Our Team

Working forYou& your relationship

Kim Bowen, LPC-S

THERAPIST, SPEAKER, AUTHOR
FOUNDER & CEO OF THE MARRIAGE PLACE

In 2013, Kim founded The Marriage Place in Richardson, TX after seeing a real need for therapists who truly understand the challenging dynamics of working with couples. Having at one point wanted out of her own marriage because of years of anger and resentment, she has a heart for those who feel stuck and hopelessly unhappy. She also knows first-hand how having a bad marriage counselor can hurt your chances of restoring your relationship to health.

Kim has spent years training with some of the top experts in the field and has shared that experience with her team of therapists. As a result, The Marriage Place has become known for its exceptional work with even the toughest of cases. We are proud of this reputation and the fact that other therapists often refer their most challenging couples to us when they are stuck and don’t know how to help them. The Marriage Place has grown to two physical locations – Richardson and our newest office in Frisco, TX – and also proudly serves clients coast to coast via our successful online coaching program.

Kim is a truth-teller, delivering even tough messages in a compassionate but direct way.

She and her husband, John, have been married for 30 years and are the parents of two grown boys and 2 high-maintenance fur babies.

meet the team

Jamie Blackburn

LPC
Learn more about Jamie

ELSA DAVIS

LMFT, LPC
Learn more about Else

LAUREN GUENTHER

LPC
Learn more about Lauren

SAM JOHN

LPC, CSAT
Learn more about Sam

BETTY MATZ GELSKY

LMHC, LPC
Learn more about Betty

Michelle Spence

LPC
Learn more about Michelle

JENNIFER STREET

LCSW-S
Learn more about Jennifer

ARMANDO TOVAR

LPC
Learn more about Armando

KERI HATCHER

LPC-ASSOCIATE
Learn more about Keri

JOHN BAUTISTA

MASTERS LEVEL INTERN
Learn more about John

ANGEL MATHIESON

COACH
Learn more about Angel

KATHY DAWSON FOWLER

CERTIFIED RELATIONSHIP COACH
Learn more about Kathy

CHARLES LINDSEY

CERTIFIED RELATIONSHIP COACH
Learn more about Charles

AMANDA RICHARDSON

CERTIFIED RELATIONSHIP COACH
Learn more about Amanda

BEKAH RUSS

CERTIFIED RELATIONSHIP COACH
Learn more about Bekah

SARA SNYDER

CERTIFIED RELATIONSHIP COACH
Learn more about Sara

SUSAN RICE

CERTIFIED RELATIONSHIP COACH
Learn more about Susan

We also have Master’s Level Interns available at discounted rates.

Jamie Blackburn

LPC

Licensed since 2006, Jamie has a broad therapy background working with both individuals and couples with additional emphasis on depression, anxiety, and trauma-related therapy. She is particularly passionate about working with women and mothers who are trying to prioritize their mental and emotional health while balancing families and careers. Jamie is trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy which helps clients rapidly move beyond trauma. Jamie's heart is to meet her clients where they are and journey with them as they find inner healing and freedom. For clients who desire faith-based counseling, Jamie is also trained in Heart Sync Ministry which helps clients heal dividedness so they can enjoy more whole-hearted living and loving. Regardless of where you are starting from, Jamie believes there is more for you and is honored to help you go after it! Jamie and her husband, Jay, have 4 children and live a very full life, running from one sporting event to the next and engaging in their community. Free time is scarce but in her spare moments you are likely to find her tucked away with a book or spending time with the people she loves.

Elsa Davis

LMFT, LPC

Elsa is dually licensed as both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor. She is passionate about working with couples and advocating for marriage. Elsa enjoys working with couples in all stages of their relationship - from dating to the golden years, from the introduction of children to an empty nest. She is also motivated to help couples navigate difficult life events such as emotional disengagement and relationship traumas including infidelity or mental health disorders.

