Hi, I’m Dr. Haley.
I’m a licensed clinical psychologist based in Austin, TX. My life’s work is helping clients slow down and truly be with themselves long enough to understand better who they are, what they need, and how to move forward.
My therapy approach is highly relational, centering the therapeutic relationship above anything else.
About Me
I grew up in Austin, TX, and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. After college graduation, I spent two years researching and treating anxiety and substance use concerns for several NIH-funded clinical trials. I went on to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Houston, where I focused on sharpening my therapeutic skills across a variety of clinical settings (i.e., community mental health clinics, a neuropsychological assessment clinic, a university counseling center, and a specialty sleep and anxiety clinic).
I completed my doctoral internship at the University of Houston’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Throughout my doctoral training, I was drawn to and sought additional supervision in interpersonal therapy approaches and working with clients who hold diverse identities.
After finishing my doctoral studies, I completed my fellowship at Modern Therapy, a group practice in Houston, TX. During my fellowship, I continued to hone my clinical skills in depth-oriented interpersonal therapy and developed specialties in working with anxiety, attachment, perfectionism, perinatal mental health, and relationship concerns. I prioritize continued engagement with training and consultation, recognizing that there is always more to learn. My work as a psychologist is so much more than a job. I’m lucky enough to wake up every morning and love what I do.
The other important hats that I wear include wife, mother, older sister, daughter, friend, and pug enthusiast.
My Approach
My belief that human beings are first and foremost relational beings informs my highly interpersonal approach to therapy. We make sense of who we are in the context of the relationships that matter most to us. Research repeatedly demonstrates that the strongest predictor of therapeutic success is the relationship between the therapist and client. With this in mind, I commit myself to creating a therapy relationship characterized by warmth, safety, curiosity, and transparency. I find that through active participation in the therapy relationship by sharing my in-the-moment thoughts, feelings, and impressions, clients feel the therapy relationship is more real and thus more useful to them.
The more spontaneously we engage with one another, the more likely your concerns are to manifest inside the therapy hour. As your anxiety or typical ways of relating surface in the safe context of our therapy relationship, I am committed to responding from a place of warmth and curiosity. I am committed to accepting all of the nuanced parts and pieces of your identity. My ultimate goal is to leverage our relationship to help you learn that you no longer have to relate to yourself and others in your old ways (such as trying to be perfect, abandoning your needs, pretending, being on guard around others, masking vulnerability, exercising control, or deflecting with humor). Lasting interpersonal change often starts in the therapy relationship.
While my therapy approach is integrative and draws on many evidence-based approaches, I most often work from a depth-oriented, attachment-based place, favoring existential-humanistic and psychodynamic therapies (e.g., Mentalization-Based Treatment). Occasionally, I incorporate cognitive-behavioral approaches as needed for symptom management (e.g., CBT, ACT).
Education & Training
Credentials:
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (TSBEP #39485)
Advanced training through Postpartum Support International
Postdoctoral fellowship at Houston’s Modern Therapy
Pre-doctoral internship at the University of Houston’s Counseling and Psychological Services
PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston
MA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston
BA in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin