The best way to find out is through a free consultation. That said, if you're a highly sensitive, high-achieving queer person who is exhausted, overwhelmed, and ready to do real work rather than just talk about doing it, there's a good chance we'll be a strong fit. Many clients in Austin and across Texas and Vermont who find their way to counseling with me describe feeling like they've spent years explaining themselves before they could even start. That's something I work hard to make unnecessary from the very first conversation.

A free consultation is a relaxed, no-pressure conversation, usually around fifteen to twenty minutes, where you can share a little about what's bringing you in and ask any questions you have about the process or my approach. It's also a chance for both of us to get a sense of whether working together feels like a good fit.

A highly sensitive person, or HSP, processes sensory and emotional information more deeply than most people. This can look like being easily overstimulated by noise, light, or busy environments; feeling other people's emotions intensely; needing more time to decompress after social situations; and being affected by things that others seem to brush off easily. It's a trait, not a diagnosis, and it's not a flaw. It's estimated that around 15 to 20 percent of the population shares it. If reading the opening of this page felt uncomfortably familiar, that's worth paying attention to.

Yes, and more than that: I'm a queer, nonbinary, sapphic therapist and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community myself. The queer experience isn't a footnote in our work together; it's woven into the conversation from the start. That includes the specific exhaustion of navigating spaces that aren't fully safe, the grief of conditional belonging, the complexity of being out in some areas of life but not others, and the way identity intersects with burnout and high achievement. You won't need to educate me before we can start talking about what actually matters.

Integrative therapy means I draw from multiple therapeutic approaches rather than applying one method to everyone. In practice, our work together might include exploring nervous system patterns and how to regulate them, identifying and reconnecting with your core values, building mindfulness skills that help you stay grounded while you make changes, and examining the beliefs and patterns that have kept you stuck. The specific mix depends on you, your history, and what you're working toward.

That's a fair and honest question. Therapy doesn't work the same way with every therapist, and a mismatch in approach or understanding can make the process feel flat or even frustrating. If previous therapy didn't account for your sensitivity, your queer identity, or the specific intersection of those two things with burnout and high achievement, it may have been missing the context that makes the work actually land. That context is central to how I work, not something we get to eventually.

I also frequently work with clients who have already done therapy before. They come to me for a lot of different reasons: some felt like something was missing in their previous work, some wanted a fresh perspective, and some simply found themselves in a new season of life that called for something different. Whatever brought you here, we start from where you actually are.

There's no honest universal answer to this because it depends on what you're working through, how ready you are to engage with it, and what your goals are. Many clients begin to notice meaningful shifts within the first few months. Deeper pattern work often takes longer. What I can tell you is that we'll talk openly about your progress and your goals throughout our work together, so you're not showing up indefinitely without a sense of direction.

All sessions are held via telehealth, which means we meet virtually no matter where you are in Texas or Vermont. For many clients, especially highly sensitive people who spend their days navigating overstimulating environments, being able to show up to a therapy session from the comfort and safety of their own space isn't just a convenience. It's actually part of what makes the work possible. You don't have to commute, sit in a waiting room, or gear yourself up to be in yet another unfamiliar environment. You can be on your couch, in your favorite chair, with your pet next to you, in a space where you already feel safe. That kind of ease matters, and for a lot of clients it lowers the barrier to showing up openly in a way that in-person sessions sometimes don't.

Telehealth also tends to be a natural fit for high achievers with full schedules. No travel time, no parking, no logistical friction. Just a dedicated hour that belongs entirely to you. If you're wondering whether telehealth can feel as connected and real as sitting in the same room as someone, that's a fair question. Many clients are surprised by how present and relational the work feels even through a screen. Connection doesn't require proximity. It requires the right conditions, and creating those conditions is something I take seriously regardless of format.

The fact that you're reading this suggests you're closer to ready than you might think. Readiness rarely feels like certainty; it usually feels more like exhaustion with the alternative. You don't have to have everything figured out before you reach out. A free consultation is just a conversation, and it doesn't commit you to anything. Many people find that the conversation itself helps clarify whether they're ready to take the next step.

My practice is private pay, which means I don't bill insurance directly. Private pay means your care is guided by what you actually need, not by what a third party is willing to cover.

That said, if you have out-of-network mental health benefits through your insurance plan, you may be able to receive partial reimbursement for our sessions. I can provide a superbill, which is an itemized receipt with the clinical information your insurance company needs, that you can submit directly to your provider. Whether and how much they reimburse depends on your specific plan and benefits, and a clinical diagnosis will need to be part of our work together for that process to apply. It's worth a call to your insurance provider to ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits if cost is a significant factor in your decision.

Therapy is an investment, not just financially, but in yourself, in your future, and in the version of your life you're working toward. The investment in private pay therapy is real, and I don't take it lightly. I hold that reality with care. For clients who are able to make it work, the freedom it creates in the therapeutic relationship is something many of them describe as one of the most valuable parts of the process. You are worth investing in.

This is one of the most common concerns people bring into a first session, especially people who are used to being the fixer, doer, and helper rather than the one being helped. You don't have to arrive ready to pour everything out. The work builds gradually, and the relationship we develop over time is what makes deeper vulnerability feel possible. Many clients who described themselves as closed off or guarded early on find that the right environment changes what feels possible. That's not magic; it's what a good therapeutic relationship is built to do, and it is a part of the process.

Absolutely. You don't have to be falling apart to deserve support. Many clients in Austin and across Texas and Vermont who seek counseling are high-functioning on the outside while running on empty on the inside. If something feels off, if you've noticed you're not navigating things to the best of your ability, if you're exhausted, disconnected, or just tired of living the way you've been living, that is reason enough to reach out.