about me

My name is Liz. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Austin, TX. I specialize in treating PTSD, complex trauma, and attachment issues. My passion is helping others to feel more embodied and empowered in their lives and more connected in their relationships. Rather than trying to “fix” or change you, I want to help you connect with your own intuition and trust your inner wisdom to guide you. My work is deeply rooted in compassion and mindfulness, and my approach to therapy is based in interpersonal neurobiology, psychodynamic therapy, and contemplative psychotherapy. I am LGBT+ affirming, sex positive, body positive, and comfortable with topics like non-monogamy and kink.

I’m originally from Baton Rouge, LA. I received a Bachelor of Science in psychology and Master of Education in clinical mental health counseling at Louisiana State University. I have experience working in residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment centers, outpatient psychiatric hospitals, and community mental health clinics. I am dedicated to continual training in group and individual therapy. When I am not with clients, I enjoy being in nature, music, dancing, yoga, and rock climbing.

Specialties

  • Complex trauma

  • PTSD

  • Abandonment fears and experiences

  • Therapy for therapists

  • Loneliness and isolation

  • Difficulty regulating emotions

  • Childhood abuse & neglect

  • Interpersonal difficulties

training

  1. Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute “Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy Level One Certificate”

  2. Austin Group Psychotherapy Society, Annual Conference 2022 “From Sensation to Relation - Applications of Somatic Experiencing in Group Psychotherapy” with Carlos Canales, Psy.D., CGP, FAGPA, SEP

  3. Contemplative Based Trauma and Resiliency Training. July 2022. International Center for Mental Health and Human Rights with Gaea Logan, LPC-S

  4. Contemporary Psychoanalysis Study Group September 2021 - present with Gaea Logan, LPC-S

  5. Four Corners Group Psychotherapy Society Group Series May 2021 “Whose Feeling is it Anyway? Working with Induced Feelings Through a Modern Analytic Frame” with Jim O'Hern, LCSW, CGP

  6. Austin Group Psychotherapy Society March 2021 “Body Liberation: Queering Group Therapy + Healing through BDSM” with Ani Mirasol, LCSW

  7. Austin In Connection September 2020 “An Introduction to Understanding the Impact of Racism on Well-Being and Addressing Cultural Bias” with Rakima Dolliole Parsons, LPC, RPT, NCC

  8.  Telehealth for Mental Health Professionals: 2-Day Distance Therapy Training with Joni M. Gilbertson, MA, NCC, LCPC, BC-TMH

  9. Austin Group Psychotherapy Society Winter Workshop Panel 2020 “Women Group Leaders and Aggression: Our Stories, Our Challenges, and Our Growth (A Workshop for Everyone on the Gender Continuum and for Anyone Interested in Ethical Considerations)”

  10. Promises Behavioral Health – “The Brain in the Palm of your Hand” by Daniel Siegel, presented by Rachel Garner, LCSW

  11. Austin Group Psychotherapy Society, Annual Conference 2019 "The Integrated Group Leader: Mindful Leadership Using Internal Family Systems and Modern Group Therapy" with Yoon I. Kane, LCSW, CGP

  12. Recovery Unplugged 8 CEU online training “Assessment in Substance Use Disorders”

  13. Recovery Unplugged 4 CEU online training “Crisis Intervention”

  14. Recovery Unplugged 4 CEU online training “HIV and Substance Use Disorders”

  15. Recovery Unplugged 8 CEU online training “Motivational Interviewing”

  16. Recovery Unplugged 9 CEU online training “Abuse and Neglect”

  17. Promises Behavioral Health training “ATA Blocking” (working with resistances in clients who want to leave treatment against therapist advice) with Rachel Garner, LCSW

  18. Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, Spring Institute 2019 “The Fury of Scapegoating: Finding Connection in the Face of Difference” with Cindy Aron, LCSW, CGP, FAGPA

  19. Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, Winter Workshop 2019 “Desires to Lead: Perils and Passions” with Karen Travis, LCSW-BACS, CGP, BCD, FAGPA

  20. Austin Group Psychotherapy Society, Annual Conference 2018 “Cultivating the Internal Secure Base in Group Psychotherapy” (Mentalization Based Therapy - Peter Fonagy) with Aaron Black, PhD, CGP

  21. Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, Fall Institute 2018 “Effective Group Work and Addictive Disorders: Undoing the Myth” with Rudy Troyer, LCSW & David "Fritz" Vogt, LCSW

  22. Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, Winter Institute 2018 “Effective Psychotherapy: The Psychotherapeutic Mentality ™, Part I: Basic Assumptions, The Prime Movers & A Look at Dream Interpretation” with Christopher D. Garner, PsyD, CGP, MSCP

  23. Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, Fall Institute 2017 “What's All the "Brouhaha" About Functional Subgrouping? What it is, what it isn't and how we use it to resolve conflict” with Dayne Narretta, LCSW, CGP, BCD

  24. Presented at Louisiana Counseling Association Conference 2017 “Diagnostic Pathways: Guidelines for Accurate Diagnosis” with Gary Gintner, Ph.D., LPC-S, NCC

  25. Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, Spring Institute 2017 "Emotional Availability in Group: Expanding the Capacity for Intimacy in Group Members and Leaders" with Jeffrey S. Hudson, M.Ed., LPC, CGP, FAGPA