The Story Behind the Name:

When I was an undergraduate, I had a professor who taught creative writing courses — but only at 8am. An early morning class is a hard ask for undergrads, even if their 2am bedtime the night before was self-inflicted. Because she knew that 8am hour would make us uncomfortable, she set up a tea station in her room. It was a little mini fridge stocked with milk and creamer; a cloth spread on top that housed a selection of teas, instant coffees, sweeteners, and spoons. Each morning, about a dozen of us would trudge in with a mug in hand, prepare our beverage of choice, and come alive a little bit with each sip.

While some of the memories I made in that room have faded with time, I never forgot how grateful I felt towards her for acknowledging our discomfort and offering something to make showing up just a little bit easier. The kindness, compassion, and care housed within that gesture meant the world to me. It still does, because it gave me the model for how I conduct therapy.

Therapy is often hard and uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable. And there are times I know my clients don’t want to be there. It’s important to me that I offer something — words, gestures, a smile, a laugh, or even a cup of tea — to tell them that I know it’s hard. I know it’s uncomfortable. And I know they’re enduring that discomfort for a reason. The time we spend together can absolutely be meaningful and transformative, and I’m here to help make it just a bit easier, like someone else did for me.

Get to Know Me

I’m Mia, an LPC-Associate based in Austin, Texas under the supervision of Lauren Masciarelli, LPC-S, LMFT-S. I graduated with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from St. Edward’s University in 2023.

During my master’s program and after being licensed, I worked at Austin Family Institute, a non-profit that prioritizes training their clinicians in systemic practice — looking as clients as part of a much larger whole that spans time, generations, cultures, and identities. After leaving Austin Family Institute, I spent time at Austin Family Counseling, where I honed my passion for working with neurodivergence, specifically ADHD in girls/women and late diagnosis, as well as neurodiverse couples, LGTBQIA+ identities, and complex trauma. During this time I trained in EMDR to provide better, more targeted care for certain clients. Currently, I most utilize interpersonal neurobiology, IFS, and narrative approaches in my work with clients.

In the room, I prioritize building a strong relationship with my clients to cultivate a space my clients can see themselves growing in for a long time. My approach is warm, humorous, and candid. I bring a lot of myself into the room, and am always happy to join clients in talking about their interests (books, video games, movies, etc) to give us time to be human together.