Why We’re the Best Therapists in Austin

Just Mind Counseling is a clinician-owned, award-recognized boutique therapy practice in Austin (North + South + telehealth). Since 2007, we’ve helped adults, teens, children, couples, and families with anxiety, trauma, relationships, ADHD, depression, and more—matching each client with a therapist whose approach and specialty fit their needs.
 
Our Austin therapists bring deep experience—many with 10–30 years in practice—plus advanced training (including CBT, EMDR, Gottman Method, EFT, and Interpersonal Neurobiology), along with ongoing clinical education with visiting experts and group supervision. We’re proud to have been named a Finalist for Best Counseling Practice in Austin by Austin Fit Magazine.
 
Not sure who to choose? Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll recommend the best-fit therapist. Or browse our Austin counselors and psychologists below to find the right match.

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Abi Tesfaye, LPC Associate
Abi Tesfaye, LPC Associate
Supervised by Dr. Maria Haiyasoso, PhD, LPC-S, RPT, NCC
Alan Nelson, LPC, SEP
Alan Nelson, LPC
Alisar Eido, LCSW
Alisar Eido, LCSW
Alyssa Van Lopik, LCSW
Alyssa Van Lopik, LCSW
Paige-090
Anastasia Rymer, MSSW Intern
Supervised by Laura Banks, LCSW-S
Andrea Chavez, LMFT Associate
Andrea Chavez, LMFT Associate
Supervised by Brittany Whallen, LMFT-S
Andrea Oberhauser, LPC Associate
Andrea Oberhauser, LPC Associate
Supervised by Kimberley Mead, LPC-S
Ariana Freshour, LPC
Ariana Freshour, LPC
Bella Lyon, LMFT Associate
Bella Lyon, LMFT Associate
Supervised by Emily Stone, LMFT-S
Bill Campbell, LPC
Bill Campbell, LPC
Brett Brightwell, LMFT
Brett Brightwell, LMFT
Caitlin Senger, LPC Associate
Caitlin Senger, LPC
Celina-6-700x700-1
Celina McDonald, LPC
Courtney Garcia Puckett, LPC Associate
Courtney Garcia Puckett, LPC
Courtney Lougheed, LPC Associate
Courtney Lougheed, LPC
David Jenkins, LCSW
David Jenkins, LCSW
Denise Jorgensen, LPC
Denise Jorgensen, LPC
Diana Schaefer, LCSW
Diana Schaefer, LCSW-S
Dorian Rinehart, LCSW
Dorian Rinehart, LCSW
Eva Escobedo, LPC-S
Eva Escobedo, LPC-S
Evan Sadler, LCSW
Evan Sadler, LCSW
Gabi Ghag, LPC-Associate
Gabi Ghag, LPC-Associate
Supervised by Kimberley Mead, LPC-S
Helen-129
Helen Evans, LCSW, NBC-HWC
Julie Osofsky, LPC
Julie Osofsky, LPC
Kari Somera, LPC
Kari Somera, LPC
Kay Suttle-Field, LPC
Kay Suttle-Field, LPC
Keith Cantrell, LPC Associate
Keith Cantrell, LPC
Kellie Caroselli, LPC
Kellie Caroselli, LPC
Kim Fredrick, LPC
Kim Fredrick, LPC
Kris Downing, LCSW, SEP
Kris Downing, LCSW-S, SEP
Kyoko Kamishima
Kyoko Kamishima, LCSW
Laura Banks, LCSW
Laura Banks, LCSW-S
Laura Gomez-Horton
Laura Gómez-Horton LCSW-S
Leila Levinson, LMSW
Leila Levinson, LCSW
Lindsay Schneeberger, LPC Associate
Lindsay Schneeberger, LPC
Loren Lomme, LPC, RPT
Loren Lomme, LPC, RPT
Lyn Pierce, LPC
Lyn Pierce, LPC
Madison-045
Madison Cyr Flueckiger, MSSW Intern
Supervised by Alyssa Van Lopik, LCSW
Malka Fenig, LPC, NCC
Malka Fenig, LPC, NCC
Marie-Michele Atkinson, LMFT
Marie-Michele Atkinson, LMFT
Matt Murphy, LMFT
Matt Murphy, LMFT Associate
Supervised by Daniel Brake, LMFT-S
Melody Clark, LMSW
Melody Clark, LMSW
Michael Paz, PhD, LPC
Michael Paz, PhD, LPC
Mike-2-700x700-1
Mike Rosenthal, LMSW
Nancy Puga, LPC-Associate
Nancy Puga, LPC-Associate
Supervised by Emily Slaughter, LPC-S
Patty Monical, LMFT, LPC-S
Patty Monical, PhD, LMFT, LPC-S
Priyanka Nadkarni, LCSW
Priyanka LoSasso, LCSW
Ron Grace, PsyD
Ron Grace, Psyd
Sapana Donde, PhD
Sapana Donde, Phd
Scott Allen, PsyD
Scott Allen, PSYD
Teri Schroeder, LCSW
Teri Schroeder, LCSW
Tina Karagulian, LCSW
Tina Karagulian, LCSW
William Schroeder, LPC, NCC
William Schroeder, LPC, NCC

