Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin DeWeese.
Hi Caitlin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My pipeline to mental health counseling wasn’t anything particularly unique as there is a clear route from public school educator to mental health, but the path was long and absolutely stressful!
I grew up in a suburb of Dallas and was a good and busy student who decided she wanted to be a teacher at 6 years old. I was taught that if I worked hard, it would pay off and I’d find the life I was looking for (spoiler alert: this isn’t how it works). I loved being a part of our burgeoning music scene, playing on the drumline, and crafting and thrifting with my friends. I decided to go to college at Baylor University- they had a great education program and the campus was cute. I quickly realized I didn’t fit in at Baylor (the conservatism, the small town, the homogenous demographics…) and spent a few years wishing I had just gone to UT Austin! I had my first real struggles with my mental health during my years at Baylor, and this is actually a very common time for mental health struggles to appear in young people.
As soon as I graduated in 2011, I tailed it to Austin to look for my first teaching job, and found one just a few weeks before classes started at a small charter school teaching Spanish to 7th-12th graders. Living in Austin was the dream as I could work, AND spend all my free time writing about and photographing local bands and national touring acts as a freelance music journalist. After two exhausting years at the charter school, I moved to a public middle school where I found a more supportive community, but started to notice problematic patterns no matter the setting.
Teaching was fun, but it was also draining, exhausting, physically debilitating, and heart-breaking. It didn’t take me long realize I didn’t want to work within a system I didn’t agree with and that treated (and paid) teachers like cattle. I couldn’t help my students the way they needed with the resources (or lack thereof) that I had, and I struggled to support myself as well. I considered leaving to pursue a career in mental health several times over the 7 years I taught, but rocking my own boat seemed too risky.
2017 was a personal whirlwind and it ended in frantic studying to pass the GRE- I was finally ready to get out of education. I was accepted to Texas State’s Professional Counseling program in early 2018. I put in my notice and cobbled together a mix of side hustles over the next three years (with the support of my husband and family)- a yoga studio, an educational petting zoo, online clothing resale, a home organizer and assistant. My hustling worked and I learned a lot about my own mental health during my time in school, as well as the first steps to running a small business. Even though I was hustling, I felt… good? For the first time in possibly my entire life.
After graduating from Texas State, I knew my goal was to start my own private practice as a therapist. I wanted autonomy and control over my schedule so I could continue to take care of myself on my own timeline, and I wanted to provide quality service to clients. I poured myself into learning about marketing, finances, branding, website design and SEO, and copy writing- none of which are taught to therapists in school (shocking, right?)
I launched my practice, Live Better Austin Counseling & Therapy PLLC, in 2022 and it didn’t take long to have a pretty full caseload. I built my practice around authenticity, which included infusing my work with my political beliefs, personal values, and some cussing. My practice was, this sounds terrible, TOO successful and this led to an experience which what I can now see is full on burnout. I was diagnosed with ADHD during this period and it entirely changed the course of not only my career, but also my approach to my own therapy and healing.
I poured myself into learning about adult ADHD, ADHD in women, neurodiversity vs neurodivergence, and neurodivergent-affirming care for my clients who shared my diagnosis- you could say this became my special interest (IYKYK). I used this knowledge, as well as hours and hours of training, to start offering ADHD assessments at an affordable rate (many psychologists charge $2000+ for ADHD and/or autism assessments due to the knowlegde required, and time they take to conduct, score, and write). I quickly expanded to also offering adult autism assessment after more in-depth training once I began to understand the true overlap of the two brain types.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! Between mental health, grief, trauma in my family, this road has been anything but smooth. Not only is life always in the way, but breaking into the mental health field in Austin is extremely difficult. We have a plethora of therapists in the city who run private practices, so standing out is an ongoing battle. Financially, people think therapists are rolling in the dough, but in reality the overhead costs are high and in order to make good money, we are pushed to see high numbers of clients, and often for extremely low insurance reimbursement rates. The system makes surviving difficult for all of us.
I’ve also had to learn, the hard way, how to set boundaries in my business. Feeling pressure to see 25-30 clients a week lead me straight to burnout in 2023- chronic pain, more panic attacks, gastrointestinal issues, you name it. Deeper therapy worked helped me re-evaluate my relationship with work, success, and money. After much trial and error, I am finally in a place where I can balance the emotional weight, the marketing, the accounting, and the constant learning of running a sustainable private practice.
Live Better Austin is celebrating it’s 4th anniversary on May 1st 2026! I have been so lucky to work with so many kind and interesting people, both as therapy and assessment clients. I have also been lucky to have steady and unwavering support from my partner, my family, and my absolutely crucial graduate school friends who have been there every step of the way.
As you know, we’re big fans of Live Better Austin Counseling & Therapy PLLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am currently a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas, and my practice serves adult clients here in Austin but also across the state of Texas through virtual services. Some clients prefer in person visits to my office off Mopac and 2222, and others love the flexibility and comfort of being at home. My specialties including ADHD and autism assessments for adults at below market rate prices, and therapy for neurodivergent adults wanting to better their interpersonal skills and relationships.
My practice is authentic to the core. My own experiences with mental health and neurodivergence drive everything I do for my clients because I know what healing can bring. I have spent years learning about the impact of capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism on the mental health system, particularly when it comes to diagnosis. Because of these issues, ADHD and autism has been missed in so many people- high achievers, women who display traits differently, folks of color, those with different cultural upbringings. Working from a decolonized therapy lens also informs my approach to assessment. As a society, we have learned so much more about ADHD and autism through progressive research in the past 15 years. Did you know that we couldn’t diagnose ADHD and autism at the same time until 2013??? Our definition of neurodivergence has expanded greatly, allowing so many more folks to access services and more specific care.
I want to encourage readers to take the time to be curious with themselves and their patterns in life. If something isn’t working, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. The therapy and assessment space is for support and learning- not sitting down, being told you’re fucked up, and then being given advice. Going through therapy is hard work but worthy work that should pay off for years to come. If you think you might be neurodivergent- do some research and hit me up!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Favorite books: – Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
– Unmasking Autism by Devon Price
– Set Boundaries Find Peace by Nedra Tawaab
– Self-Compassion by Kristen Neff
– The Body is Not an Apology by Sondra Renee Taylor
Favorite Instagram Accounts/Therapists to Learn from:
– @decolonizingtherapy
– @allforthedopamine
– @dr.han.ren
– @AmandaMosesPsychology
– @therapyjeff
Pricing:
- Assessment Packages- $700- $1500
- Therapy Services- $150 per session with sliding scale options available to those with income restrictions
- Consultation Services for Therapists- $150
Contact Info:
- Website: www.livebetteraustin.com
Image Credits
Melissa Spurrier Photography
