Heather Thiel, LCSW

Welcome! I am so pleased that you have found your way to my page. Everyone deserves to be happy and comfortable in mind, body, and relationships. Unfortunately, anxiety, stress, self-doubt, depression, and plain old bad feelings can knock you out of life’s driver’s seat. Heightened self-understanding and tailored-to-you coping strategies can give you back your joy and belief in life’s possibilities. This is what I want to achieve through our work together!

I am honored to listen to your story with my head AND my heart. I hope to offer a completely safe and comfortable space in which to explore both your challenges and your gifts. Together, we’ll identify areas of potential for more happiness, relaxation, affirming relationships, and success. Through our work, you will become aware of unhelpful patterns, reactions, and/or beliefs that are getting in your way. We will create opportunities for your inner strength and positivity to bloom. Just like in a garden, once the good stuff is big and healthy, the undesirable weeds tend to get crowded out. (Don’t worry. We’ll yank some of those weeds out, too!)

I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which means you and I will form a team to create your therapy roadmap of small goals that add up to big change. Through mindfulness, you will learn how to strengthen the part of your brain that helps you stay calm and present and avoid getting derailed by unhelpful thoughts and emotions. Through my exercises around self-compassion, you will learn to be a kind and understanding friend to yourself. In addition to individual therapy I offer couples counseling. Couples in session with me, work on improving communication, understanding problematic patterns, and rediscovering what first brought them together. There are two individuals in every couple AND the relationship, and all three require attention and understanding.

A bit about my background… I hold a MSSW from UT Austin and a BA from the College of William & Mary. Most recently I worked at UT’s Employee Assistance Program, providing individual counseling to university employees. I also facilitated several groups on making healthy habit changes for improved mental health and one on managing depression through cognitive behavioral therapy. In addition to my social work license, I hold a massage therapy license. After twenty years of studying and working with the body, I am very aware of how the mind and body affect one another. I am able to use this holistic perspective in counseling to help you discover how to feel your best.

My clients have described me as deeply caring, nonjudgmental, inspiring, and insightful. Helping you live your best life is my passion. Please call me at 512/201-4501, ext. 240, so we can get started on this rewarding journey together!