Training Opportunities
Counseling is one of those professions where you don’t learn everything you need to know in graduate school. Not even close. And, it’s one of those professions that requires ongoing training to keep your practice effective, fresh, up-to-date, stimulating, interesting, and ethical. A large part of our mission at Therapy Austin is to provide the rich tapestry of training opportunities that all therapists need.
How Do We Do It?
Well, it starts with six days of New Hire Training and continues ongoing throughout employment at Therapy Austin – monthly supervision, multiple open Clinical Consultation Groups, and ten CEU-earning Clinical Trainings every year. We even offer one-on-one clinical consultations with our Clinical Leadership, Nicole Lansbery and Chelsea Cohen, for staff struggling with particularly challenging or complicated cases.
Featured Training Programs & Consultations
Our team leads weekly clinical consultation groups, open to all staff, several times a week. Staff Counselors find the support, education, and encouragement they need to grow into the self-confident practitioners they were meant to be. Their clinical acumen deepens, and their clients benefit from the investment they make in these hours.
CONSULTATION GROUPS
Peer support is invaluable when starting out as a new counselor. For this reason, we are dedicated to hosting a weekly Peer Consultation Group. Jill Hokanson, our Policy & Clinical Manager, who has been with us since 2016, has led this group for years. She has a passion for supporting counselors during the vulnerable and uncertain times they face. In this group, colleagues find friends, share ideas, exchange experiences, and grow as professionals.
Our team leads weekly clinical consultation groups, open to all staff, several times a week. Staff Counselors find the support, education, and encouragement they need to grow into the self-confident practitioners they were meant to be. Their clinical acumen deepens, and their clients benefit from the investment they make in these hours.
SPECIALIZED CONSULTATION GROUPS
In addition to the general consultation groups we offer, specialized consultation groups are available to Staff Counselors.
IDENTITY CONSULTATION
Therapy Austin began hosting an “Identity Consultation Group” in June 2020 which is open for all staff counselors to attend. The group provides therapists the opportunity to explore the ways identity can impact a counselor and client’s experience in therapy. It was created to cultivate curiosity, reflection and understanding. It is led by Louise Sawaki who has been with Therapy Austin since 2017. Her wise, gentle and insightful presence sets the bar for deep exploration by the members.
EMDR TRAINING
Due to its efficacy and burgeoning applications and despite it’s vague acronym, EMDR has become popular even with clients. Our resident EMDR expert, Christine Molina who has worked with clients at Therapy Austin since 2014, hosts an EMDR Consultation Group on alternating weeks. The great news is counselors don’t have to be an EMDR clinician to partake in this informative group. Christine leads the group in EMDR case staffing, where counselors can enhance their EMDR skills or learn about a new modality available to aid their client’s trauma work.
FEE REVIEW WORKSHOP
For any clinician who desires to work in a private setting, learning the art of reviewing and raising fees is a critical business skill with a clinical overlay. Lots of feelings come up all around when the idea of fee-raising is introduced! Our Clinical VP, Nicole Lansbery, leads this comprehensive workshop along with meaningful and thought-provoking reference materials that will help staff grapple with all the issues that arise around helpers and money. She even presents a variety of scripts to try out when initiating this process with clients. All Staff Counselors are required to take this workshop upon entering their second year at Therapy Austin.
GROUP LEADER CONSULTATION
Effectively leading groups, whether for colleagues or clients, requires skill, training and ongoing consultation. Therapy Austin is privileged to have a Clinical Director who is also a certified expert group leader. For those staff leading consultations, teams, or psychotherapy groups, DeLinda hosts an ongoing consultation group where she teaches the basics of group dynamics and shapes the leaders into skillful guides.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Therapy Austin hosts various limited-series, closed groups for our Staff Counselors who are interested in curriculum-based workshops. Over the years, the topics offered have included Couples Counseling, EMDR, and a Basic Skills Training group.
CEU-EARNING CLINICAL TRAININGS
Featured trainings include:
Counseling Gender Diverse Clients, Presented by Dr. April Owen, Psy.D.
