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Meet Our Team at Our Central Austin Locations
– click any photo to learn more about any member of our team –
Westlake Office: 3006 Bee Cave Rd.
Downtown Austin / Tarrytown / Clarksville Office: 508 Deep Eddy Ave
Rosedale / Bryker Woods Office: 1500 W 38th Street
Our Therapy & Counseling Specialties
– click to learn more about how we can serve you –
Anxiety
Anxiety is the most common mental illness. It is also incredibly treatable. Often anxiety emerges when other feelings are not being addressed. It is hard to feel settled inside when we haven’t “listened” to our emotions and moved through them successfully. In this case it acts as a blanket that covers up the difficult, seemingly frightening, emotions under the surface. All of our therapists are trained using techniques such as mindfulness to help you approach emotion in a grounded, centered manner, thereby not only reducing symptoms, but also finding greater strength, passion, and joy.
If you are struggling with anxiety, whether it’s a chronic tension or butterflies inside, social anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, phobias, or stress, we’d love to help. Reach out to schedule.
Depression
Most people with depression, even severe depression, can get better with treatment. Depression is first and foremost a disorder of vitality. Very often depression emerges when a person’s mind does not know how to process scary emotions, such as anger, and therefore simply shuts down instead. We all need to learn to move through emotions in an empowered way, otherwise our brain will register emotion as threat and defend against it at all costs. Tragically, this cost can be our very sense of aliveness, joy, and meaning.
Let us help you come alive again and leave depression behind you. Reach out to schedule.
Group
Group psychotherapy is a very powerful way to work on relational dynamics and patterns, and to understand who you are, and who you are in relationships. Our groups are mixed gender and all focus on exploring yourself and your relationships.
Many of our clinicians specialize in group and are in awe of the profound healing that occurs in this setting. Members receive important feedback from each other and have transformational interactions. Click here for more information on Group Therapy and to view our group meeting times.
Parenting
From the profound experience of pregnancy, birth, and the array of postpartum feelings, sometimes including the heart-wrenching experience of Postpartum Depression, to the exciting and wondrous years of parenting to follow, parenting is one of life’s greatest opportunities to grow. Out of love for our children and desire to give them our best, we are inspired to work on ourselves and look at our issues and hidden suffering to avoid passing those pains through the generations. Parenting brings up the places within us that need our attention and care by challenging us in ways nothing else can.
In addition to looking at our personal issues that affect parenting, sometimes we need advice and insight into how to handle the complex and incredibly important situations that arise with our children. Whether you want to help your children develop a loving sibling relationship with each other, or you have the pain and confusion of a school-age or teenage child who is floundering, or a dynamic in the family that is creating chaos or hurt, we would be glad to guide you through these sometimes overwhelming parenting moments and help you create the home life you want. Reach out to schedule.
Relationships
Healthy relationships lay the foundation for a happy, meaningful life. Sense of belonging through relationships and search for community or family are incredibly powerful driving forces. Let us build your confidence in navigating relationships, from communication and social skills to complex dynamics affecting how you are seen by others and how you understand them in return. So many of us have some type of relational struggle--from choosing the wrong person to date, to putting our own needs last, to having trouble accurately reading others. Relationships are complex and exciting. Whether you want to explore and deepen your tolerance for intimacy and emotional availability, or learn how to handle a difficult family member, we love working on your skill and ease in relationships.
For couples, we believe being a couples’ therapist involves specialized training. Most of our therapists have advanced specialty in couples work and have studied with national leaders in the latest, most-effective approaches. As a whole, our couples work tends to be very experiential, attachment-oriented, and rooted in an understanding of the brain and arousal states (such as trauma). Some of the old-school approaches, such as communication training, are less effective because they focus on the more verbal, rational parts of the brain. These parts of the brain, and all the skills we learned when we were calm and collected, go offline when we are very emotional or upset in relationships—in moments where one or both partner is either too aroused (highly emotional) or not aroused enough (emotionally frozen or shut-down).
There is wonderful research that healthy committed relationships can serve as a profound source of healing and growth. On the flip side, unhealthy relationships can do damage. It is important to be proactive when it comes to one’s partnership. Couples therapy does not need to be a last-ditch effort. It can be a space of exploration, a time to get to know your partner more deeply, share a bonding experience, and develop a mutual vision of your life together.
Whether your relationship is in crisis or you just have some things to work through that could be easier between you, we are here. Reach out to schedule.
Self-Esteem
One of the most profound determinants of how we experience our lives is how we feel about ourselves. We live with ourselves day in and day out—and the story about ourselves and our lives that we create as we go. You are not alone if you have low self-esteem (it is one of the most common underlying issues we see), but it doesn’t have to be that way. Through the lens of self-loathing, everything is bleak—not even successes, love and closeness with others can be fully enjoyed. Shame prevents full connection and the ability to be open and free. Loving yourself and developing self-esteem provides resilience when you make mistakes or get hurt in relationships. Your negative view of yourself is not your fault. It means you didn’t get what you needed to feel valued somewhere along the way.
