Austa Murray , LCSW

Austa Murray is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 22 years of experience across a wide range of mental health settings. She has provided individual, group, and family therapy, meeting people where they are and moving at a pace that feels comfortable to each person. Her work emphasizes building a trusting connection so clients can access the support they seek.

She has helped a diverse set of clients facing depression, anxiety, stress, career challenges, parenting concerns, relationship difficulties, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and other forms of trauma. Murray brings advanced training in attachment and trauma-informed approaches as well as developmental expertise to her work. Her perspective is strengths-based and shaped by an understanding of how early relationships and life experiences influence current functioning.

Her style is compassionate, non-judgmental, educational, and insight-oriented. She draws on cognitive behavioral and solution-focused techniques alongside trauma and developmentally informed strategies to address presenting problems. In collaboration with each person, she offers practical skills, listening, and psychological concepts aimed at enhancing understanding and supporting change. She works with clients to develop individualized plans that reflect their goals and needs.

Approach-Focused Care for Online Therapy

Austa integrates several evidence-informed approaches to guide online sessions in a way that aligns with each person's needs. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at early relationship patterns and how they shape current emotional responses and attachment needs - it can help with relationship challenges, abandonment concerns, and attachment-related distress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and respect for the client's own goals - it supports self-esteem, coping with life changes, and building a stronger sense of agency. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and adjusting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood and to develop practical coping skills.

Finding the best therapeutic approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to assess needs, preferences, and goals, and then tailors techniques and pacing so the approach feels like a good fit. This collaborative process helps ensure the methods used match what the client wants to address.

Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility for busy schedules and people in different locations. These options make it easier to keep consistent sessions, practice new skills between meetings, and access licensed professionals and therapists without the need to travel.