Elsa graduated with honors in her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy program and is now approaching nearly a decade in practice. She has been extensively trained in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), one modality designed to help couples heal from past or current distress. Elsa and her husband have been married for 12 years and have 4 children. She has learned not only through her training, but also through her own marriage, how both difficult and rewarding marriage can be, as they too have successfully weathered their fair share of marital ups and downs. Elsa is bilingual and offers therapy both in English and Spanish.

“Elsa has been absolutely fantastic to work with. My husband and I are happier and more connected than we ever have been. She has been a true blessing to both of us. We highly recommend her to anyone looking to refresh their marriage.”- KR

So glad I found this place! Elsa is the best!

LAUREN GUENTHER

LPC

Lauren has a passion for helping couples as they navigate the hard parts of marriage. As the product of a broken family herself, she understands the pain and confusion divorce causes for each member of the family. As a result of her own parents’ split, she knew from a very early age that she would become an advocate for couples struggling in their relationships. Her goal is to help clients understand their own family of origin patterns and how early childhood experiences shape and influence how we show up with our partners. She also enjoys working with betrayed partners who are navigating the ups and downs of living with someone struggling with sexual addiction. She and her husband have been married for 11 years. They have two kids, two dogs and a cat. In her down time, she loves being with her family and spending time outdoors.

Sam John

LPC, CSAT

Sam has a passion for marriage. He knows how it feels when one or both individuals want to walk away from a relationship because it seems hopeless. His passion is fueled from his personal struggles in the early years of his own marriage. When asked why he fights for marriages he stated “I understand the pain and disappointments that come when a couple’s expectations of their marriage aren’t being met. I also know, firsthand, how things can change for the better if you are willing to look at yourself in the mirror, own up to your own part in the marriage, and be willing to love your spouse and the marriage in a different way.”

Sam’s insight and passion motivated him to pursue his career in counseling. Whether you’re struggling to communicate your heart to your mate, considering divorce, constantly fighting and engaging in verbal warfare, falling out of love or just needing some guidance to make a good relationship a better one, Sam wants to be your advocate and guide for change. The possibilities for your relationship are endless if you decide to try something different. Are you ready to stop doing what is not working and find a way to transform your current situation to a new place of love, understanding and hope? Then Sam is your guy!

"My wife and I absolutely love Sam. He has done wonders for us as a couple and for me individually. He's a fantastic communicator, a gifted counselor, and a comforting presence to talk to and in front of. I cannot say enough good things about the work he has done with my wife and me." - R.B

Betty Matz Gelsky

LMHC, LPC

A Florida native, Betty has over 30 years of experience as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in relationships and intimacy. She uses Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) to help couples transform their challenges into opportunities for healing and growth. Betty believes great relationships are consciously designed and she is passionate about working with couples in all stages of life who are motivated and oriented towards both personal and relational growth. Betty has extensive experience helping couples address the unique challenges of marriage, remarriage, blending families and empty nesting.

As the oldest of four, Betty was fortunate to have witnessed the 55 years of love her parents nurtured. Her first marriage blessed her with four adored children and in 2016, she married her soulmate. They now have a beautiful blended family of nine adult children and a golden retriever! They humbly walk the talk and practice what they preach by making it a daily practice to nourish their love and create safety for their relationship and those with their family. Betty is bilingual and offers therapy services in both Spanish and English.

Michelle Spence

LPC

An elective psychology class in high school is what initially fueled Michelle's interest in counseling and eventually led her to pursue her chosen field as a therapist. Growing up in a chaotic home, Michelle learned firsthand how our early experiences impact us as adults and in our relationships. She’s also experienced the freedom that comes from tackling the past and recognizes how integral counseling was to her own personal journey of healing and self-awareness. Michelle has a passion for working with couples who want to build, or rebuild, their marriage and with individuals who are ready to experience personal freedom from the pain of their past. Additionally, Michelle is trained as an EMDR therapist, a technique that helps clients heal from symptoms and emotional distress caused by memories of painful events. Michelle has been married for almost 3 decades and is mom to 3 adult children. In her free time, she enjoys Broadway, gardening, baking, and reading.

