Now accepting new clients · Houston & Friendswood · Telehealth across Texas

Thoughtful, culturally responsive

therapy for the life you’re

trying to live

Designed to Overcome is the private practice of Dr. Esther Odamah, a doctorate-level therapist helping adults and adolescents move through addiction, anxiety, depression, trauma, and anger with care that honors your story, your culture, and your family.

Request a consultation
Placeholder

8+ years

Treating addictions and co-occurring mental health concerns in Texas

PhD-level

Doctorate in Addiction Psychology and  active researcher in the field

Adults & teens

Care for adolescents and adults across Houston and Friendswood

In-person & virtual

Office sessions in Friendswood, secure telehealth statewide

—WHO THIS IS FOR

If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.

Substance use is starting to cost you something

Drinking or using has crept past where you wanted it to be — affecting your work, your relationships, your health, or your sense of self.

Trauma or grief is shaping how you respond to the present

Older experiences are showing up in current relationships, decisions, or your body — and you want to understand them, not just survive them.

You want a therapist who takes culture, faith and family seriously

You're looking for care that honors where you come from — not generic clinical scripts. Your culture and spirituality are part of the work, when you want them to be.

Most people don't arrive in therapy because of one neat problem. They arrive because several things at once have started to feel heavier than they can carry alone. We meet you where you are.

You're managing depression, anxiety and substance use together

Co-occurring concerns deserve coordinated, integrated care — not two separate treatment plans pulling in different directions.

Anger or stress is straining the relationships that matter

You want practical skills to regulate intense emotions, repair what matters, and stop reacting in ways you regret.

You're at a life transition that's bigger than it looks

A new role, a loss, a move, an identity shift — moments that don't make headlines but quietly ask you to rebuild from the inside out.

——Services

Four focused areas of practice.

Each engagement is individualized, but most clients come for one of these core areas of work. Treatment plans integrate evidence-based modalities — CBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing and DBT-informed skills — with cultural, family and spiritual context.

01 — Addictions

Addiction counseling for alcohol, drugs and other dependencies

Doctorate-level treatment for substance use that reflects the realities of your life — work, family, faith, community. We move past shame into clear, sustainable recovery work.

CBT ACT Motivational Interviewing Relapse Prevention

MAT referrals

03 — Mental health & wellness

Therapy for depression, anxiety, trauma and stress

Evidence-informed care for the wide range of concerns that affect how you work, relate and rest. We address both current symptoms and the underlying patterns behind them.

Depression Anxiety Trauma / PTSD Grief & loss

Life transitions

02 — Co-occurring disorders

Integrated care when addiction and mental health overlap

When depression, anxiety, trauma or mood symptoms show up alongside substance use, they need to be treated together. We use a biopsychosocial framework so nothing is left to "deal with later.

Depression + SUD Anxiety + SUD Trauma-informed

Coordinated care

04 — Anger management

Individual and group anger management with a CAMS-II specialist

Practical skills work for clients whose anger has begun to damage relationships, careers, or wellbeing. Includes psychoeducation, DBT-informed regulation skills and structured progress goals.

Individual sessions Groups / classes DBT-informed

Court-friendly progress notes available

— THE APPROACH

A biopsychosocial framework — because you are more than a diagnosis.

Dr. Odamah's work is grounded in research and shaped by lived experience. She uses an integrated biopsychosocial framework, carefully assessing each client's underlying factors and current stressors — and then builds a plan that fits your goals, your culture and your life.

Evidence-based

CBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, DBT-informed skills, and psychoeducation.

Culturally responsive

Culture, family, spirituality and community treated as part of the work — not afterthoughts.

Trauma-informed

Pacing, safety and choice anchor every session. Your story sets the speed.

Integrated

Addiction and mental health treated together, with coordination across providers when helpful.

—CONCERNS WE TREAT

A full picture— not just one symptom at a time.

  • Alcohol use & dependency

  • Depression

  • Stress-related disorders

  • Grief & loss

  • Adjustment disorders

Most of these rarely come alone. We're equipped to hold the whole presentation, then prioritize together.