Just Mind Counseling in the News

Counseling FAQs

Occupations & Qualifications

LPC’s go to school and their education focuses exclusively on how to be a therapist in private practice. Programs vary in terms of their focus but CACREP, a board overseeing a number of counseling programs certification programs, mandates a certain amount of hours, class focus, experience, and audits the programs for quality. Typically it takes counselors 2-3 years to get through their masters level classes and another 2-4 years to finish their clinical hours under strict supervision (can be as quick as 1.5 years in Texas) to get fully licensed. Counselors have a wide range of specializations, can become teachers with a PhD, and can also perform testing and research like psychologists. That said, most often they work in private practice and sometimes they are in hospitals, agencies, and schools.

Psychologists go to school for 5-6 years, graduate with a PhD, have one year of post doctoral work they must complete, and have clinical rotations while in their schooling. Regulation varies by state but typically after a year under a supervisor, they are fully licensed. Psychologists can work in roles similar to counselors in schools, doing testing, teaching, research, or doing therapy. In psychology programs, they require students to pick a track that is either clinical (client focused) or research focused. Many psychologists focus on research instead of having a clinical focus.

We should also note that some LPC’s pursue a PhD which is another 2-3 years of school.

Social work programs tend to be 2-3 years in length and allow students to focus on agency work and case management, policy work, and clinical work. They spend several years underneath the supervision before they become fully licensed. Social workers are commonly found in agencies, schools, hospitals, and after they have some clinical experience they often migrate to private practice. 

MFT’s have similar schooling to LPC’s but they focus on marriage and family therapy. Their programs are a similar length to LPC programs but they have a focus on their specialization. MFT’s tend to take 2-3 years after completing school to become fully licensed.

These are the people who provide medications and go to medical school. The overall time investment is easily 7+ years or more to be fully licensed. They may also do therapy in their practice. Psychiatrists tend to be in the most demand due to their ability to prescribe and the fact they are so few in number. In Austin, we have fewer than 200 for a population of almost 2 million.

Common Counseling Questions

We have locations in North Austin off spicewood springs road and in South Austin off Bee Caves Road in Westlake. A majority of our sessions are done in person (65%).

We also offer online counseling for those who prefer the flexibility of telehealth or live in other cities in Texas (or other states if they work with our Psypact Psychologists).

We take a few select insurance which is kept updated on our rates and insurance page

For other insurers we are out of network and you might be able to get reimbursement for your sessions depending on your plan as either out of network (this can save you money) or as a single case agreement (this would be covered in your benefits). The first thing you should do is check with your insurance carrier. Check your coverage carefully and find the answers to the following questions:

  • Do I have an HMO or PPO (PPO should support out of network)
  • Can I get a single case agreement to get support to work with Just Mind Counseling?
  • What is my deductible and has it been met?
  • How much do you pay for an out-of-net provider?
  • Is there a limitation on how much you will pay per session?

