As far as picking a therapist goes... You can't go wrong with Stewart Gallas. If you are struggling…read moreto change things within your life, he can help. I sincerely believe I would not be alive today, if it wasn't for him. I've struggled with extreme anxiety and depression my entire life. I thought I was doomed to a life of sadness. He was truly the first person who believed in my future... causing me to believe in it as well. He challenges me every single time we talk. Sometimes, I dig myself deep into the ground with feelings of uselessness... And without fail, he's always there with a ladder, showing me the way out. He isn't your typical pen and pad therapist. He gives you his undivided attention. He's solution-focused. He also happens to be hilarious-- which provides a sense of comfort and relief when things feel too heavy. He is extremely empathic, always going through the hard stuff with you, rather than just standing by on the sidelines. Seriously, this therapist rocks. If you are truly motivated to work on yourself, look no further than Stewart.

Most toxic therapist I have EVER encountered. BE CAREFUL. I was in marriage counseling.......and…read morelater learned that once your therapist is counsrling a couple you do not see the individuals separately; there were other questionable practices....."name calling" which I was later apologized to; I could go on but there is too much chronic PTSD to keep going. It has been 20 + years and additional therapists to keep on going. Just be careful and BE SAFE.

Alex is a skilled therapist who specializes in working with couples and discernment therapy. She…read morehas an upbeat, focused energy and has been wonderful to work with!

Alex is such a wonderful blend of bubbly, warm, down to earth, funny, and very insightful. She…read moremakes it easy to feel comfortable and connect as soon as you meet her, which is so important when searching for a therapist. As a colleague, I feel very confident referring couples and individuals to her because of how kind, smart, and effective a therapist she is.

My first review of Julie D. Lee, LCSW was posted 1/9/19 so it's time for an update…read more I originally found my way to Julie a few years after severe and permanent injuries caused me to lose my health and career, which put enormous strains on my personal relationships. I wasn't sure I would survive at all, much less figure out how to make sense of the predicament. Prior to the catastrophe I defined my worth as a human being, my actual right to live and breathe, through work and the ability to provide for my family. That's generally a good thing, right? Workaholism is complicated. That issue alone can cause serious problems if it gets away from you. In my case, it blew up in my face when I became bedridden and unable to perform even the most basic functions, dressing and feeding myself, bathing... It took many years of excruciating effort, surgical interventions, daily physical therapy, pain management, etc., to regain a life worth living. Part of that process was accepting the fact that my injuries were permanent and I would never be the person I was before. As it turned out, I also lost a parts of me that had been causing harm to my loved ones for decades... workaholism and all the nasty little traits that were hammered into my personality in childhood. Long story short, I was raised in an extremely violent home by whackadoo parents. In the small West Texas farming community in which I was raised during the 60's and 70's, it was perfectly normal for adults in schools, churches, etc., to ignore obvious signs of child abuse. The overlapping bruises and open wounds on my back, arms, legs, and torso rarely had time to heal before more were added. My brothers and I were manipulated into fighting one another like cats and dogs and to wage emotional warfare. It seemed there was no escape from the cycle of epic violence. I followed a stereotypical path through the criminal justice system in my teens, left home at 15 years old, and became a business owner just before my 20th birthday. I became a lifelong business owner and high producer...never looked back and thought I "had it all figured out." News flash: I did not have it all figured out. I would not be alive today if I hadn't reached out for help -- not just from surgeons and such, but also those wonderful people in the behavioral health specialties -- psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Each played a roll in the seemingly impossible task of essentially un-hammering my mind and guiding me back to a life worth living. This is where Julie comes into the picture. My wife and I rely on her for couples counseling and we are both happier for it. Julie does an outstanding job untangling communication issues and helping us see and understand underlying issues that cause stress and confusion. My wife and I also rely on individual counseling with Julie to focus on issues more specific to our own life experiences and to better understand really...everything. I still don't "have it all figured out." But I do know this: Before the injuries that broke my body down and left me a basket case, the things that I thought were most important in life, and the tools I used work my way through it, were partly correct but also intolerably self defeating. And worse, I was inadvertently hurtful to those I cared about the most. Those are tough lessons for an old billy goat like me. But I am a better person for it and I can very clearly see how much happier my life is now. So thank you Julie Lee. Thank you for going above and beyond.

