Individual, Group, & Family Counseling
Dedicated to helping people live the best life possible, we believe individuals and families can resolve their own problems, make healthy choices, and build a good life if they have the appropriate tools and skills. At Family & Youth Institute, LLC, our mission is to provide those tools and skills through an eclectic counseling approach. We utilize psycho-education, individual counseling, group counseling, family therapy, and play therapy. Ask about our in-home and in-office services.

GROUPS:

Boys' Social Skills Class, Ages 9 - 12                         Next Group - March, 2012    

Girls' Leadership Group, Ages 9 - 12                             Next Group - March, 2012

Adult Leadership Group                                               Next Group - April, 2012    

Call or email for more information.

Adolescent & Youth Counseling
Using a systems approach to counseling, adolescents and youth work with their families to find creative solutions for mastering challenges they encounter in daily living. Families with children acting out behaviorally often find that everyone in the family must support them in their efforts to change. We believe no child wants to fail, feel sad, or disappoint others. We help children find keys that unlock doors to success and happiness.

Who We Are

Mary Ann Hunt-Sartori, M. A., LPC-S

Doctor of Educational Leadership

Ms. Hunt-Sartori, founder of Family & Youth Institute is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Counselor Supervisor, and Certified School Counselor. Her experiences include counseling couples with marital problems, individuals who are dealing with depression, anxiety, anger, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse. As both a school counselor and a professional counselor, she has extensive experience working with adolescents and their families. Attention deficit disorder (ADD), oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), and general behavioral concerns represent a major focus of her practice. Mary Ann Hunt-Sartori and all the FYI counselors have extensive experience working with difficult youth and out-of-control teens. As an educator with 27 years of experience teaching children in Grades K – 12 and working with schools as a teacher and counselor, she helps clients work with schools to maximize their child’s school success. In addition, she is a certified instructor for parenting classes and works with both parents whose children are in the juvenile justice system and those who want to prevent an escalation in misbehavior. She teaches parents how to write ironclad, loophole-free behavior contracts while strengthening the relationship they have with their children. Mary Ann also supervises counseling interns.

History of Mary Ann Sartori, M. A., LPC-S

Founder and President

Fifteen years ago, Mary Ann Sartori left her home in Louisiana and moved to Texas following a divorce. She brought her athletically active and academically successful children with her. Within 6 months of arriving in Texas, they began to struggle behaviorally and academically. Efforts to find help from schools, counseling agencies, and churches were unsuccessful. Because Mary couldn’t give up, she went back to school and became a counselor so she could help them. Ultimately, she saw that what she experienced as a parent and learned in school could be valuable to other families needing help with her children. From there grew her passion to do what she could to ensure no family would have to “walk the walk” her family walked.

Diane Captain, M. A., L.M.F.T., L.C.D.C.
Licensed Clinical Hypnotherapist

Diane Captain is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Licensed Checmical Dependency Counselor, and Licensed Clinical Hypnotherapist. She works on a consulting basis with families, adults, and children. She is an elementary school counselor with the Conroe Independent School District. Diane's specialty is short term hypnotherapy with pain management, stress reduction, weight loss, past abuse, surgery preparation, and much more. She counsels families, individuals, and groups

Genette Stanton, M. Ed., LPC Intern

Mrs. Stanton is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern and a Certified School Counselor. She received her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of North Texas, and her Master's degree in Educational Counseling from Sam Houston State University. She taught elementary school for over 20 years and has comprehensive knowledge of child development. As a counselor her areas of competence include individual, group, family. and abortion recovery therapy. She works with children, adolescents, and adults, through play therapy, utilizing such techniques as sand tray, puppet play, games, and expressive arts.

With personal growth being a key focus of sessions, her philosophy is to treat each client with loving respect, acknowledging that each individual has worth and value and assuring each client someone cares. Clients may include children and adults who are experiencing emotional distress through divorce, grief, school issues, or relationships. She sees clients who are having difficulty in resolving interpersonal  and personal conflict and those who are seeking ways to reduce stress encountered in daily living. She has training in Parenting with Love and Logic, Solution-Focused Play Therapy, Sand Tray and System's Theory. A major focus of her practice includes Abortion Recovery and children diagnosed with ADHD. Mrs. Stanton also facilitates social skill groups for youth. Please contact her at genette.stanton@gmail.com or familyandyouth1@gmail.com.

Denise Sartori-Garcia, M. A., LMFT

Denise Sartori-Garcia, co-founder and Vice President of Family & Youth Institute, LLC, is a marriage and family therapist with five years of experience as a private counselor, therapist on staff for a mental health hospital, and therapist with an adoption/foster care agency.  Mrs. Sartori-Garcia has experience working with adults, adolescents, children, and families in crisis. Working with chemically dependent hospital patients and private clients struggling with alcohol and drug abuse is a major component of her practice. 

In addition, she has worked with difficult, out-of-control youth and their families for the past 13 years. As a certified instructor for parenting classes, she works with both parents whose children are students in the juvenile justice system and those who want to prevent an escalation in misbehaviors. She teaches parents how to write ironclad, loophole-free behavior contracts while strengthening the relationship they have with their children. Currently, Mrs. Sartori-Garcia facilitates mental health groups for Family & Youth Institute, LLC.

Laura Barber-Henderson, M. Ed., LPC

Mrs. Henderson is a LIcensed Professional Counselor and a Certified School Counselor. She received her Bachelor's degree in Educational Counseling form Sam Houston State University. As an educator with 18 years of experience working with schools as a teacher and counselor, she helps parents work with schools to maximize their child's success. Her education and experience have prepared her to counsel individuals, groups, parents, families, children, and adolescents. Her primary focus is in the areas of faith based counseling, family therapy, marital/couples therapy, grief/loss, anger management, and ADHD/ADD. She views the counseling process to be a partnership in which she may assist clients in understanding patterns that exist in their lives, help them recognize and use their own strengths and abilities, and assist them in taking responsibility for their behaviors and emotions.

Deborah Imhoff, M.S., LPC-S

Deborah Imhoff is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Texas. Deborah received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 1998 from Virginia Tech and her Master's in Clinical Psychology in 2004. For over 7 years, Deborah has been working in the mental health field with individuals, couples, children, and families with different therapeutic needs. Deborah is a Spanish speaker who has worked with the Montgomery County Hispanic community assisting clients with receiving much needed counseling services. She has a collaborative view of counseling and works with the strengths of each family to help them positively cope in an ever changing world.

"I enjoy working with individuals and families in a collaborative environment to increase positive change. I appreciate the perspective of all individuals, both as part of a family or couple or as an individual facing life's unique challenges. I enjoy being able to facilitate change in others, improve mastery of skills, and assist in the journey of life. I feel therapy is a launching point that helps to build confidence and pepare people for the many experiences life has to offer."

Deborah also supervises counseling interns.

Contact us for information about our family counseling center.