An Introduction to NARM: The NeuroAffective Relational Model for Transforming Complex Trauma, Presented by Brad Kammer, LMFT, LPCC
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Presented by Nicole Lansbery, LPC-S, and Chelsea Cohen, LPC-S
Embodied Resourcing: Engaging Ourselves & Our Clients Through Dance/Movement Therapy, Presented by Kelsey Eidson, LPC-Associate, NCC
The Troubled Waters of High Conflict Couples: Navigating Towards Effective Connection, Presented by Maria Spada, LPC
Journey into IFS (Internal Family Systems) – A Deeper Dive, Presented by Jen Braafladt, LPC
Risk Management with Clients, Presented by Molly Mayberry, LCSW
Integrating Culture and Creativity into Counseling Practice and Advocacy Through Liberation and Intersectionality, Presented by Dr. Marlon Johnson, PhD, LPC (TX), LPC-MHSP (TN), NCC
Plot Twist: Working with Stories on the Margin, Presented by Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP
Increasing Therapy Success for Adults with ADHD and Autism, Presented by Christine Molina, LCSW
Accessing Witnessing Mind, Presented by Juliane Taylor Shore, LMFT, LPC, SEP
Destigmatizing and Demystifying Dissociation, Presented by Katie Barksdale, LPC
Work-Aware Care, Presented by Mary Lynn Marinucci, LCSW-S, MBA
More-Than-Monogamy, Presented by Dr. Ty David Lerman, Ph.D., LPC-S, CST, QTAP, CHt
Emotionally Focused Therapy, Presented by Angela Jensen-Ramirez, LCSW-S
We invest heavily in our counselors’ clinical and professional growth by providing high-quality training and consultation groups.
Meet Some of Our Trainers
Nicole Lansbery MA, LPC-S, LMFT
REGIONAL CLINICAL DIRECTOR
Nicole Lansbery (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). Nicole attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she received her Bachelor’s in Psychology. She went on to attend St. Edward’s University to receive her Master’s in Counseling.
Before starting her private practice ten years ago, Nicole worked at a local psychiatric hospital for five years in inpatient and intensive outpatient settings. While there, she restarted the pet therapy program with her golden retriever – a certified Pet Partner, Ruby.
Nicole has received extensive DBT training and has provided DBT to the Austin community for 14 years. She enjoys learning and has also spent years studying and completing training in Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and Middelberg’s Systemic Training. In addition, Nicole has received training in Radically Open DBT (RODBT), SPACE (a treatment protocol for parents of anxious children), and New Ways for Families.
Chelsea Cohen, MA, LPC-S
ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Chelsea Cohen (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S). Originally from the Texas Panhandle, she attended the University of Oklahoma, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English. After graduating, she worked in higher education administration as an academic advisor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later received her Master of Arts in Counseling at St. Edward’s University, where she was a Presidential Fellow and Outstanding Graduate Student in Counseling.
Chelsea completed her graduate internship in the DBT Intensive Outpatient Program at Ascension Seton Behavioral Health, where she gained experience working with a variety of clinical issues, including mood, anxiety, schizophrenia spectrum, and personality disorders, and has been practicing DBT at all levels of care since graduating in 2013. In addition to her extensive training in DBT, Chelsea has completed training in Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). Chelsea enjoys training and supervising clinicians to provide adherent DBT and working with clients to identify how they can effectively utilize coping skills to build a life worth living.
In addition to serving as Associate Executive Director for ADBTA, Chelsea is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences at St. Edward’s University where she teaches Abnormal Psychology.
Akilah Riley, MSW, CCTP
Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP, RLT is a published researcher, therapist, facilitator as well as a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She has been in clinical practice for sixteen years and has experience working with couples and persons practicing consensual non monogamy, both in the Caribbean and internationally. Akilah also specialises in work with sexual minorities and racialminorities. As an educator and facilitator, she has provided consultancy services to organizations such as NASTAD (National Alliance for State and Territorial AIDS directors), the Relational Life Institute, I-TECH (International Training and Education Center for Health) and CVC (Caribbean Vulnerable Communities). She has been a Social Work Educator at the University of the Southern Caribbean since 2012.
