Meet Vanessa

Licensed Professional Counselor Associate

Vanessa Lai, LPC-A

Fee: $130 / 45 min session Supervised by: Leigh Rainwater, LPC-S
Pronouns: She / Her
Session Format: In-Person & Virtual / Telehealth / Walk & Talk (as arranged) Works with: Teens 12+, Adults Under 40 Practice passions: Trauma-informed somatic work, Creative and expressive therapies, Mindfulness, Motivational interviewing

AREAS of FOCUS:

  • LGTBQ+ with a focus on trans or gender expansive folk

  • Family Dynamics

  • BIPOC issues

  • Depression and Anxiety

  • Substance abuse and misuse

  • Disordered eating

  • Sexual trauma

  • Intergenerational trauma

  • Immigrants or children of immigrants

  • Neurodivergence & Sensory processing sensitivities

  • Gifted and “Underachieving”

Get to know Vanessa:

Outside of therapy, she enjoys watching scary movies and adventuring with her two dogs, Bean and Pearl. She loves all animals, seeing live music, drag queens, going to see films at AFS and Alamo Drafthouse, getting carried away with another art or craft project, and gardening in her backyard. Like any other basic millennial, she has a ridiculous number of indoor plants and enjoys listening to podcasts. Often times you will find her fostering dogs from APA! or finding a new form of exercise (lately it’s been Orange Theory).

Therapeutic Approach:

Vanessa uses trauma-informed postmodern approaches to counseling with an emphasis on systems and relationships. Using a mix of strengths based, client-centered frameworks she focuses on creating a counseling space built on safety and authenticity while also taking into consideration social contexts. When coming to therapy you will be met with warmth, non-judgement, and open-mindedness. Often times sessions can go beyond traditional talk therapy since she uses her art background to introduce creative and expressive techniques like narrative and art therapy. She also pulls from a holistic view on mental wellness and brings somatic (the mind-body connection) practices into sessions. During treatment she favors externalizing the problem, practicing emotional regulation skills, body/breathwork, and stress reduction skills among other therapeutic techniques. She believes therapy can be a space to explore your identity and develop the relationships with those around you.

Professional BACKGROUND:

Vanessa’s passion for the creative arts started at a young age and lead her to study fine art and art history for her undergraduate degree at Florida State University. After graduating, she worked at a children’s art studio and got licensed as an esthetician at Aveda. She carries her love of intimate, healing environments and caring for clients from her successful career as a skin therapist into the world of counseling.

During her graduate studies at Adams State University, she gravitated towards any approaches that allowed her to advocate for her clients and promote inclusivity in the mental health field. She spent her graduate internship at a local community-based non-profit which allowed her to realize her passion for working with teens and young adults in particular. She feels very at home in Austin and loves to do anything that keeps her engaged with the local community. She loved running groups for teens at Manor High and seeing young clients connect in a meaningful way.