Donald Gray is an experienced and licensed marriage and family therapist, committed to helping individuals and families overcome life’s challenges. With a Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling from a reputable institution, Donald has acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to provide compassionate and effective counseling services.
For over nine years, Donald has been serving the community through Clear Lake Family Counseling, where he has helped countless individuals and families navigate through a wide range of issues such as relationship problems, depression, anxiety, grief and loss, and many others. With his extensive experience, empathy, and non-judgmental approach, Donald has been able to establish a strong rapport with his clients, creating a safe and supportive environment for them to explore their thoughts and feelings.
Donald’s commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical practice is reflected in his license by the State of Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists. This recognition is a testament to his exceptional expertise and dedication to providing quality therapy services to his clients.
Donald is currently 61 years of age and has had two distinct careers. He started his first career as a law enforcement officer in 1983 and completed 31 years of service. During this time, he served as a Detention Officer, Patrol Officer, and Investigator, with his last two years spent in the Special Victims Unit, investigating cases of sexual assault and domestic violence. In 2014, Donald embarked on his second career as a marriage and family therapist, graduating with an MA in family therapy from the University of Houston Clear Lake, an accredited program by the AAMFT.
Donald is currently married and has 3 grown daughters and 10 grandchildren, 7 of whom are girls. He resides in Friendswood, Texas.
Donald became a therapist after feeling a calling from God after retiring from Law Enforcement. As a cop, he saw the pain and devastation to families and individuals suffering with addiction, depression, suicide, criminal behavior. But what stood out the most was the trouble kids were having who didn’t have a father in their lives. He found that most of the people he arrested had no father. Or at least not an active father. This led Donald to believe his calling was to help couples keep the marriage together. That keeps the family together, and that keeps the kids out of jail, addiction, gangs, poles, prostitution, depression, suicidality, anger, violence etc…. So he switched from cleaning up the devastation to a career helping people avoid the disaster.
For clients who prefer a Christian or Bible focused therapy, Donald is prepared to serve any and all denominations. The apostle Paul had some great advice for married couples in his letter to the Ephesians. Jesus of course told us that he hates divorce. Donald believes the key to healing involves forgiveness and Grace.
Donald is a member of the Southeast Church of Christ in Friendswood. He grew up going to church, and has served in the Bus ministry driving the Joy Bus and Taught Bible Classes. He has served as Communion Director and is currently the self-appointed Security Director. He and his wife Dedra have facilitated Dave Ramseys Financial Peace classes, and Marriage Enrichment Classes using “His Needs, Her Needs” curriculum developed by Marriage Dynamics Institute.
Donald is currently a member of the Christians Counselors of Texas ( https://www.cctx.org/ ) where he serves as a Chapter President and is on the Government Liaison Committee. He Serves as the Newsletter Editor and Website Manager of the Bay Area Net ( https://www.bayareanet.org/ ).
He completes his continuing education requirements by attending annual conferences and monthly training sessions. His studies are focused on such things as Attachment Theory, Narcissism, Gender identity issues with children, EFT, Blended Families. He loves youtube.
Donald and his wife Dedra love fishing, cooking, and binge-watching Law and Order. They have three daughters and 10 grandchildren from 5-15. He and Dee both grew up in family-oriented communities and have continued that tradition. Meals together are a big deal. Dee should be a chef on TV. She loves to create new things and improve on comfort foods. Their favorites are fish frys, (fries? Fry’s?) barbecued brisket, pork and chicken, Italian anything, and are adding family crawfish boils to the tradition just this year.
Donald believes that the family system is the most important, and absolutely has to be preserved. He believes the family system was created by GOD, and as such is perfect. The system is perfect, though we are certainly not. That is why we need Grace and Forgiveness.
Don’t approach it with a perfectionist mentality; accept the good enough. Expectations make us lose balance. High-wire artists make progress one step at a time. That’s why they don’t fall — they don’t worry about perfect; they only focus on moving forward lorem ispum destination.