  • Drug & substance dependencies

  • Bipolar disorder

  • Trauma & PTSD

  • Relationship & family issues

  • Self-esteem & personal growth

  • Co-occurring disorders

  • Anxiety

  • Anger Management

  • Life transitions

  • Cultural adjustment & identity

CREDENTIALS

—PhD, Addiction Psychology

—MS, Psychology

—Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC), Texas

—Certified Anger Management Specialist, Level II (CAMS-II)

—Active researcher in addiction & culturally responsive care

—ABOUT DR. ODAMAH

A lifelong calling, brought into clinical practice.

Dr. Esther Odamah's connection to the people she serves began at age 11, as a child of Christian missionaries in Nigeria. That early, ongoing exposure to addiction and mental health challenges created a deep calling to walk alongside individuals and families affected by substance use and emotional distress — a calling that has shaped every step of her training since.

___________________________________________

"Culture plays a vital role in both the development and treatment of addiction and mental health concerns."

_______________________________________

Today she leads Designed to Overcome, LLC in Friendswood, Texas — a private practice offering integrated, culturally responsive care to adults and adolescents in Houston, Friendswood and the surrounding communities. With more than eight years treating addictions, co-occurring disorders and related mental health concerns, she brings a doctorate-level depth of clinical training together with active research in addictive behaviors, ethnic identity and treatment outcomes.

Her work is intentionally collaborative. Each treatment plan starts with a careful assessment of your background, your underlying factors and your current stressors — and considers culture, family, spirituality and community in equal measure. The goal is not a one-size-fits-all protocol; it's a plan that fits the life you're actually living.

—FREQUENTLY ASKED

Questions clients ask before reaching out.

If something here isn't covered, the simplest path is a brief phone or email exchange — there's no charge to ask whether we're the right fit.

  • The first session is about getting to know you — what brings you in, what you've tried before, and what you'd like to be different. We'll review your history and current concerns and then collaborate on an initial plan and next steps.

  • Standard individual sessions are about 50 minutes. Frequency is decided together based on your needs — typically weekly or bi-weekly at the start, with adjustments as you make progress.

  • It varies. Some clients work on short-term, focused goals over a few months. Others benefit from longer-term therapy for more complex or longstanding issues. You're in charge of the timeline — we reassess regularly.

  • Designed to Overcome is a private-pay, out-of-network practice. We don't bill insurance directly. Many clients prefer this for the additional privacy it offers — insurance reimbursement requires a formal mental health diagnosis that becomes part of your permanent medical record. We're happy to discuss session fees and provide a superbill if you'd like to request out-of-network reimbursement.

  • Yes. Secure telehealth sessions are available to any client physically located in Texas. Telehealth is a strong fit for clients with transportation, scheduling, or health-related barriers to in-person care.

  • Yes. We see adolescents and adults dealing with addiction-related concerns, anger, mood symptoms, trauma and other mental health issues. Caregivers are involved in treatment planning when appropriate, with respect for the adolescent's privacy and developmental needs.

  • Both. Anger management is offered in individual and group/class formats depending on availability. Sessions include psychoeducation, skills training, and strategies for identifying triggers and improving self-control at home, work and in the community.

  • To schedule an initial session or follow-up, call (281) 317-0331 or email designedtoovercomellc@gmail.com. If you need to reschedule or cancel, please provide as much notice as possible. Our full cancellation policy is reviewed with you during intake.

—TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Reaching out is often the hardest part.

If you've read this far, something brought you here. A short
conversation can help you decide whether this is the right fit — no
pressure, no obligation.

‍ ‍

Or email designedtoovercomellc@gmail.com

Call (281) 317-0331

Send a message

—CONTACT

Start with a brief message.

Share what you're navigating and what you'd like therapy to help with. Dr. Odamah reads each message personally and will respond within 1–2 business days.

BY PHONE
(281) 317-0331
Voicemail available 24/7 — calls returned during business hours.

BY EMAIL
designedtoovercomellc@gmail.com
Please don't include sensitive clinical details in your first email.

OFFICE
Friendswood, TX 77546
In-person sessions by appointment · Telehealth available across Texas.