Psychoanalytic Therapists in Austin, TX

I am a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst experienced in working with older adolescents and adults suffering from depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship problems and struggles with family dynamics, mood disorders, substance abuse, college and life transition anxieties - and those helping family members with these problems. My style is warm, engaged and collaborative. While I draw on a range of therapeutic approaches, my orientation is primarily psychodynamic, which means I start with the assumption that the sources of distress can be complex and often outside our immediate awareness.

I am a career counselor and psychotherapist. My approach is to collaboratively explore your thoughts, beliefs and life experiences to help you gain greater self-knowledge and enable you to live a more satisfying life. Whether you are in the midst of a life struggle or not necessarily in crisis but looking to improve your general quality of life and well being, I believe our work together will empower you to cope with life difficulties in a productive way as you break negative patterns and have a deeper connection to yourself and others.

Emotional, psychological, and interpersonal/social growth is a continual process of self transformation and change. At points when one feels stuck or confused in that process, or when life just isn't working, it often helps to connect with a therapist. I provide a safe space where you can be, or recover/rediscover, your authentic self; deepen the emotional connection with yourself and others; clarify thoughts, beliefs, and values; consider new ways of being in the world and w/others; develop healthier adaptive strategies for relating to yourself and others; and work through past and/or present griefs and traumas.

You can begin living your life in a new and better way. Taking the first step can be the hardest part. At times, changing something about our situation can be helpful. Frequently, it is about greater self-acceptance. Emotions and behaviors can be influenced by factors outside of awareness. Therapy works best when it feels like a safe place to engage in a process of curious exploration.

As we move through life, we encounter difficulties and may find ourselves engaging in actions that do not align with our values. Whether you are struggling with a complicated relationship, emotions that seem unmanageable or low self-worth, therapy can be your pathway to peace. I invite you to create a strong, genuine relationship with me in which you feel safe exploring what may be keeping you “stuck”. Together, we can build a life of fulfillment for you. I am here to create a warm, nonjudgmental space for you to heal from your past, accept your present and enhance your future.

Having practiced for nearly 45 years, I consider it a pleasure and a privilege to see those who choose to work with me. I am a generalist who enjoys working with a wide range of people. My main areas of expertise include couples therapy, relationship issues, depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, coping with chronic illnesses, grief and loss, life transitions, and trauma.

I enjoy working with clients who want to understand and get to know themselves in a deeper way by exploring how their emotions and behaviors are connected with the way they interact and perceive the world, themselves and others. My main focus is working on building a strong therapeutic relationship so that we can create a safe space to feel, process and understand things as well as get a better understanding on the role the environment and relationships with others play in our lives.

If you feel like you are expected to “do it all” and carry more responsibilities than others in your life, and feel like you need a break, I may be able to help. Some people find that their personal relationships, either with friends, family, or co-workers, seem shallow, one-dimensional, or unequal. If you would like to improve your relationship with yourself and others, this may be something we can work on together. People may find themselves noticing that they keep engaging in relationships that wound them and wonder “is there something wrong with me?” We can answer that question together.

Freud is credited with stating that two things really matter in life: love and work. I help people find greater satisfaction with a) their relationships with themselves and others, and b) what they do to make meaning in their lives. I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship to help you maximize your spiritual, physical, and emotional potential. Operating from an orientation which draws primarily on a combination of contemporary psychoanalytic , attachment, and neurobiological perspectives, I am fully committed to walking with you on your journey toward greater satisfaction and fulfillment.

Lisa Thaler, LCSW moved to Austin in October, 2019 after maintaining a private practice in New York City for the past 28 years. She received her BA from Amherst College and her MSW from New York University. She completed her psychoanalytic training at The Women’s Therapy Centre Institute, which is specifically known for its attention to feminism, gender and social justice, as well as contemporary psychoanalytic thinking.

I work to create an alliance where curiosity and collaboration can emerge to explore your unique humanity. I work with people struggling with engaging meaningfully with their emotions, bodies, careers or relationships and have 20 years of clinical experience. I have worked in inpatient and outpatient settings in Houston and Pittsburgh, such as the Menninger Clinic. My specialties are dual diagnosis, trauma and personality disorders.

I am trained in EMDR and a Board Approved Supervisor for LMSW's. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety, regaining control over your life can seem over-whelming and impossible, but you are not alone, I can help. I see adults dealing with depression, anxiety, unresolved trauma, attachment issues, disruptive life transitions, have a history of sexual abuse and/or sexual assault, and unhappy childhood experiences. Together we can stabilize your mental well-being, increase your self-regulation and ability to cope, decrease unwanted behaviors, and help you reestablish a sense of safety in the world.

If you or you adolescent child are struggling with the effects of life changing stressful and traumatic events, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, the death of a loved one, the breakup of a long term marriage or a once loving relationship and are seeking help to make your way through the chaos---consider archetypal psychotherapy to make meaning from the way we engage these traumatic difficulties and learn skills for transforming your approach to life. I provide Jungian Psychotherapy services for couples, adults and adolescents suffering, Trauma, Anxiety, PTSD, depression, grief, anger and loss of meaning in life.

I believe in therapy. It helps us become unstuck, freeing us to move closer towards our goals and who we want to be. It allows us to begin healing from our past and transforms how we feel and act in our current relationships. It gives us support in times of crisis and stress, allowing us to become even more resilient in the future. And it frees us from habitual patterns that cause suffering in our lives.

Hi, I'm Sarah. Maybe you feel stuck right now. Maybe things feel hard and you're just not sure what to do. Maybe you've noticed unresolved feelings, or big feelings, coming back again and again. Maybe you feel stuck in a relationship, a season in your life, or your identity. Maybe it feels like things might always feel this way. Clients that I work with are curious about their experiences. Whether it's noticing past patterns, current feelings, or experimenting with doing something different, the clients that I see often want to understand more about themselves, to show up for themselves in ways they hope to be.

Within the counseling session, you can expect me to be a warm and direct presence. I offer a non-judgmental space to explore the messages we have received throughout our lives and explore how they shape who you are today. I work with clients as they explore the impact of the previous unhealthy relationship and learn to develop healthy relationships moving forward, navigate an adult relationship with a narcissistic parent who cannot accept boundaries, or support someone as they process a traumatic event to be able to focus on the present. I bring my training and experience to the session to support your goals.

My goal is to help others build fulfilling and happy lives, even through unanticipated challenges and concerns, over a lifetime of development. Listening with curiosity and a thoughtful lens, I hope to team with each person as we creatively approach and work through the issues at hand, inviting and amplifying native strengths and potentials. At times dynamic, at times simply being together with certain truths, incorporating when appropriate the healing potential of working outdoors ... walking, talking, navigating terrain and thoughts.

I believe that people come into counseling with their own solutions. My job is to create a unique therapy for each individual to help them uncover and build upon strengths they already possess. I seek to make the therapy room a safe & non-judgmental place for all emotional experiences, and a place to make peace with parts of ourselves that we fear & dislike. As clients build compassion for themselves, they find their compassion for others growing, and the strength to examine & change their lives for greater happiness & fulfillment.

Congratulations on taking a step towards healing! I have experience working with concerns around sex and sexuality (LGBTQIA+ welcomed), substance use/addiction, anxiety, depression, trauma, family of origin, support with work/life balance, medical professionals with vicarious trauma, isolation and loneliness, support with healthy attachment. The most important variable in successful therapy is the individual's feelings of trust and safety with the therapist. My first goal is to create a space where you feel comfortable to be yourself.