Jennifer Street

LCSW-S

As far back as she can remember, Jennifer has always wanted to help people which made her eventual career in counseling a surprise to no one. Clients find Jennifer to be warm, approachable and empathetic. In turn, Jennifer finds great joy in seeing lives renewed, rebuilt, and restored. She takes an "I'll meet you where you are, but I won't leave you there" approach to her work with clients. Jennifer is a certified trauma professional and a Master Certified Accelerated Resolution Therapy Clinician who trains therapists across the country in this treatment for faster resolution of psychological distress resulting from trauma. In addition to her trauma work, Jennifer specializes in providing faith-based care upon request. She has worked with all different types of concerns including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-injury, PTSD, and abuse recovery. She has experience with families in crisis, domestic violence victims, military veterans and first responders. Jennifer and her husband are the proud parents of two human kiddos and one fur baby, Obie. She doesn't have much free time, but when she does, Jennifer enjoys spending it with her family, playing music, writing, hiking, and recumbent road biking.

Armando Tovar

LPC

Armando has an easy going nature and a dry sense of humor. His approach to counseling is to help his clients develop self-compassion while encouraging them to navigate through their struggles. He works particularly well with individuals who are seeking change and are open to directed treatment.nOne of his areas of specialty is trauma. He helps his clients re-discover hope, build resilience, and improve self-worth by empowering the survivor with self-management skills. Armando employs an integrated approach through cognitive behavioral therapy, emotion-focused therapy, and mindfulness. He also provides practical solutions for developing self-care skills. He is certified in Accelerated Resolution Therapy which can help clients more quickly process trauma and promote healing. As a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Armando understands the unique pressures associated with serving in the military and is particularly passionate about helping other veterans and first responders. He is service-oriented and truly cherishes his time spent facilitating the healing process. Armando is a Ph.D. candidate in Counselor’s Education and Supervision and is slated to graduate in 2022. He and his wife are soon to be the proud parents of a baby girl. In his spare time, Armando enjoys fishing and video games.

"Armando is incredible and I'm grateful."

Keri Hatcher

LPC-Associate

Keri has a deep empathy for the challenges faced by couples in distress and a passion for helping people get to a happier and healthier place in their lives. With the professional experience and personal insight gained from her own previous marriage, Keri brings a compassionate and understanding approach to her practice, with an intimate understanding of both the emotional upheaval and the potential for growth that can arise from our challenges.

Keri focuses on helping couples foster healthy connections by gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and their partners. She encourages empathy, vulnerability, and mutual respect as she guides clients through the challenges of rebuilding trust, renewing appreciation for one another, redistributing responsibilities, and finding healthy ways to manage emotions and disagreements. Keri's specialty areas of interest include co-parenting, blending families, healing after infidelity and neurodivergence (ADHD, autism). The mom of two teenagers, Keri's first career was in teaching. She holds a master's degree in Family, Marriage, & Couples Counseling from Lamar University.

John Bautista

Masters Level Intern

John believes becoming aware of the stories we tell ourselves help us know where we’ve been and where we’re going; this understanding opens up the opportunity for empathy and change. He is privileged to journey alongside his clients as they work to heal and grow. His goal is to create an environment of safety and trust so they may confidently explore themselves and the relationships that matter most to them. His heart is to help those who feel stuck and are searching for a path out.

John has a background working with addiction and its impact on relationships, and his work seeks to help people restore their most important relationships. He uses a fusion of attachment theory, developmental neuroscience, interpersonal biology, and somatic regulation with his clients. John is a graduate of Angelo State University and holds a Masters degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. In his free-time you might find John photographing couples in downtown Dallas.

Angel Mathieson

Coach

Angel's core belief is that we each have the inner capability to cope with life's problems and move towards self-fulfillment and happiness; but most of us need help to get there. Angel helps her clients focus on their thoughts, feelings and relationship patterns to understand what is keeping them stuck and discover how to move to a place of contentment and wholeness. She considers her work a partnership - an opportunity to work together to solve existing concerns, reach new goals and experience joy in what life has to offer. Angel works with individuals and couples as well as families. She also has a background in working with children and teens with autism, ADHD, or in need of crisis management skills. A former fully-licensed Licensed Professional Counselor who took time off to raise her family, Angel is in the process of relicensure with the state of Texas and currently works with clients in a coaching capacity.

