Holding the Center
Just when we thought the pandemic was subsiding and life was returning to normal, the Delta variant burst upon the world. In Austin,...
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Finding Meaning
Seeking clients who want to step more fully into their lives.
Finding Meaning
For clients with existential concerns.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) in Austin, TX as well as a writer. I like to work with individuals who are committed to being true to themselves. This takes courage and risks disappointing others—but is important in terms of embracing one's sense of self. People-pleasing is a self-sabotaging, soul-killing behavior.
I am an Attachment-based therapist with a focus on meaning-of-life concerns.
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in English
Master of Arts in Counseling
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Hope on the Horizon
Hope on the Horizon By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S Last Monday evening, June 15th, restored my faith in our country. No sooner did the...
I Can’t Breathe
“I Can’t Breathe” By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S (Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor) I’ve been thinking a lot about George Floyd....
COVID Journal 4/8/20
COVID Journal 4/8/20 I never know how I’m going to feel when I wake up in the morning. Some days are dark, ominous—even when the sun is...
COVID Journal 4/3/20
My husband Michael and I begin the days normally: coffee, smoothie, 3-mile dog walk. Only the walk is different than in pre-pandemic...
The Spiritual Power of Depression
The Spiritual Power of Depression By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S “Depression Hurts.” This clever tagline was used for years by a...
The Interestings
By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S I see a lot of clients who suffer from social anxiety. Many of them begin to isolate because of their...
The Zen of Remote Coaching
By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S A year ago, my right hip had become so painful that I was reduced to walking with a cane. This was after...
The 3 Simple Hallmarks of Well-Being
What do we mean by “well-being?” Dr. Martin Seligman, the positive psychology guru at the University of Pennsylvania, uses this term...
What IS Therapy, Anyway? Part 2
Once clients have addressed their original, presenting issues, it’s time to move into deeper waters. Inevitably, new challenges will...
What IS Therapy, Anyway? Part 1
What goes on in a therapist’s office is a mystery to many who have never pursued psychotherapy. First-timers are often nervous and...
The Poignant Dichotomy of Old Age
Every Thursday, my husband and I drive 10 minutes to my mother-in-law’s well-appointed retirement community to have dinner with her at...
When Our Bodies—and Time—Betray Us
Recently, our daughter, Owen, 28, followed by her older brother, Jesse, 30, got married within two months of each other. While both were...
Jesse/Wedding Speech
It is not easy to describe one’s child. As parents, our perspectives are skewed by blind love, fear, frustration, hope, tenderness,...
I Am the Cosmos*
Our daughter Owen got married a few weeks ago. It was, by all accounts, a joyous occasion. It was the one cold, damp evening of the...
Peacocks and Poachers
Today was one of my assigned swimming days at Gold’s Gym. I am working with a trainer to rehab a hip plagued by osteo-arthritis—swimming...
What’s Your Story/St. Edward’s University Commencement Speech/Masters in Counseling Grad
What’s Your Story? Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC I’m telling my story today as a vehicle for giving you guideposts, or a kind of road map,...
Why I Left New York By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S
I was keen to stay home and raise our three children. Happily, in New York City, where we were living in the 80s and 90s, it made more...
The Post-Mommy Abyss/By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S
When our youngest child, Sam, was a high school sophomore, I became superfluous. He got his driver’s license and the family’s battered...
The Empty/Emptying Nest
The Emptying/Empty Nest: Part I By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S Many of us baby boomers are in the throes of launching our young adult...
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