Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Diamond.
Caitlin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey toward becoming a therapist began like so many other colleagues of mine – a passion for mental health and a love of connecting deeply with people. I’ve had my own challenges with mental health throughout my life, and it took me a while to realize it, but eventually I put the pieces together that my pain could be alchemized into healing, not only for myself but for my fellow humans, too. Throughout my teens and twenties, I found therapy to be invaluable and life-saving. Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a makeup artist and a book seller, and I aspired to be a professional poet. But none of it clicked, and I knew I needed to create a more fulfilling life for myself. When I considered my natural strengths and interests, I realized that what I was most passionate about was mental wellness and human connection. Suddenly, I thought, there’s a career for that! So I enrolled in the counseling graduate program at St. Edward’s University, and I’ve never looked back. It’s the best job in the world.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My road toward becoming a therapist has been equally beautiful and challenging. In graduate school, I had to confront a lot of internal narratives I had written in my youth about what I was or was not capable of. Graduate school put me through the ringer, mentally and emotionally. But I learned so much about myself, how resilient I am, and what a strength my big heart can be both personally and professionally. My biggest struggle was internal, just facing my fears of inadequacy. In one of my last semesters of grad school, we practiced a therapeutic technique called Sandtray, in which the client creates a depiction of their internal experience by placing different symbolic items in a tray of sand. Our prompt was to create a tray that told the story of our grad school experience, and in mine, I placed a knight before a fire-breathing dragon. The more I looked at it, the more I realized the dragon had been slain already, so I laid the dragon on its side and let the knight stand triumphantly over it. Graduate school felt like an insurmountable task when I started my program, but by the end, I had shown myself what a courageous knight I could be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a mental health counselor, and proud employee of Autonomy Therapy, specializing mostly in complex trauma, body image concerns, disordered eating, and identity exploration. It’s been an honor to work with clients who are part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, clients who have experienced developmental relational trauma, clients who want to explore what it means to create beautiful lasting relationships, clients who want to heal from systemic cultural oppression, and so many more. I consider myself a heart-centered clinician, which means that I sit with my clients in their pain without trying to fix it for them. I try to lead with the active practice of hope and trust, and dedication to seeing the inherent worth in my clients. I’m known by those around me for my calming presence and palpable kindness, which I leverage to help my clients regulate their nervous systems in session during moments of distress. I’m proud of my ability to create plenty of energetic space for clients to be in the mess, and trusting my clients’ systems to navigate it all. I think my willingness to empower my clients with autonomy and agency is a huge part of what makes me a good therapist.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think taking risks can look so many different ways – it may not always look like bungee jumping, gambling, or whatever else might seem stereotypically risky. For example, I see my clients take risks every day by being vulnerable with their loved ones, being willing to confront their shame, pursuing their dreams, and feeling intense and painful emotions. I’ve taken those risks myself throughout my personal and professional life. Probably the biggest risk I’ve taken has been taking the leap of faith of starting this career in the first place, which felt like reaching for the stars at the time. I think pursuing your dream career is a huge risk, because what if it doesn’t work out? What if it’s not what you expected, or you’re not as skilled as you want to be, or something else gets in your way? Being willing to put yourself out there and see what you’re made of is a huge example of a high risk, but potentially high reward scenario. In my case, it majorly paid off.
Pricing:
- $135 per 50 minute session
- Aetna and Quest Behavioral Health accepted
Contact Info:
- Website: https://autonomytherapyatx.com/caitlin-diamond-austin-tx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heycaitlincounseling/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-diamond
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/caitlin-diamond-austin-tx/1449743
Image Credits
Kim Fry, John D. Jameson