Kathy Dawson Fowler

Certified Relationship Coach

Kathy has an innate ability to meet people where they are and help them see their full potential. She is a teacher at heart and has spent over 35 years helping each individual she works with grow toward their best self. After more than 3 decades of marriage, she understands first-hand the ups and downs that occur in marriages over time, as well as the joy that can be found or rediscovered along the way through hard work and self-improvement. Herself a widow, after losing her husband of 32 years to cancer, Kathy has a passion for helping others deal with grief caused by relationships or loss, and will walk through the journey with them. Kathy has 2 adult sons with families of their own, who have given her 6 amazing grandchildren. She enjoys volunteering for nonprofits in her community as well as traveling as much as possible.

Kathy Dawson Fowler has been a Godsend. She has helped me in more ways than I could ever put in a google review. I highly recommend the marriage place and- more than anything, I recommend you don't give up on the marriage God has for you until you have no other choice. The marriage place will give you the strength and the tools to do what it takes to fight for your marriage and rebuild it better than ever (even if you're fighting for it alone) IF you are brave enough to start with working on yourself. I could not be more thankful for Kathy. She has led me spiritually, professionally and personally. I couldn't ask for more.

Be brave, call them (and I'm probably biased but I say ask for Kathy)

Charles Lindsey

Certified Relationship Coach

Charles believes in laughing until it hurts, crying when we need to, and having grace for the long haul. He operates with the assumption that relationship coaching should be safe, confidential, and provide practical, real-world help for ‘relational-travelers’ navigating difficult circumstances. His bias is that the coaching should be as brief as possible to meet the current needs of his client but sufficient enough to bring about the desired long-term change. When life has you stuck, Charles will meet you where you are, help you breathe, gain both your composure and perspective - and then equip you to take the steps towards wholeness, solutions, and relationship satisfaction. Charles spent the first half of his career working as a Licensed Professional Counselor. He enjoys spending life outside of the office with his most important relationships - his bride of five decades, their kids and grandchildren.

""Charles was so helpful, I really appreciate him going above and beyond for me. He was amazing."

Amanda Richardson

Certified Relationship Coach

Amanda is a self-proclaimed Enneagram enthusiast, embracing her Type 2 personality to compassionately guide others along their own personal journey of growth and self-reflection. She specializes in helping clients repair and rescue their relationship, and is particularly passionate about working with clients whose spouses want out. Amanda and her husband have been married for more than a decade, during which time they have grown through and explored the entire "Marriage Map". They are also the proud parents of two wild and wonderful boys. Amanda is a proud graduate of Texas A&M University and a Certified Relationship Coach. In her free time Amanda loves being outside, reading and spending time with her family.

“I highly recommend Amanda for relationship coaching! She's positive and insightful and has amazing tools to practically help your relationship right away. - A.H.

I highly recommend Amanda for relationship coaching! She's positive and insightful and has amazing tools to practically help your relationship right away. I have seen multiple therapists and Amanda has been by far the best coach. My journey over the last 14 months has been a struggle but I have been so fortunate to have her help me through this and guide me to be the best person i can possibly be ...I have grown so much and I owe it all to her!

Bekah Russ

Certified Relationship Coach

Bekah has made a career of caring for and assisting people during some of their most trying times. Recognizing that so much of life's joy comes from relationships, she is passionate about helping clients improve their most important ones.

This passion stems from her own experience. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009, the chronic degenerative neurological disease impacted every aspect of her life, most notably her marriage, family and other relationships.

Through her own marriage trials, Bekah quickly recognized that staying focused on her own areas of self-improvement was empowering and more critical to the betterment of her marriage than any change she hoped her spouse would make. She also learned the importance of the 3 C's - compassion (both for oneself and for others), care and commitment.