Angela Jensen-Ramirez, LCSW-S
Angela Jensen-Ramirez is an LCSW-S licensed in both Texas and California to practice psychotherapy. She is an ICEEFT Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist and works primarily with couples/relationships and individuals that need support around relationship dynamics. Angela is also an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and integrates sex therapy and couples work to provide a holistic treatment for her clients. Angela is available for clinical consultation. You can reach her at angelaj@anewtherapy.org or visit her website www.anewtherapy.org.
Dr. April Owen, Psy.D.
April Owen, Psy.D. (she/her) is a clinical psychologist and gender therapist who obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree from Auburn University and her Master of Arts and Doctor of Psychology degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver. After working for/with national, state, and county government agencies for many years, Dr. Owen (or “Dr. O” as her clients call her) began her own private practice in Austin, Texas in 2013, where she provided therapy primarily to LGBTQ+ youth and adults. She also designed and taught a course at St. Edward’s University on counseling LGBTQ+ clients, as well as a course on counseling gender-non conforming persons for the Queer and Trans Affirming Professional program. In 2022, Dr. Owen moved with her wife and son to Denver, Colorado where she took a role as the Director of the Transgender Center of the Rockies. She is currently opening a private practice in the Denver area. Dr. Owen is passionate about championing the needs and rights of the LGBTQ+ community, and she constantly strives to educate others on what these needs and rights are. She has given numerous trainings to professional groups and organizations on how they can become more affirming of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. Dr. Owen also spends some of her time participating in organizations such as Leadership Austin and Leadership Denver. She was formerly the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Out Youth, an Austin area non-profit serving the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, Dr. Owen was a recipient of an Austin Under 40 Award and of an Auburn University’s Women of Distinction Alumnae Award.
Brad Kammer, LMFT, LPCC
Brad Kammer, LMFT, LPCC, is a California Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor. Brad trained as a Somatic Psychotherapist and has worked in the field of trauma for over 20 years, specializing in working with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD).
Brad began his career as a Humanitarian Aid Worker in Asia which introduced him to personal and collective trauma. He became passionate about supporting individuals and communities in the transformation of trauma. Brad has since focused his work on the integration of Somatic Psychology, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Relational Therapies and wisdom from Spiritual Traditions and Traditional Cultures. He has a special interest in the fields of developmental, cultural and intergenerational trauma.
Brad is passionate about bringing trauma-informed work to individuals and communities outside the clinical setting. For nearly 20 years, Brad taught as a college professor at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He has been involved in community education, outreach and consulting to numerous communities and organizations. Brad has also been a trainer for Somatic Experiencing® (SE®). And more recently, he began producing a podcast entitled: Transforming Trauma.
Brad is a Senior Trainer and Training Director of the NARM Training Institute. He teaches the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®) internationally and has provided consultation to thousands of therapists and other helping professionals around the world.
Brad lives in a small town in Northern California with his family where he enjoys anything involving nature, travel, music, food, and learning about and connecting with new people.
Websites: www.body-mindtherapy.com www.narmtraining.com
Email: bradkammer@narmtraining.com
Christine Molina, LCSW
Christine Molina has been providing psychotherapy to adults since 2014 and specializes in EMDR therapy, neurodiversity, attachment and trauma. She loves helping people heal on a deep level and helping neurodiverse individuals thrive and love their brain!
In addition to counseling, Christine loves supporting therapists in their professional development and growth. She leads the biweekly EMDR consultation group at Therapy Austin and provides consultation and training through her private practice.
Christine is an EMDR Certified Therapist, EMDRIA-Approved Consultant, Senior Training Facilitator with Dr. Christie Sprowls, and Facilitator for an Advanced EMDR training on integrating EMDR with Ego State Therapy with Farnsworth Lobenstine.