I don't think I can say enough great things about Julie - besides being a wonderful therapist and…read moreperson, she genuinely cares and is extremely insightful! This shows in how well she listens and interacts, is able to pinpoint the issue(s), and also with just how easy she is to connect with. She has a way of putting a person at ease while getting to the root of things and working together for a solution. She has done so much for me personally, and I am truly grateful for her! If you are looking for an amazing therapist, you should look no further!

Excellent collection of mental health professionals. Depression, social anxiety, spousal abuse,…read moreobsessive procrastination, anorexia, grief, et al. They provide tools to help clients grapple with all of these issues. If I could offer more than five stars, I would attach as many as possible to this review. Outside of their counseling expertise, they have great administrative staff. Many payment options available. I needed receipts to submit last minute before my FSA money was deleted. They mailed them the day I called and I got them the very next day!!! No charge to me for the postage, which was greatly appreciated. Seriously. A lot of other offices would have been like, "You can drive over and pick them up at our front desk."

This is just regarding Diana Schaefer. The facility has been beyond kind and helpful, and I hope to…read morefind a therapist here that fits my needs. -- Years and years ago, a therapist told me I was a whore for kissing a boy on the first date. I thought that would forever be my worst story of therapy gone wrong, of a therapist superimposing their own beliefs and issues on me. Diana hit a new record. She "fired" me as a client and pulled wildly unethical moves before doing so. I wholly believe that there is a time to part ways when therapy isn't serving the client or when a client is rejecting help from the therapist to everyone's detriment. Therapists have just as much of a right to end the relationship as clients do. The reason I'm writing this has nothing to do with the farewell and everything to do with how it was handled. I have an eating disorder. I made it clear from the start that I didn't care that she didn't specialize in them. I'd had enough therapy around eating disorders and wanted to take a new approach. I also told her in our first session that if she thought it wasn't a fit to have open communication because I would be doing so. I've played the "suffer through a relationship that isn't working" game too much at this point in therapy. We had weekly sessions for months. I thought many of them were helping. But then I told her how many calories I consumed during the week. That was undeniably the point where she flipped. We talked for a month or so more. She started talking to my dietician more. That seemed logical to me. And then she started telling my therapist I needed to go to treatment. Asking her why she hadn't suggested it or wasn't pushing it on me. (She has.) I am in no way a high risk anorexic. Perhaps treatment wouldn't hurt but my life right now prioritizes above something that isn't necessary. She pressured me and I said no, several times. And then the day came where she let me tell her about my life before interrupting and starting the conversation of removal of services provided. Like I mentioned, that alone wasn't the issue. What WAS the issue was that she had also called my dietician and tried to pressure her into leaving me. To the point of my dietician's discomfort and recognition that abandonment on that level would be detrimental and more harmful that good. (How Diana didn't see that, I don't know.) She gave me an ULTIMATUM of treatment or no therapy. She told me I COULD NOT go to therapy ANYWHERE until I dealt with my eating disorder. (And no, this wasn't just in reference to being cognitively unable to proceed with EMDR.) She wouldn't give me referrals. She made fun of the shirt I was wearing that day that said, "Mental health is health," because I wouldn't go to treatment. I was in utter shock during that last session so I didn't really have responses beyond saying no to treatment and that I understood where she was coming from. But none of those things are okay and I should have said that to her then. I regret that. Fuck that. I deserve therapy. Everyone does. She clearly spooked when eating disorder stuff came up, was not educated on it, and chose to bully and threaten me instead of just saying, "I'm not qualified in this topic and don't feel comfortable proceeding." Period. Period. Period. If you don't fit in her little box of qualifications, stay away. And if you pick up any of her own anxieties, leave. It's not worth wasting your time.

I've known Jordana since college and have always found her to be a bright, charming person full of…read moreempathy, kindness and blessed with a wonderful sense of humor. It would be a wise person who would come to her for help.