*If you still have questions, contact us to talk with scheduling 512-843-7665 or our contact form.

If you aren’t sure what your goals are for therapy, your first task is to figure that out. It may take several sessions before a direction is clarified. During the course of therapy your goals may change. However, establishing a direction for therapy will help you get the most out of the experience.

During sessions you are expected to talk about the primary concerns and issues in your life. A session lasts 50 minutes, but some people request longer sessions. Usually weekly sessions are best. Some people who are in crisis or extreme distress need more than one session per week, at least until the crisis passes. During the time between sessions it is beneficial to think about and process what was discussed. At times, you may be asked to take certain actions outside of the therapy sessions, such as reading a relevant book or keeping records. For therapy to “work,” you must be an active participant, both in and outside of the therapy sessions.

A number of benefits are available from participating in psychotherapy. Often it is helpful just to know that someone understands. Therapy can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. Many people find therapy to be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, and the hassles of daily life. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:

  • Attaining a better understanding of yourself and your personal goals and values
  • Developing skills for improving your relationships
  • For those considering EMDR, research shows that EMDR therapy works—and often faster than other treatments. In studies, just six 50-minute sessions helped:
    • 100% of people with single-trauma PTSD
    • 77% of people with multiple traumas
  • Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
  • Find new ways to cope with stress and anxiety that are based in evidence based practices.
  • Managing anger, depression, and other emotional pressures
  • Improving communications skills – learn how to listen to others, and have others listen to you
  • Getting “unstuck” from unhealthy patterns – breaking old behaviors and develop new ones
  • Discovering new ways to solve problems
  • Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence

In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and a psychotherapist. Information is not disclosed without written permission. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions include:

Suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.

If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, further measures may be taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.

We have appointments available this week. 

Professional Questions

No, we can not prescribe medication but our referral partners do. Some of our referral partners might require you to be seeing a therapist at or practice or to be seeing a therapist in general.

No, we do not. We offer counseling for anger but that’s it. You will have to go elsewhere for court mandated anger management classes.

This really varies by the individual and the issue. Some people have issues that are more tricky and developed over time and these issues might take more time to work on. That said, if you are motivated, work on coping skills outside of session, and are focused on your goals you may have a very short time in therapy. Normally the shortest time tends to be around 2-6 months of weekly therapy. It really depends on the issue and the individual. If cost, time commitment, or just being uncertain is an issue, you should try Single Session Therapy.

This is a common question and we do not write emotional support animal letters at this time. The liability is just too great and we feel like the laws around them are going to change as TSA is already moving in this direction due to dog bites in airports. My suggestion to you would be as follows: 1) Go through training with your dog and get them their AKC Good Citizenship. This will help both of you to be comfortable in a variety of surroundings. 2) To prepare for this, I would suggest working with K9 Working Mind. Tara has been doing this for over 30 years and has an incredible team of trainers. Go through basic all the way to advanced (this helps you to pass the AKC test). It’s not very expensive and it’s an investment in you and your dog’s life together. After this is completed, you can find therapists that will be comfortable in writing ESA letters. If you do not wish to do this, you can look at online options but just be aware of the liability that you carry. Each city is different with dog bite rules and some have a one bite euthanasia rule with no regard for severity and you will also be held personally liable. We want to keep you and your pups happy and safe.

Therapists & Psychologists

There is very little difference between a psychologist and therapist in terms of how they perform clinical work. They both are mental health clinicians. Psychologists spend longer in school and often go on to do assessment, research, or teach and end up with a PhD instead of a masters. Therapists can also pursue a PhD but it’s less common.

Yes, a therapist can diagnose you.
No, only a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse, or general medical doctor can prescribe.