Great person to talk to. Melinda helped me through some tough times and is a great therapist…read more I am lucky we met.

As good as it gets. If you are fortunate enough to find Melinda and spend time working through…read morelife issues with her, you will be like so many others out there, including myself. You will praise her as a professional, as a life guide, and as someone who puts your needs first with the highest level of professionalism. I have known Melinda for over a decade and have trusted her advice to guide me through personal and professional challenges. At the end of the day, platforms like Yelp help individuals like myself get the word out there so others can benefit from the true gem that she is. You cannot go wrong with her. I would not be here writing this if I felt differently. She makes a difference, is real, and knows her profession well. You are in good company and safe if you have taken the time to engage Melinda and gotten to know her. Like another reviewer said "you almost forget you are in therapy" when you are with her. So very true. Just read these reviews. Anything but five stars is a disservice to what she has done for so many in our community. Thank You M

I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that I found Brenda and have been working with her for over a…read moreyear. I love her friendly/non-judgmental approach to therapy. She's relatable, attentive and gives non-bias advice and support. I always leave each session with "homework" and goals to aim for as well as podcasts and book recommendations. She is also flexible and easy to reach in a pinch! I don't know what I'd do without her.

I genuinely don't know what I would do without Brenda. I can say with complete honesty that she…read morehas changed my life. I came to see her initially because of a specific issue I was trying to work through and have continued to see her because she makes my life so much better. I feel lighter after I see her and more equipped to handle difficult situations. She is never judgmental and we have covered a range of life topics from career to marriage to family planning. She is so attentive and thoughtful with her advice and what I appreciate most is how focussed she is on gradual solutions to achieve your goal. It never feels like she is asking me infinite questions with no direction - it is a genuine conversation with real feedback and applicable advice. She is also available via text - which I appreciate - and can be flexible to get you in for an appointment at a convenient time. There is parking in front of her office and she has never once been even a minute late. Go see her!

Capital Area Counseling has been an excellent place to work with clients in Austin. The staff is…read morevery caring, helpful, and supportive.

Working as an intern at Capital Area Counseling has been an incredibly positive and fulfilling…read moreexperience, from the supportive environment to the opportunity to help new clients. I wholeheartedly recommend Capital Area Counseling to anyone seeking internship opportunities or affordable therapy options.

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.

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."

Paige Bartholomew and I started working together about two years ago. I needed a therapist who…read morecould accommodate and understand my unique life experiences and spiritual path. I reached out to Paige and we were an immediate fit. Paige intuitively balanced intellectual discussions about my shadows with heart centered practices and spiritual wisdom that was congruent with my spiritual path. I am so grateful to her for her guidance and support these past two years. If you are in the need of someone you can trust and talk with about making positive changes in your life, I cannot recommend a brighter soul.

Paige is hands down the best therapist that I have ever personally experienced. I have been…read moresearching for so long for a good fit. I have gone through so many people over the years and have felt so defeated and really worse than when I started. I was simply searching for someone authentic and kind and who genuinely cares and doesn't cut you off mid-sentence to say that time is up. Her incredibly unique approach to therapy is a BREATH OF FRESH AIR for the entire industry and should genuinely be the standard of care. She offers an entirely different experience, and the effects of her approach are almost immediate. I have never felt so listened to and heard. She genuinely wants to help me with what I am coming to her for, and I can feel it, and that alone is so tremendously healing. Her approach is an incredible blend of methodical, gentle, focused, and fluid based on your needs for that day. She marries the art and science of therapy in a way that works so quickly for my brain and heart. If you are seeking genuine support through life's complexities and are through with the typical experience that traditional therapy offers, have a consult with Paige and you will know right away what I mean. If you are struggling with big life decisions, need guidance and clarity, need to work through trauma, or need to work through something big or small, please do not wait one more second to book a consultation. You will not regret it. I will be with her all the way to the finish line...(If there is there a finish line for this work. ). I know that therapy can be kind of miserable. It's not with Paige. It's genuinely lovely. Even when you are working through something hard, she won't let you leave the call mid-misery. She will bring you somewhere better than when you came on.