Jordana Raiskin is an excellent psychotherapist. She has several attributes that make her both a…read morevery effective therapist and a pleasure to work with. She is smart which makes her quick to get to the point where you feel she "gets" you. She has a good sense of humor that makes her easy to work with and has the sometimes missing quality in therapists, the ability to laugh at herself. Lastly, she really cares and understands current therapeutic trends that really makes you feel like you have an ally who is trying to help. I think she's currently on a working sabbatical so even if she's not in Austin, she's worth giving a call or sending her an email.

I've been working with Dr Habib for almost 13 years. She has helped me through day-to-day struggles…read moreand some of the most traumatic moments in my life: anxiety, depression, family abandonment, marriage, divorce, dating, all of it. Over the years, she has offered up things like book recommendations, trying out new modalities (like yoga) to help ease symptoms, and suggestions of ways to resolve situations when the time is right. But these aren't something she demands but are treated as options to take whenever it becomes something I decide that I want. Her office is comfy and cozy. Two big chairs, one couch, and a couple different knitted blankets. It's a space that feels homey, warm, and safe. She's fantastic, worth every single penny I've ever paid, and I wouldn't trade the years I've had with her. The amount of progress I've experienced going through psychotherapy with Dr Habib as my guide is incalculable. If you're unsure of whether to give her or her style of therapy a chance, don't hesitate- just go!

I have been seeing her for 10 years. I have several serious mental conditions. She is supportive…read morewithout without being pushy, offers different perspectives, and makes focus recommendations but works with you based on your needs. She has been flexible during times when something urgent comes up and works with my psychiatrist when needed.

I'm a huge advocate of seeking professional counseling during rough times; I looked up Bob…read moreHarverstick, a psychologist, after being dissatisfied with the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) my ex and I had seen during separation & divorce counseling. I'm sure there are great LCSWs, but their qualifications vary, and if I'm going to bring up my fazzah and muzzah, I'd rather do it with a psychologist. Bob is, of course, a good listener. You'll not only get a lot out of talking through your thoughts and feelings aloud (things feel very different that way than when "said" in your head), but you'll get his voice of experience. I didn't find Bob heavy-handed; I'd do most of the talking, but his feedback as I went was valuable. Therapy isn't magic, but your internal monologue hasn't heard it all (and worse) 1,000 times: he has. I really believe you're better off figuring out whatever it is with an outside, neutral professional's perspective in the mix. Last I spoke with Bob (in process of finding a therapist for a friend), he clued me in to why I couldn't find any therapists who took United (United Behavioral Health): apparently, of all payers, they pay least. I'm back to United in my current job, but if I had cause, I'd still call Bob first and see if I could make a larger out-of-pocket payment to resume with him. He'd offered a sliding scale for those who have to pay the whole thing out-of-pocket, so I know he can be worked with. I didn't take him up on it, but he also does group sessions. I have to think it's not a bad thing to have a therapist on your team, much as you have an attorney, a priest, a urologist, and a financial planner: things are going to happen. If Bob's not for you, I'm sure he'll refer you to someone who is.

Dr. Harverstick has helped my husband and me with challenges in our marriage, and he's helped me…read moreenormously with grief and losses. He is a very good listener. And he has amazing recall of things I've told him in prior sessions. I did most of the talking and he made comments and asked questions. His questions pushed me to consider issues that I had not perceived, ultimately leading me to profound shifts. My life is qualitatively better because of the work I have done with Dr. Harverstick. If you are willing to put in the work to gain greater understanding, I think there is no better therapist than Dr. H.

A con - family therapist who, in my experience, who demonstrates a lack of professional standards…read moreand uses the court process in ways that escalate conflict rather than resolve it. Her approach seems to undermine any opportunity for reconciliation and negatively impact both parents and children. Recommendations often feel misaligned with resolution-focused care, with an apparent emphasis on sustaining ongoing engagement & fees rather than achieving constructive outcomes.

I have been working with Lisa Rothfus for 2 years. Lisa creates a safe "no judgment" space where…read moresharing thoughts and feelings is comfortable. She listens compassionately and provides insightful advice to help us navigate our family relationships. She provides an empathetic ear for processing trauma. And she encourages the development of the emotional intelligence skills we need to rebuild a healthy family. She has been an important piece of my family's journey toward healing. If you want to talk to someone who really listens and cares, then Lisa is the right therapist for you!