Bekah and her husband have been married almost 25 years and are the parents of teenage twins. She is a proud graduate of Texas A&M University and UT Southwestern.

Bekah is a consummate professional, well-versed in her field, and exceptionally adept at her craft. Her empathetic and sagacious approach was crucial as I navigated the turbulent waters of my marital troubles. Struggling with anxiety, succumbing to negativity, and engaging in self-destructive behaviors, I was on the verge of despair. However, Bekah provided a much-needed voice of reason, gently but firmly guiding me towards self-awareness and rectification. Bekah has proven to be an invaluable resource, allowing me to forge a safe haven for open, honest communication between my spouse and me, a feat that seemed unattainable not too long ago.

Sara Snyder

Certified Relationship Coach, Team Lead

Sara is a strong believer in the value of marriage and working to keep your relationship alive through all stages of life. Married for more than 39 years, she and her husband have moved together through both pleasant and difficult seasons. Especially during the last 5 years, they have weathered multiple waves of loss and grief. Sara has a heart for people that are hurting, and is especially gifted at listening for what is beneath the surface. Many years of practice walking alongside those who have been brought into her life, along with her training as a Life Coach make her a person who can help you find a way through the hard places.

"Over the past year Sara patiently provided me with a calming presence and the tools to redefine my life. Working through her process, I’ve reached a deeper understanding of myself, my own relationship needs and desires, and how I can bring my best self into all relationships. I’ve built deeper connections with friends and family, and am exploring new avenues of self-expression; I haven’t felt this much like myself in a very long time, and I owe that to Sara." - J.H

"Sara is awesome, she is so great! She has changed my life." - R.P from CO

Susan Rice

Certified Relationship Coach

Susan believes in the sanctity of marriage which, for her, means treating your spouse and relationship with the utmost respect and having the willingness to work both individually, and as a team, to keep your marriage on track. She recognizes the vital importance of focusing on your own role in the relationship, understanding it is the only thing actually within your control. Susan is passionate about building relationships with her clients and in turn, helping her clients foster, rebuild and restore relationships with their loved ones. Susan is a warm and empathetic listener and brings to her clients more than 25 years of diverse experience working with both families and children. Susan has been married to her husband and best friend for almost 17 years and they are the parents of two teen-aged children. She's served on the Board of Directors of Hope International since 2005.

"Many thanks to Susan. She and this program have been a life saver for us!" - J.B

"Susan will be so good at just helping us figure it out, understand. 'Emotional Ninja' - that's what we call her!" - K.P

Our Team

Working forYou& your relationship

Kim Bowen, LPC-S

THERAPIST, SPEAKER, AUTHORFOUNDER & CEO OF THE MARRIAGE PLACE

meet the team

Jamie Blackburn

ELSA DAVIS

LAUREN GUENTHER

SAM JOHN

BETTY MATZ GELSKY

Michelle Spence

JENNIFER STREET

ARMANDO TOVAR

KERI HATCHER

JOHN BAUTISTA

ANGEL MATHIESON

KATHY DAWSON FOWLER

CHARLES LINDSEY

AMANDA RICHARDSON

BEKAH RUSS

SARA SNYDER

SUSAN RICE

We also have Master’s Level Interns available at discounted rates.

Jamie Blackburn

LPC

Elsa Davis

LMFT, LPC

LAUREN GUENTHER

LPC

Sam John

LPC, CSAT

Betty Matz Gelsky

LMHC, LPC

Michelle Spence

LPC

Jennifer Street

LCSW-S

Armando Tovar

LPC

Keri Hatcher

LPC-Associate

John Bautista

Masters Level Intern

Angel Mathieson

Coach

Kathy Dawson Fowler

Certified Relationship Coach

Charles Lindsey

Certified Relationship Coach

Amanda Richardson

Certified Relationship Coach

Bekah Russ

Certified Relationship Coach

Sara Snyder

Certified Relationship Coach, Team Lead

Susan Rice

Certified Relationship Coach

THERAPIST, SPEAKER, AUTHOR
FOUNDER & CEO OF THE MARRIAGE PLACE