Our Military Family
Our mission is to provide a place of trust where military members and spouses can express uncensored thoughts and feelings without compromising their dedication and pride to the military life. Think of us as your home base where you can “Embrace the suck!”
We will focus on military lifestyle issues including, but not limited to: parenting struggles; navigating the military healthcare system; preparing for deployment; struggles of redeployment; children with behavioral and emotional issues; children diagnosed with Autism; navigating EFMP and ECHO; and combat-related struggles such as moral injury, survivors guilt, and PTSD.
My name is Jamie Howard. I have worked in the Behavioral Health field since 1999. I’m now the Clinical Director and Co-founder of Mission Ready Counseling along with my husband, General Manager and Co-founder, Shay Howard. We understand the military life because we live it too! We are a recently retired Army family that served for 23 years. Shay supports the practice by utilizing his military skills in an effort to create order and logic to the business side of things. He’s an Airborne Army Ranger, so sometimes his ideas are cray cray! I know good therapy; I’ve worked in many different settings to include working for the DOD and VA. I have seen crappy behavioral healthcare and frankly - I am sick of that shit! Our goal is for you to feel understood and cared for, not judged and brushed off. We provide quality counseling to residents of North Carolina and Texas, so that you can become the best version of yourself.
If you’re ready to learn how to “embrace the suck” and explore your mission for the future, contact me.
Get in touch
I will walk along side you through your journey; you will never be alone. My true passion is helping my military community!
Emotional growth and healing is a basic life need, not a luxury!
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Our Team
Co-Founder and Clinical director
Dr. Jamie Howard
Even though I have worked in the health field for nearly 20 years, I consider myself more of an Army wife who is a therapist versus a therapist that is an Army wife. This allows me to identify on a deeper level of understanding the military family dynamics in all areas of healing. I also use humor (fair warning - sometimes inappropriate :-P) and sarcasm combined with good clinical skills to help people heal. I find this natural trait beneficial as it is a staple to survive and communicate within the military lifestyle. I know the challenges, I speak the language, and I live the lifestyle firsthand.
I have worked in a variety of settings such as: in-home; in the community; at an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP); for the Department of Defense (DOD) in the Army Substance Abuse Program; for a Vet Center; and with Humana Military. My background in these unique health fields have given me a unique viewpoint into many areas both for civilian and military life.
I enjoy coming up with solutions to things that will work for the most difficult situations. This sometimes manifests in a different way - I love to clean. I love to clean challenging stains out of things that people say cannot be done. Some might consider this ‘crafty’, but I do not consider myself crafty or artistic at all. In fact, I even got a “D” once in art class one time in high school.
I truly love being a therapist; IT IS MY SUPERPOWER!
Now let’s find yours!
Education
Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy
Amridge University (formally Southern Christian University), Montgomery, AL
Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy
Licensed
Texas (TX LMFT #203004)
Texas (TX LCDC - pending transfer)
North Carolina (NC LMFT #1199)
North Carolina (NC LCAS #1850)
Certified Case Manager (CCM #4236750)
co-founder and general manager
Shay Howard
Shay spent 23 years in the Army as a Paratrooper in Airborne Units like the 101st, the 82nd, and the 173rd. He has been through a total of six deployments to places like Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Throughout his career, he was fortunate to earn a Ranger Tab and his Jumpmaster Wings. He was in Field Artillery and he loved blowing stuff up! His nicknames were “Heavy Drop” and “Big Country” because he’s a big boy and fell fast outta planes! He currently teaches ROTC for UTSA and Texas A&M, San Antonio, in addition to working at MRC.
Education
East Central University
Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting
Kansas State University
Master’s in Adult Education
“The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why”