Since moving to Austin in 2005, she has worked in social services, inpatient centers and outpatient settings—including the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), Settlement Home, Austin State Hospital, Seton’s DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) Intensive Outpatient Program, Therapy Austin, and private practice.
Discover more about this Therapy Austin alum and her private practice here.
Jen Braafladt, Ma, LPC
Jen Braafladt is a licensed professional counselor in private practice working with adult individuals and couples. She began studying and training in the Internal Family Systems (!FS) in 2019 and loves sharing her enthusiasm for IFS with others. Jen is also passionate about working with couples and has trained in The Gottman Method (Levels 1 & 2), in addition to the IFS model of couples counseling, Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO).
Juliane Taylor Shore, LPC-S, LMFT-S
Jules has been in private practice specializing in trauma recovery and couples counseling for over 10 years. She is the Founder and Clinical Director of IPNB Psychotherapy of Austin, which is a post graduate training center for therapists in South Austin. She teaches Interpersonal Neurobiology, Trauma Recovery and Couples Counseling in many venues throughout Austin. Jules loves talking about therapy and teaching as much as she loves being with clients. She promotes relational and experiential work and is so thrilled to be a part of Therapy Austin’s training team to help their budding clinicians improve their skills and confidence. When she is not in the therapy chair, she can be found having outdoor adventures with her husband and daughter, taking in a silly movie or reading the Harry Potter series again (yes, she’s obsessed). Learn more about Jules and her practice here.
Katie Barksdale, LPC
Katie Barksdale is an individual and couples therapist specializing in complex trauma and dissociative disorders utilizing Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Internal Family Systems, Trauma-Focused Therapy, STAIR Method, attachment theory, and parts work. She is passionate about supporting survivors through their healing journeys as evidenced by over fifteen years of experience working with survivors of abuse and sexual assault. She has co-facilitated consultation groups centered on clinical work related to Trauma in Couples Therapy and has presented at the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors Conference. She is a walking library and enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge of trauma therapy, and discussing the intersections of trauma and sexuality. She’s excited to empower therapists and clients with knowledge and curiosity.
Kelsey Blair Eidson, LPC, NCC
Kelsey is an embodied and relational therapist artfully weaving somatic and movement therapies into her work with individuals and groups. In addition to a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling she completed a 3-year graduate level training program, Embodied Neurobiology, providing her extensive knowledge and skills in Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT).
This speciality has imbued Kelsey with insight from somatic psychology, creative arts and expressive therapies. With heart-full acknowledgment of the ancient and indigenous ways dance and movement have always been healing, D/MT also offers a bridge between ancestral wisdom and current research in neuroscience. Dancing in the space between art, science, and soul, Kelsey draws from these intelligences to harness creativity in the healing process through the sophisticated framework D/MT offers.
Kelsey holds the position of Senior Counselor at Therapy Austin and maintains a small private practice in ATX. She currently works with individual clients from a variety of backgrounds and frequently facilitates groups for mental health professionals focused on embodied self-care. She finds joy in creating spaces for others to engage with their own curiosities and experience their bodies as a resource for healing, inspiration, and growth. Connect with Kelsey about workshops, groups, trainings and more: www.embodiedwillow.com
Maria Spada, LPC
Maria is a Senior Counselor at Therapy Austin specializing in couples. She earned her MA in Professional Counseling from Texas State University, interned at the YWCA of Greater Austin, and is certified as a Trauma Informed therapist through the Trauma Care Institute. Maria’s extensive Couple Therapy specialization trainings give her the ability to draw from several models including EFT – Emotionally Focused Couple therapy, the Gottman Method, PACT – Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy, and RLT – Relational Life Therapy. Maria has always had a passion for teaching and training. In an earlier life chapter, she founded several businesses in the higher education field in Paris and London, where she created and administered educational curricula and training programs. Currently, Maria works exclusively with couples, a calling which she finds incredibly rewarding. She’s even been given the nickname “the couples whisperer” by a number of her clients.