I have been seeing therapists on and off half my life, and Dr. Peterson is the first one I have…read morefelt I made real progress with. She is incredibly intuitive and sensitive to her patients' needs. I always feel in control of the conversation, but after any epiphanies, I often look back and realize she had been subtly leading there, too. She doesn't talk about herself, but is very open if you are interested in asking her about her own experiences. She's very interesting, in that she loves her current profession and is always going to seminars and groups on mental health issues, but also has been a nurse and has an MBA (that I know of!). Somehow she can tell you these things without making you feel inferior. She was recommended to me by a counselor (a friend's relative who lived outside of town, which is why I didn't just go to her), so I know she's respected in the field, too. She has recommended another therapist (Richard Campbell) for some other of my friends, and they have all been similarly happy with the results. So, I don't know if she's taking new patients at the time that you are reading this, but she probably has a good recommendation if she's not.

I have been working with Ricci Elliott. As a therapist myself, who knows many of the interventions…read morewe use to help people heal, I have often felt frustrated in my own therapy. It's like being a professional magician going to a magic show. You can see all the sleight of hand. It was comforting to work with someone who used interventions so deftly and expertly that, at times, I couldn't identify how she did her magic. Even when I could, I could admire the fact that I was watching a true professional perform. She helped me so much in my own healing journey. I couldn't recommend her enough to anyone seeking therapy.

About three years ago, I was desperately seeking help for a close personal friend suffering from…read morethe physical decline brought about by years of substance abuse. I turned to Natalia-- someone familiar to me for years as a fellow Yelp Austin reviewer--for guidance. The essence of my quest was to secure counseling resources for the person I cared deeply about. Although substance abuse is not her specialty, Natalia quickly reached out to me to provide several qualified counselors she trusted that might be able to help my friend. If that's where it began and ended, although greatly appreciated, the singular event might not be particularly review-worthy. But what makes it notable, laudable, and five-star is that Natalia went well above-and-beyond a simple list of references. She offered sage advice on the merits of private counseling and the more traditional group therapy approaches. She patiently and gently set realistic expectations for my friend's likelihood of success. She knew I was working through personal pain, and saw that I was a "fixer", so she suggested coping strategies to keep me from losing myself in the morass. She persisted in the conversation with me, even though she probably sensed that I was trying to escape in deference to her time. My friend is with the angels now, but, thanks to Natalia, at least I understand and can live with the choices she made while on Earth and with her passing. I know this is one of my simpler reviews, but I cannot emphasize how eternally grateful I am for all of Natalia's help. When it comes to personal counseling, accept no substitutes. She's the real deal.

Over the course of the last 2-3 years I have seen 2 separate therapists at Sol Associates; most…read morerecently, Melissa Haney. I have been extremely pleased with both therapists I have seen here. I am usually skeptical of therapy & have, in the past, found it unhelpful & patronizing. However, at the recommendation of a friend, I began seeing Mary Rose at Sol Associates a couple years ago & liked her immediately. I ended my therapy about 6-8 months later due to changes in my life that made it difficult for me to come in regularly. About 6 months ago, after my wedding was abruptly called off, I decided it might be time to return to therapy & gave Mary Rose a call, only to find out that she was moving out of state. Fortunately she recommended another therapist at the office & I started seeing Melissa. I have been extremely pleased with Melissa's no-nonsense approach. She tells it like it is & calls me out on my crap. Some people may not like that, but I appreciate the blunt honesty. Also, the therapists at Sol Associates all have sliding scale slots available, which is awesome if you are like me & have no insurance to cover your visits. They are conveniently located in central Austin in nice, home-like office on the corner of Kerbey Lane & 34th. The only drawback is the parking. There is limited space available in their tiny lot & although street parking is available, it can often get crowded... especially during the hours around 8:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m., as it sits adjacent to an elementary school.

Tara Anne Thomas, LMT (massage therapist) is amazing! I always leave a session feeling better,…read morelighter, healthier, relaxed, centered and joyful! Tara Anne has a healing energy with a solid touch! She uses both hot towels and, believe it or not...a refreshing, amazing cold towel treatment too!!! Her skill and word of mouth have Tara Anne busy, so call for an appointment (despite how busy she is...she is flexible and accomodating). Tara Anne is the Sol Associates and they have other healers (counselors and a yoga studio) in the building. Her space is literally like a tree house...is green, peaceful and calming! Parking and location are easy and centrally located just off Mo-Pac & 35th St. Jennifer B.