Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Parnell.
Hi Alex, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My path started with a cross-country move from Eugene, Oregon to Waco, Texas, driven by dreams of becoming a doctor and helping people heal. Those dreams hit reality when I failed calculus twice—a clear sign that medicine wasn’t where I belonged. I moved forward with what interested me even though the career trajectory wasn’t clear yet.
Through college ministry, I discovered something unexpected: I had a natural ability for shepherding people through difficult moments. There was something about creating genuine safety, listening without agenda, and helping others untangle their emotions and needs that felt right. Our church had a strong missions emphasis, and I began seeing how missionaries—despite their calling and purpose—often carried heavy burdens that required ongoing care and support.
The pastoral care team noticed this gift and suggested I consider the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist path. It was one of those moments when everything aligned: the same heart to help people, but channeled through work that matched how I actually operated best.
I completed my counseling program at the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor, adding specialized training in couples and child/adolescent work. From there, I pursued advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy under Dr. Sue Johnson—an approach that resonated deeply with my belief in the power of secure relationships.
At the Center for Relational Care in Austin, my student and licensure internships shaped me profoundly. CRC was also where expressive arts moved from “interesting” to indispensable: almost every office had a sandtray table, and I watched Sandtray Therapy help children, adolescents, and adults access and organize emotion when words fell short. Beyond standard sessions, I helped facilitate extended couples intensives that lasted up to five days, which showed me how transformative focused time can be for shifting long-standing patterns.
I opened my private practice in 2019 in Cedar Park, later moved it to Leander, and in 2023 settled closer to home in Liberty Hill. That same year, I began training in Emotional Transformation Therapy and earned certification in complex trauma work. These additions gave me more precise, experiential tools while keeping me anchored in what I’ve always believed: that attachment and nervous system safety form the foundation of all healing.
Today I offer both weekly therapy sessions and one-to-two day intensives, serving Liberty Hill and the surrounding communities in person and virtually throughout Texas. Through all the training and techniques I’ve learned, one principle keeps me serving authentically as both my clients’ lives and my understanding evolve: fall in love with the people, not the technique.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t all been smooth, but I’ve learned so much.
Like most therapists, I started out nervous and stiff in those early sessions, learning to slow down and trust the process. Later, when I opened my own practice, I faced the challenge every entrepreneur knows: suddenly you’re not just the clinician, you’re also the marketer, bookkeeper, and business owner. It was daunting, but it taught me resilience and gave me deep respect for others building something from scratch.
Those struggles shaped me. They pushed me to find my own voice as a therapist and to create a practice that reflects my values of safety, connection, and real change.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Liberty Hill, TX, serving the north Austin corridor in person and all of Texas via telehealth. I help couples and individuals calm the nervous system, understand patterns, and build secure connection using an attachment-and-neuroscience-informed frame. I also integrate Sandtray Therapy and therapeutic tabletop role-playing (TTRPG) therapy, which offer safe, experiential ways to access emotion and practice new patterns. I often work with trauma, dissociation, and anxiety/stress, with a neurodivergent-affirming approach.
I’m known for two formats: weekly therapy (for individuals and couples) and focused 1–2 day couples intensives when momentum is needed beyond weekly work. Earlier in my career I helped facilitate up-to-five-day intensives at the Center for Relational Care; in private practice my intensives are tailored 1–2 day formats.
What sets me apart: safety first (calm, regulated pace), structured change (clear maps and targeted interventions), and experiential precision (ETT, Sandtray, and TTRPGs) to transform stuck emotion without overwhelm.
Access: in person Liberty Hill; virtual across Texas. Insurance: Aetna, United; private pay & superbills.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Therapy is becoming more accessible through telehealth and new technologies: AI, biofeedback, and digital tools that help clients keep momentum between sessions. At the same time, the field is moving toward less pathologizing and a stronger focus on what truly works.
I expect intensives to become a standard format, alongside weekly therapy, as people look for deeper and faster change. And while technology will keep evolving, one truth won’t change: healing happens through safe, attuned human connection. That will always be the heart of my work.
Pricing:
- $65 per 90 min group
- $170 per 50 min session
- $595 per 3.5 hour intensive
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alexparnell.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/alexparnellcounseling
Image Credits
Scott Edwards
