During her time as a Special Education Counselor, Rayna worked with students and their families to find solutions to educational challenges due to learning differences; intellectual disabilities; and emotional and behavioral dysregulation within a school setting. With a love for education, she has continued her work with students and their families as an educational advocate helping to navigate the complexity of special education plans; accommodations; laws and student rights. Rayna completed her graduate program internship requirements at the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center, where she would later continue her work after graduation as a clinical therapist for children and families who had experienced abuse.
As a therapist, Rayna has extensive experience utilizing client-centered, evidence-based, and trauma-informed treatment modalities that include Trauma Focused CBT; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); Motivational Interviewing (MI); and Solution-Focused Therapy while working alongside diverse and unique individuals of all ages. She enjoys exploring with clients the many facets of mental wellness in addition to focusing within the specialties of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder; women’s issues (such as infertility, pregnancy/infant loss, & postpartum depression); family systems & relationships; and social & emotional learning (SEL). Rayna often incorporates techniques from Play Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, and Trust Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) when working with children and families. She works with children, adolescents, adults, and families.
Rayna is a proud advocate for mental health care and promotes awareness and access for treatment through her involvement as a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), Texas Counseling Association (TCA), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), as well as participating in several local organizations that focus on crisis intervention and suicide prevention. Her goal as a mental health clinician is to support therapeutic growth in individuals by helping them acquire the knowledge and tools necessary to sustain success within their lives. Rayna believes that the path to changing how we feel and behave first begins with changing the way we think and experience our world around us.
Helping others obtain mental wellness through counseling and coaching, advocating for mental health care access and awareness, and contributing to the mental health profession through counselor education and supervision continues to be an incredibly rewarding journey and life passion for Rayna. Despite the many different titles and roles that she has fulfilled, she considers her favorite and most special role is that of wife and mother. Rayna and her husband, Ryan, are proud Collin County residents enjoying the adventures of raising their daughters, Bristol and Brecklynn! As a full-time working mom of two very active and adventurous little girls, she feels the list of personal fun facts and current interesting hobbies decrease by the day. Thankfully with a background in working with children using play therapy, playing with toys, building with Legos, and crafting will always be activities that Rayna considers as her fun and interesting hobbies!