Marlon Johnson, PH.D, LPC-MHSP, NCC
Dr. Marlon Johnson (He/Him) serves as licensed professional counselor at his private practice, Johnson Counseling and Consulting in Austin, Texas. Dr. Johnson’s clinical work centers Black mental wellness, queer and trans-inclusive mental healthcare, and community mental wellness activities. He utilizes Narrative and Quare theories to help clients feel seen and safe to explore their identities and experiences within the counseling environment. He also serves as an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, where he prepares individuals to become culturally-inclusive and spiritually-integrated Mental health professionals. Dr. Johnson trains students and scholars to think critically about cultural inclusion and advocacy, assessment methods, and career interventions. As a researcher and advocate, he integrates an intersectional framework while exploring Black and Queer identity development, gay male relationship longevity, strategies for racial healing, and mental health access and equity.
Mary Lynn Marinucci, LCSW-S, MBA
Mary Lynn Marinucci, LCSW-S, MBA is a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. Through her psychotherapy practice, Work.Life.Therapy, she helps clients cope better, feel more satisfied and enjoy more balance, at work and in life. With a focus on work and career issues and personal growth, Mary Lynn takes a holistic approach and recognizes that addressing issues in one area of life can have a profoundly positive impact on other areas. Mary Lynn is a former corporate professional and brings a unique and informed perspective on the realities of work life and their implications for the work of therapy. Her work is relational and grounded in Modern Analytics, interpersonal neurobiology, attachment theory, trauma-informed care and mindfulness. Clients describe Mary Lynn as curious, open, genuine, creative and pragmatic. Mary Lynn is inspired by everyday acts of courage, consideration, curiosity and integrity – qualities that often bring clients to the therapy room. Learn more about Mary Lynn and Work.Life.Therapy. at www.worklifetherapy.com.
Molly Mayberry, LCSW
Molly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and loves providing individual and family therapy in her Austin-based private practice. Molly’s 10 years of clinical experience includes working with adults, teens, families, and children in a range of settings including psychiatric inpatient and outpatient settings, non-profits, agencies (Molly is a TA alum!), and now private practice. Molly works with clients from an attachment, interpersonal neurobiology, and DBT lens, and specializes in complex, developmental trauma and how it tends to manifest in our day-to-day lives including people-pleasing, perfectionism, shame, anxiety, and crisis management. With these specializations, Molly tends to work with clients who often feel suicidal or in crisis. As a result, Molly has developed a strong passion for training and consulting with other clinicians regarding crisis management, safety planning, and decreasing the stigma and discomfort in therapy often associated with suicidality. You can learn more about Molly’s therapy services and consultation resources for clinicians here.
Ty David Lerman, PhD, LPC-S, CST, QTAP, Cht
Ty (he/him) is a clinical sexologist and sex therapist with a great passion for helping folks explore and celebrate their authentic selves, be it around sexual orientation, relationship structure, or being more comfortable with their sexual desires and expression. His clinical experience (starting in 2007) includes both private practice and agency settings, leading to an expansive clinical experience in numerous treatment topics, with an emphasis on issues pertaining to Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Diversities (GSRD) and anxiety. Ty completed his PhD in Clinical Sexology in 2023, is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, and holds numerous certifications: dual certification (AASECT and IICS) as a Sex Therapist (CST), a Queer and Transgender Affirming Professional (QTAP), and as a clinical hypnotherapist (CHt). He serves as Director of Curriculum for the QTAP certification, 3rd Vice President on the Board of Directors for Houston Group Psychotherapy Society (HGPS), and on the advisory board for the Contemporary Relationships Conference. His expertise has been sought out by publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Men’s Health, and Refinery29. Ty has been seen on television on “Great Day Houston with Deborah Duncan”, The Nightcap on FOX, and various news spots on ABC, NBC, and KHOU stations. He is honored to have been recognized as the “Best Male Mental Health Therapist” by OutSmart Magazine for five years. Outside the clinical world, Ty is truly blessed to have two amazing partners, is father to three Australian Shepherds, and proudly wears the moniker, “the orchid whisperer”.
