I'm Paula A. Lyssy, a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) and Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP), and I’ve spent my entire career working beside children, families, and educators—especially in the rural communities that shaped me. I am the founder and owner of Rural Texas Psychoeducational Services, PLLC, a practice built on the belief that high-quality mental health care and educational assessments should be accessible to all children, regardless of ZIP code.

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My roots in public education are not just professional—they’re personal. I come from a long line of women who have dedicated their lives to serving children in Texas schools. My mother was a public school educator, as is my sister, and now my daughter and daughter-in-law have followed that same path. Education is not just a career in our family—it’s a legacy. That legacy is what grounds my work in authenticity, empathy, and a deep understanding of the needs of both families and school systems.

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I hold dual master's degrees in School Psychology (NASP-approved) and Professional Counseling (CACREP-approved) and bring over 25 years of hands-on experience across roles in counseling, assessment, crisis intervention, program development, family education, and educator training. I am trained in trauma-informed care and advanced play therapy modalities including Child-Centered Play Therapy, Sand Tray, and AutPlay. I am also a Nationally Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist and a Registered Play Therapist, with additional certification as an AutPlay Therapist and extensive experience in conducting multidisciplinary evaluations for IDEA eligibility.

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Throughout my career, I have worked across a variety of settings—from private counseling rooms to school-based special education teams, and from early childhood programs to high-stakes legal settings requiring forensic interviews and home studies. I have provided psychological services to over twenty rural south Texas school districts, and I have consulted with Head Start and early childhood programs spanning multiple counties to strengthen early identification and mental health supports. I’ve also supervised school psychology interns, behavior specialists, and new clinicians, helping to grow the next generation of ethical and informed professionals in our field.

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Whether I am sitting with a child in a play therapy session, helping a parent understand their child’s diagnosis, or providing a district with a legally defensible psychoeducational evaluation, I approach my work with compassion, cultural awareness, and clinical rigor. I understand how mental health, behavior, and learning intersect—and how critical it is to build bridges between families and schools with clarity and care.

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In small towns, people value relationships. So do I. It’s a privilege to do this work in the communities I know and love, and to offer families and educators the tools they need to help every child thrive.

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