It is so important to value one's own gifts and abilities, to have what many call self-esteem. We help you move beyond self-esteem, however, to self-compassion, which is even more powerful because it is not based on a judgment or evaluation. It is simply an attitude of kindness and care--the kind of loving response we would give to a friend. Some believe they need to be hard on themselves in order to find the drive they need, but self-criticism has actually been proven to drain motivation. Conversely, self-compassion may be the single most powerful tool towards healing and development and is a cornerstone of the work we do.
Please reach out so we can join you on a rescue mission for your true self. You can have a loving and nurturing relationship with yourself and let go of the burden of shame and self-hatred. Reach out to schedule.
Trauma
Many of our therapists are experts in working with trauma and PTSD, having spent years of in-depth study in this arena. What we have learned is that most everyone has experienced some degree of trauma in their lives. While trauma or PTSD can be triggered by incredibly frightening events such as relational abuse or a near-death experience, it can also result from more chronic forms of stress, such as emotional neglect, shame, bullying, etc. Some telltale signs of trauma or PTSD are either too much arousal (as in anxiety, vigilance or constantly rushing) or too little arousal (as in depression, numbness, or lethargy). In addressing one’s trauma, it is helpful to work with someone who understands how to navigate the emotions and memories that come up, helping you to feel safe and empowered within the process. Somatic forms of trauma therapy can be helpful in bringing back both the sense of calm and the sense of vitality that trauma takes away.
Resolving trauma or PTSD is a powerful way to transform one’s life. If you have unresolved experiences from any stage of your life, reach out. Reach out to schedule.
Young Adults
Young adulthood is such an exciting time of transformation and important decisions that shape ones future. It is a beautiful opportunity to direct one’s life path from a place of self-knowledge, support, and empowerment. Young adulthood is a chance to resolve childhood patterns and traumas--thereby opening the door to one’s true strengths, passions, and purpose.
Working with young adults is a special area of focus for many of our practitioners. We believe that developing and clarifying one’s personal identity is a huge task for this age group and unfolds more successfully with support. We therefore work to develop accepting and open relationships with our clients so that their true selves can emerge within the context of care and connection. We also enjoy teaching young adults how to find emotional balance using techniques such as mindfulness and self-compassion.
If you would like to start on this journey, we would love to hear from you. Reach out to schedule.
Anxiety
Anxiety is the most common mental illness. It is also incredibly treatable. Often anxiety emerges when other feelings are not being addressed. It is hard to feel settled inside when we haven’t “listened” to our emotions and moved through them successfully. In this case it acts as a blanket that covers up the difficult, seemingly frightening, emotions under the surface. All of our therapists are trained using techniques such as mindfulness to help you approach emotion in a grounded, centered manner, thereby not only reducing symptoms, but also finding greater strength, passion, and joy.
If you are struggling with anxiety, whether it’s a chronic tension or butterflies inside, social anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, phobias, or stress, we’d love to help. Reach out to schedule.
Depression
Most people with depression, even severe depression, can get better with treatment. Depression is first and foremost a disorder of vitality. Very often depression emerges when a person’s mind does not know how to process scary emotions, such as anger, and therefore simply shuts down instead. We all need to learn to move through emotions in an empowered way, otherwise our brain will register emotion as threat and defend against it at all costs. Tragically, this cost can be our very sense of aliveness, joy, and meaning.
Let us help you come alive again and leave depression behind you. Reach out to schedule.
Group
Group psychotherapy is a very powerful way to work on relational dynamics and patterns, and to understand who you are, and who you are in relationships. Our groups are mixed gender and all focus on exploring yourself and your relationships.
Many of our clinicians specialize in group and are in awe of the profound healing that occurs in this setting. Members receive important feedback from each other and have transformational interactions. Click here for more information on Group Therapy and to view our group meeting times.
Parenting
From the profound experience of pregnancy, birth, and the array of postpartum feelings, sometimes including the heart-wrenching experience of Postpartum Depression, to the exciting and wondrous years of parenting to follow, parenting is one of life’s greatest opportunities to grow. Out of love for our children and desire to give them our best, we are inspired to work on ourselves and look at our issues and hidden suffering to avoid passing those pains through the generations. Parenting brings up the places within us that need our attention and care by challenging us in ways nothing else can.
In addition to looking at our personal issues that affect parenting, sometimes we need advice and insight into how to handle the complex and incredibly important situations that arise with our children. Whether you want to help your children develop a loving sibling relationship with each other, or you have the pain and confusion of a school-age or teenage child who is floundering, or a dynamic in the family that is creating chaos or hurt, we would be glad to guide you through these sometimes overwhelming parenting moments and help you create the home life you want. Reach out to schedule.
