Dr. Jesika Austad: What Sets Me Apart?
I work hard to ensure therapy is an open, affirming space. I am a queer-celebrating, neurodiversity-celebrating, body positive, HAES aligned, anti-racist, decolonizing therapist. I have more to learn. I have started the work and will continue it. I take a cultural humility approach to working with you.
I have been expertly trained to help you access all parts of yourself. I can hold space for the whole you. Without judgement or having all the answers, I can offer a space to understand, explore, and feel. We can build a relationship that is nurturing, curious, strong, and deep. This will facilitate growth and change in ways that are lasting. I won’t focus on changing your thoughts or talking you out of your emotions. I believe that being deeply, compassionately known changes us.
I believe you already have inside of you everything you need to create the life you want. All of us were born with a deep need for connection, and this drives our behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. To connect with others more authentically, we need to connect with ourselves, fully. By honoring your entire story, starting at the beginning, we can understand how your most important early relationships influenced you and are still impacting you.
This is why (emotion-focused, experiential, and attachment-based) relational psychodynamic therapy, from a trauma informed approach works. I also incorporate IFS and can use Brainspotting when appropriate/requested.
What is a Clinical Psychologist? (as opposed to an LCSW, LPC, LMFT?)
A Clinical Psychologist is a highly trained psychotherapist. I have extensive training in assessment and psychotherapy throughout the life-span, through a psychodynamic lens. Clinical Psychologists undergo extra training in specialty mental health, diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. This extensive and comprehensive training allows for a holistic and tailored approach to each individual client. Clinical Psychologists are required to participate in additional client focused and therapy focused training.
For me, this meant extensive supervision and critique on my skills as a therapist. I was also required to attain competency in assessment and research, in addition to therapeutic skill requirements. In the process of receiving my Psy.D. (a Clinical Doctoral Degree) I also completed a dissertation.
How/why did I choose the Psychodynamic Approach?
I have experienced the Psychodynamic Approach in my own therapy and supervision. Relational Psychodynamic therapy changed my life. I knew what I was supposed to do. I knew about changing thought patterns, exercising, and completing the worksheets. It didn’t create lasting change. Psychodynamic therapy did.
As humans, we evolved to be relational. We know who we are based on our relationships, so it made sense to me that true and lasting change happens in relationships. Psychodynamic work is different because it doesn’t only focus on the short-term. It acknowledges the complexity and wholeness of human beings. Psychodynamic training has allowed me to meet you exactly where you are. You may have goals to be more productive, improve your mood, and excel at work. Let’s work to achieve those goals AND get to the root of why they’re hard in the first place.
Read more about psychodynamic therapy on my psychodynamic therapy page.
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Therapy
I’m a trauma informed, trained therapist. This means that I have extensive knowledge and ongoing supervision around evidenced based practices.
My training and approach ensure that we work on things at a pace that is optimal for you and your goals. Trauma informed care centers you, not your trauma. Whether it feels like it or not, I believe you have skills and resources that have helped you get this far and will help you go farther. Trauma informed therapy is a collaborative and empowering approach.
Trauma informed care is woven into different modalities. Trauma informed therapy requires extensive training and experience in psychotherapy. You deserve more than the newest “trauma informed” modality. You deserve, a skilled, experienced, humble therapist.
What is IFS?
I am an IFS informed therapist. IFS-Internal Family systems, is one of the theories of parts work. In this modality specifically people are conceptualized as being made up of many distinct “parts.” The idea is that all parts have a specific role or function. The goal is to identify and understand these parts and how they relate to “self” or “self energy” which is the core of who we are. Parts work in general can be beneficial for folks in many ways. Some people already feel connected the the concept of parts and parts work is a natural way to understand the self.
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting integrates well with psychodynamic work. Brainspotting focuses on somatic release of memories, emotions, and physical sensations through eye positions. It also is based in attunement, which can bolster our therapeutic relationship and facilitate healing. This, combined with relational-psychodynamic work, can access deep, unique parts of yourself. It can also be a beneficial as an adjunct with other therapies in which you’re engaging with another therapist.
