Skip to Content

About GearingUP

GearingUP Counseling is a therapist-led practice created to make quality mental health care easier to start and easier to continue.

Our team of licensed clinicians works with children, teens, adults, and couples using proven therapy approaches, thoughtful matching, and ongoing support throughout the process. We focus on understanding each client’s needs, setting clear goals, and helping people build practical skills they can use in everyday life so real progress feels possible.

Person in a brown sweater smiling warmly while sitting on a sofa, gently petting a large fluffy dog laying in their lap
Milt, a counselor, seated in an office setting, smiling warmly with hands clasped, wearing glasses and a blue blazer

Our Journey

GearingUP Counseling was founded in Plano in 1986 by clinical psychologists Dr. Sylvia Gearing and Dr. Milton Gearing. After years working in hospitals, treatment programs, and community mental health settings, they saw the same problem again and again — people struggled to find therapy that was both effective and easy to access.

Today, GearingUP continues to operate as a therapist-led practice, combining experienced clinicians, coordinated care, and evidence-based therapy to help clients and families make meaningful, lasting change.

Our Philosophy of Care

At GearingUP, therapy is meant to be helpful and practical — not just a weekly conversation. We focus on three things:

  • Understanding

    We take time to learn what is actually happening in your life, not just symptoms on a checklist.

  • Skills

    Clients learn concrete tools to manage emotions, anxiety, behavior, and relationships outside the therapy office.

  • A Clear Plan

    Together, we set goals and talk about what progress should look like. As things change, treatment changes too.

How Our Model Is Different

GearingUP is not a single-therapist office and not an online therapy app. We use a coordinated care approach designed to make starting — and continuing — therapy easier.

  • Thoughtful Matching

    You are matched with a therapist by senior clinicians based on your needs, not an algorithm or random availability.

  • Team Support

    Our clinicians collaborate and consult with each other, so your therapist is never working in isolation.

  • Testing & Assessment

    When helpful, psychological testing and evaluations provide clearer answers and guide treatment planning.

  • Progress Monitoring

    We regularly check how things are improving and adjust the treatment plan if needed.

  • Continuity of Care

    If a therapist is not the right fit, you can switch providers without starting over.

  • Accessible Communication

    You can reach your therapist and care team through scheduling support, messaging, and telehealth sessions when appropriate.

GearingUP vs. Other Therapists

GearingUP vs. Other Therapists
GearingUP Other online therapy options Other in-person therapists
Licensed therapists Yes Yes Yes
Online video or phone sessions Yes Yes No
In-person office sessions Yes No Yes
Hour-long individual therapy sessions Yes No No
Therapist matching by senior clinicians, not algorithms Yes No No
Diagnostics and testing for effective therapy Yes No No
Digital worksheets and homework from your therapist Yes No No
Weekly progress monitoring and reports Yes No No
Fast and easy appointment scheduling Yes No No
Coordinated care with your doctor or psychiatrist Yes No No
Accept and bill insurance for you Yes No No
Sliding scale payment options Yes No No
Multiple convenient locations Yes No No
Get Started

The clinical team behind GearingUP

At GearingUP, therapy isn’t delivered in isolation. Every client is supported by a coordinated team of licensed clinicians who collaborate, consult, and follow a structured treatment model.

Our therapists are trained in evidence-based approaches including DBT, CBT, trauma therapies, couples work, and psychological assessment. Each clinician is intentionally matched to clients based on clinical need, not guesswork.

  • Anxiety & Stress
  • Depression
  • Eating Disorders
  • Relationship Issues
  • Bipolar Disorders
  • ADHD Issues
  • OCD
  • Anger Management
  • Personality Disorders
  • Trama & PTSD
  • Grief & Loss
  • Parenting & Family
  • Postpartum Issues
  • and more...
Meet Our Team

Dr. Sylvia Gearing

Executive Director

Accessible in-person and virtual therapy throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area

GearingUP provides in-person therapy across seven North Texas locations, including Frisco West, North Richland Hills, Prosper, Dallas (Lakewood), and McKinney.

Each office offers the same coordinated care model, evidence-based treatment programs, and structured clinical oversight — so you receive consistent, high-quality care no matter which location you choose.

Map showing GearingUP Counseling Centers locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, highlighting offices in Plano and McKinney

Great program run by wonderful people. Very welcome changes in our family dynamics. Thank you GearingUP for being a huge part of the solution.

Renata C.

Feeling Better Starts Now

Get Started

or call (972) 596-7229