Relationships
Healthy relationships lay the foundation for a happy, meaningful life. Sense of belonging through relationships and search for community or family are incredibly powerful driving forces. Let us build your confidence in navigating relationships, from communication and social skills to complex dynamics affecting how you are seen by others and how you understand them in return. So many of us have some type of relational struggle--from choosing the wrong person to date, to putting our own needs last, to having trouble accurately reading others. Relationships are complex and exciting. Whether you want to explore and deepen your tolerance for intimacy and emotional availability, or learn how to handle a difficult family member, we love working on your skill and ease in relationships.
For couples, we believe being a couples’ therapist involves specialized training. Most of our therapists have advanced specialty in couples work and have studied with national leaders in the latest, most-effective approaches. As a whole, our couples work tends to be very experiential, attachment-oriented, and rooted in an understanding of the brain and arousal states (such as trauma). Some of the old-school approaches, such as communication training, are less effective because they focus on the more verbal, rational parts of the brain. These parts of the brain, and all the skills we learned when we were calm and collected, go offline when we are very emotional or upset in relationships—in moments where one or both partner is either too aroused (highly emotional) or not aroused enough (emotionally frozen or shut-down).
There is wonderful research that healthy committed relationships can serve as a profound source of healing and growth. On the flip side, unhealthy relationships can do damage. It is important to be proactive when it comes to one’s partnership. Couples therapy does not need to be a last-ditch effort. It can be a space of exploration, a time to get to know your partner more deeply, share a bonding experience, and develop a mutual vision of your life together.
Whether your relationship is in crisis or you just have some things to work through that could be easier between you, we are here. Reach out to schedule.
Self-Esteem
One of the most profound determinants of how we experience our lives is how we feel about ourselves. We live with ourselves day in and day out—and the story about ourselves and our lives that we create as we go. You are not alone if you have low self-esteem (it is one of the most common underlying issues we see), but it doesn’t have to be that way. Through the lens of self-loathing, everything is bleak—not even successes, love and closeness with others can be fully enjoyed. Shame prevents full connection and the ability to be open and free. Loving yourself and developing self-esteem provides resilience when you make mistakes or get hurt in relationships. Your negative view of yourself is not your fault. It means you didn’t get what you needed to feel valued somewhere along the way.
It is so important to value one's own gifts and abilities, to have what many call self-esteem. We help you move beyond self-esteem, however, to self-compassion, which is even more powerful because it is not based on a judgment or evaluation. It is simply an attitude of kindness and care--the kind of loving response we would give to a friend. Some believe they need to be hard on themselves in order to find the drive they need, but self-criticism has actually been proven to drain motivation. Conversely, self-compassion may be the single most powerful tool towards healing and development and is a cornerstone of the work we do.
Please reach out so we can join you on a rescue mission for your true self. You can have a loving and nurturing relationship with yourself and let go of the burden of shame and self-hatred. Reach out to schedule.
Trauma
Many of our therapists are experts in working with trauma and PTSD, having spent years of in-depth study in this arena. What we have learned is that most everyone has experienced some degree of trauma in their lives. While trauma or PTSD can be triggered by incredibly frightening events such as relational abuse or a near-death experience, it can also result from more chronic forms of stress, such as emotional neglect, shame, bullying, etc. Some telltale signs of trauma or PTSD are either too much arousal (as in anxiety, vigilance or constantly rushing) or too little arousal (as in depression, numbness, or lethargy). In addressing one’s trauma, it is helpful to work with someone who understands how to navigate the emotions and memories that come up, helping you to feel safe and empowered within the process. Somatic forms of trauma therapy can be helpful in bringing back both the sense of calm and the sense of vitality that trauma takes away.
Resolving trauma or PTSD is a powerful way to transform one’s life. If you have unresolved experiences from any stage of your life, reach out. Reach out to schedule.
Young Adults
Young adulthood is such an exciting time of transformation and important decisions that shape ones future. It is a beautiful opportunity to direct one’s life path from a place of self-knowledge, support, and empowerment. Young adulthood is a chance to resolve childhood patterns and traumas--thereby opening the door to one’s true strengths, passions, and purpose.
Working with young adults is a special area of focus for many of our practitioners. We believe that developing and clarifying one’s personal identity is a huge task for this age group and unfolds more successfully with support. We therefore work to develop accepting and open relationships with our clients so that their true selves can emerge within the context of care and connection. We also enjoy teaching young adults how to find emotional balance using techniques such as mindfulness and self-compassion.
If you would like to start on this journey, we would love to hear from you. Reach out to schedule.