Help me find a therapist

August 25, 2012 9:23 AM

I need a bus-accessible therapist/grief counselor in Austin, TX

My dad was recently diagnosed with lung and spinal cancer. The same week, my grandfather had a heart attack and because of poor hospital care and other complications has suffered permanent brain damage, putting him in a psychotic state, and the doctors are pretty sure he'll never be normal again. My other grandfather passed away this March (thank goodness, just of old age at the ripe old age of 94).

I'm also a graduate student TAing for the first time this semester, so I've got quite a bit of stress to look forward to (I do not want to take a semester off, as I don't know what I'd do with myself). I'd like to find a great therapist in the central Austin area to help me through this difficult time. I sign up for new health insurance September 1st (I think it will be Blue Cross Blue Shield), so I need the best bang for my buck.

I am also without a car, and don't have a huge amount of time to spend commuting. I've looked up several recommended therapists from Ask Mefi but most of them are inaccessible by public transportation.

If anyone has any suggestions for my specific needs, please let me know.

posted by petiteviolette to health & fitness (6 answers total)

Are you a grad student at UT Austin? CMHC may be able to help short-term or with a referral. Take care.
posted by dtp at 9:28 AM on August 25, 2012

Hospice Austin offers very good grief counseling. They offer a few (I think three) free sessions and then affordable individual and group options.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:36 AM on August 25, 2012

Seconding that you should start with the Counseling and Mental Health Center, if you're a UT student. They have awesome counsellors and a lot of other resources that can help you cope with your family stuff and general stress. Or they can make a referral, if you'd prefer to talk to someone off-campus.
posted by donajo at 11:13 AM on August 25, 2012

Another vote for UT's counseling center -- when I was a grad student I had a wonderful therapist there.
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:59 PM on August 25, 2012

I'll be the voice of dissent (sorry). I had a horrible experience with UT's counseling center and was glad when I got out of there. I would have left eventually as I was a grad student in dev psych and didn't want to run into anyone I had taken classes with.

From his current address, it looks like my previous therapist in Austin (George V. Dickey) is in the same place and I vaguely remember it being near a bus stop. I highly reccomend him. Memail me if you want more information.
posted by kathrynm at 4:36 PM on August 25, 2012

I've had very good experiences with UT's counseling center, but from what my friends have said it's very much hit-or-miss there, and — this may also be important — they strongly prefer to do short term crisis counseling rather than seeing a patient repeatedly over months or years. They just don't have the resources to take on long-term patients. So they may not be suitable for what you have in mind anyway. The upside is, they can often see you faster than a counselor in private practice would be able to, and there's no insurance hassle.

If they don't work for you, I can also recommend Patricia Stuart, who has her practice within walking distance from the UT campus and is seriously awesome. As of three years ago, she took the standard insurance plan that UT TAs get — but double-check that she still does.
posted by nebulawindphone at 11:28 AM on August 26, 2012