Hill Country Family Therapy

02/12/2026

Martin Noel, LMFT, is a Marriage and Family Therapist in Marble Falls. He sees couples, families and individuals. When one person in a family is having problems, it affects everyone in the family. Martin is very experienced in helping people who have experienced trauma.

For more information about Marriage and Family Therapy, call Martin Noel, LMFT at 512-553-5141 or email him at Martinnoel@HillCountryFamilyTherapy.org.

01/28/2026

The Five Senses Exercise is a good way to help calm yourself when upset. It allows you (or your child) to focus on those and decrease anxiety.

How to Perform the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
Before starting, take a few slow, deep breaths to calm your nervous system.

5 - Sight: Look around and identify five things you can see (e.g., a chair, a pen, a cloud, a spot on the wall).
4 - Touch: Identify four things you can feel, such as your hair, the chair under you, or your feet on the floor.
3 - Hear: Listen for three distinct sounds, such as birds chirping, traffic, or a refrigerator humming.
2 - Smell: Identify two things you can smell, such as air, coffee, or clothing.
1 - Taste: Identify one thing you can taste, or your favorite taste.

01/05/2026

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Have you decided to stop smoking, or lose weight, or drink less soda?? Many of these resolutions, while well-intended, rarely last even past the end of January. It doesn't mean we don't try, it's just hard to make immediate changes that last.

Instead of these types of resolutions, maybe we could try to make a different type. What if you vowed to look for JOY around you? What if you made a promise to PRACTICE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS? What if you decided to interact with others with more EMPATHY? Could you work on those? What would be the benefit to you?

As we move forward in a new year, we can find that looking for joy, finding something good, and identifying things that make us happy becomes easier. When you focus on that concept, even when you are frustrated in traffic, or discouraged about your job, you can still take that moment to think about it for a moment. When you are in traffic, can you turn on some music that you enjoy? Can you look around and notice when the spring flowers start showing up? Can you take some slow, deep breaths to decrease your anxiety and frustration?

If you see someone having a bad day, are you able to take a moment to empathize? Could you tell them that you care, right then? If a mom is having trouble managing with a bag of groceries and a 2-year old, could you offer to help for a minute? It may take a tiny bit of your time, but it may mean all the difference to that mom!

What does it take for you to say “Good Morning” (or afternoon, or whatever) when you step into an elevator with other people? It seems like nothing, but you would be surprised at the effect it might have on a person who wasn't sure how they would get through the day.

And take care of yourself! Breathe. Try to eat healthy food when you can. Get enough sleep. Be kind to yourself as well as others.

You may actually find that these resolutions help YOU feel better. You may smile more, feel more relaxed, and things get easier to deal with.

I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Send a message to learn more

12/15/2025

HOLIDAYS

Holidays can be a time of joyfulness, enjoying time with family or friends, and taking a break from our usual routines. They can also be stressful, especially when you feel there is so much to be done and you are carrying the weight of it. Cooking, cleaning, decorating, buying and wrapping gifts, and trips to the post office to mail them can all start to feel like way too much work.

For some people, the holidays can present an extra stress. It may be their first holiday season after a divorce or break up, so spending time alone has an added pressure. It may be their first holiday without their children, if the kids are going to the other parent's home. It may be a time where they more acutely mourn the loss of a loved one, whether they died recently or many years ago. Our emotions can be very complex at these times.

There is a lot of pressure to be happy during the holidays. It seems that everyone is singing holiday songs, wishing us a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Happy Holidays. You may not actually feel happy! You may be going through stress at work, or a relationship problem, and just have no feelings of joy at all. That's okay. You feel whatever you feel and those feelings are valid.

Our brains may be telling us that everything must be perfect in order for it to be a good holiday celebration. But that's not reality. It's more important to take time for self-care, mindfulness, and stress reduction. Take time to decide what is most important to you and your loved ones for the special day. You can't do everything.(no matter how much you'd like to) You have limitations on your time, your energy, your finances, and other resources.

Finding a way to connect with others is important. Do you have a particular tradition for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday you celebrate? Are there rituals for your holiday (such as lighting the candles on an Advent wreath or a Menorah) that are meaningful to you? If you aren't able to be with your family, a group of friends in the same situation may be able to join together to celebrate. If finances are tight, homemade gifts can be special as well as spending quality time with someone. Get together to cook a meal or plan a cookie recipe swap (everyone makes their favorite cookies and brings them to the gathering to share, along with a copy of their recipe). Spend some time helping others- serving a meal at a shelter, donating to a person in need, or participating in a toy drive for children.

It's helpful to be present in whatever experience you are having. Be in the moment no matter which type of holiday it is, who you might be with, where you are, and what you are doing. That may be easier said than done. It's a normal human impulse to compare real events to our dream of what we think they “should” be. Find a way to enjoy the current time just as it is. Enjoy the simple pleasures of that time by focusing on who we are spending the holiday with, or the flavors of the special foods, or the magical effect of holiday decorations. And don't forget to BREATHE!!

If you need a Marriage and Family Therapist for help with your stress and concerns, contact Martin Noel LMFT at 512-553-5141.

Send a message to learn more

12/11/2025

Grief looks and feels different for everyone and can be present for various amounts of time. There is no right or wrong way to feel while grieving, but it’s important to know that support and resources are available: samhsa.gov/communities/coping-bereavement-grief

10/12/2025

Hill Country Family Therapy is able to accept several insurance types through TAVA Health. Cigna, Oscar, Sana Benefits, United Healthcare, Aetna, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

In November, Mr Noel will be able to accept Superior Medicaid patients as well.

Contact Martin Noel LMFT for more information at 512-553-5141.

Send a message to learn more

09/28/2025

09/28/2025

Last month in Denver, thousands of psychologists came together at APA 2025 to reflect, reconnect, and reimagine.

If you missed it, don't worry. You can still access nearly 30 hours of the most impactful discussions from the Main Stage and Feature Stage and earn up to 24.5 CE credits—anytime, anywhere.

Get started: https://at.apa.org/3qo

09/28/2025

Helping a loved one through the aftermath of a su***de attempt can be emotional & complicated. Those who've attempted have a higher risk of attempting again, so it's important to provide support to help them stay safe for now. 988lifeline.org/help-yourself/attempt-survivors/

09/28/2025

DBT : Wise Mind Skill.
Life's challenges require us to draw on both emotion and reason. Relying too much on just one of these creates an imbalanced perspective. In dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), wise mind balances emotion and reason, helping us make healthy decisions and lead a fulfilling life.

This Wise Mind: DBT skill worksheet describes wise mind and how it differs from emotion and reasonable minds. Emotion mind is when we use feelings alone to determine our decisions and behavior, whereas reasonable mind is when we use only logic, ignoring our feelings. With wise mind, we recognize and respect our feelings while responding to them in a rational way.
[via Therapist Aid]

09/28/2025

Mental health support doesn’t treat kids like something is wrong with them. It helps them understand their feelings, build confidence, and learn how to handle tough situations. Every child deserves that kind of support, writes APA's Dr. Lynn Bufka.

Read the full letter to the Washington Post: https://at.apa.org/865