For years, many people have walked through the doors of Serenity Wellness & Counseling Center feeling like they've tried everything. Multiple medications. Years of talk therapy. Self-help books and meditation apps. Yet despite their best efforts, they still feel stuck—exhausted, disconnected, and wondering if things will ever truly change. Serenity Wellness & Counseling Center was designed to solve this problem. The Cypress-based practice takes a radically different approach to mental healthcare, one that goes far beyond simply managing symptoms.
"At Serenity, 'healing the root cause' means we don't stop at simply asking what symptoms a person is experiencing—we dig into why they exist," explained Nicole Bankhead, LPC, NBCC, KAP, the center's owner. "Traditional therapy models often give people coping skills to manage anxiety, depression, or trauma symptoms, but the underlying wounds remain unaddressed."
The difference lies in Serenity's comprehensive approach. Rather than treating mental health as something separate from physical health, the center recognizes that unresolved trauma, nervous system dysregulation, gut inflammation, and hormone shifts can all fuel mental health struggles. Their team of therapists, psychiatric providers, and functional medicine specialists work together to uncover these hidden drivers. "By treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—we help clients move beyond temporary relief into true transformation," Bankhead added. "Many describe the experience as finally being able to breathe freely after years of just 'getting by.'"
What sets Serenity apart is their collaborative care model. A client might begin in counseling to process emotions and build trust. If deeper regulation is needed, LENS neurofeedback can help reset brainwave patterns that keep them stuck in cycles of stress or anxiety. The psychiatric nurse practitioner spends ample time with each client, listening and evaluating thoroughly, always aiming to avoid overmedication. Meanwhile, the functional medicine practitioner runs advanced labs to uncover nutrient deficiencies, gut health problems, or toxin exposures that impact mental well-being.
"Because all of our providers communicate and collaborate, treatment becomes a holistic experience," Bankhead explained. "Instead of compartmentalized care where each provider works in isolation, Serenity creates one connected plan—helping clients heal at the deepest level rather than chasing symptoms."
For treatment-resistant cases, Serenity offers innovative modalities like LENS neurofeedback and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. These tools were added specifically for people who felt hopeless after trying multiple medications or years of talk therapy without lasting change. "What makes these modalities powerful at Serenity is how we integrate them with therapy, preparation, and aftercare," remarked Bankhead. "Clients don't just have an 'experience'; they are guided, supported, and helped to weave new breakthroughs into their daily lives."
Science continues to confirm what many have long believed: mental health doesn't live only in the mind. Gut health, hormones, nutrition, sleep, and stress all play critical roles in how someone feels emotionally. "Clients may discover that anxiety they've struggled with for years is linked to a nutrient deficiency, or that brain fog is rooted in gut imbalances," Bankhead said. "This isn't about quick fixes or fad diets—it's about giving the body what it needs so the mind can thrive."
When clients begin addressing these physical layers alongside their emotional healing, the results are often profound: more energy, sharper focus, better mood, and greater resilience.
As a three-time award winner recently named a Woman of Influence 2025 by Cypress Lifestyle, the center's owner sees Serenity as part of a larger transformation in mental healthcare.
"The future of mental healthcare is integrative, personalized, and collaborative," Bankhead added. "The old model—where someone sees a therapist, a psychiatrist, and maybe a nutritionist separately, with little communication between them—is no longer enough."
By bringing counseling, EMDR, neurofeedback, functional medicine, and ketamine therapy under one roof, Serenity is setting a new standard for mental healthcare in Cypress and beyond. Their goal isn't just to help clients feel better temporarily—it's to help them truly heal, grow, and thrive for the long term.
"Clients don't just have an 'experience'; they are guided, supported, and helped to weave new breakthroughs into their daily lives."