A Note from Our Founder,

Katy Manganella

I started Austin City Counseling with a deep desire to create a space where I could be my most authentic self. My goal is for this space to be that for you, too. We do a lot of asking about you in therapy. I think it makes sense that you would want to know a little about me, too.

What I want you to know

As a therapist, I’m going to try to talk to you exactly like I’d talk to my best friend. Look, it can be hard to be a person. And it’s even harder to be a person who knows themselves well and loves that person with compassion, kindness, and understanding. That’s basically what I do. I come alongside the people I work with to help them build a better relationship with themselves. Together, we move away from self-criticism, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and anxiety and we move toward a balanced, fulfilling, connected life. Is this resonating? You absolutely do not have to be alone with this any more. You are my people and I’d love to work with you.

I connect well with hard workers and high-achievers with little tolerance for their own perceived BS. When we meet, they feel worn down and worried. In the beginning, I often hear things like “I worked so hard to get here, why do I feel this way?” or “What do I want and who even am I?” As an elder Millennial myself, I love working with ages 20-40.

The people I work with often say we’d be friends if we met another way and frankly, I agree! I use a good dash of humor in therapy, so you can expect me to laugh alongside you at how ridiculous life can be. As your therapist, I promise to be authentic, empowering, and honest with you.

I love working with:

• Millennials and Gen Zs
• Anxiety and related issues like people pleasing, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome
• Self criticism and folks who are way harder on themselves than they are on anyone else
• Burnout and over-achieving
• Those who has been called “wise for your age”
• Folks who look successful on LinkedIn but feel unfulfilled and like their achievements aren’t equating to life satisfaction
• Relationship issues of all types, especially if you have an anxious attachment type

The three therapy modalities I most strongly integrate into therapy are:

1. Compassion Focused Therapy
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
3. Attachment-based Therapy

Professional Background & Credentials

My credentials do to this work:

• I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); licensed by the State of Texas (License No. 80074)
• M.A. in Counseling Psychology with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy (graduated with a 4.0 GPA if that sort of thing matters to you 😉
• I am a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator
• I am trained in Gottman Method (Level 1)
• I am Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200), which primarily comes up in my therapy work as bodily awareness of emotions and using the body to process the physical sensations of emotions

After finishing graduate school in 2011, I moved to New York City where I provided counseling services to people who had experienced homelessness. I worked at both The Doe Fund and Volunteers of America – Greater New York while there.  In 2015, I made the move back home to Texas and I started working with the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition in Austin, TX. My work there focused on implementing evidence-based programming for ending youth homelessness in our community. In 2018, I had a career shift and went into private practice with Austin Family Counseling. I also completed yoga teacher training that year. All of this led me to opening Austin City Counseling in 2020, a few months into the pandemic. Across all of my experience over the years, I have found that, no matter our backgrounds, each of us yearn to be loved, to belong, and to be significant.

Personally

I am a native Texan and grew up a couple of hours outside of Austin in one of those tiny towns you probably haven’t heard of. After bouncing around the country through my 20’s, I landed in Austin, met someone on Tinder (lol), eloped with that person in Spain, and planted roots in Central Austin. Best decision ever. When I’m not at work, you can find me on a hiking trail with my dog, eating Taco Deli, and trying to keep my plants alive. And when it’s all said and done, you can find me on a patio somewhere with a cold drink in hand.

– Katy