GENEVIEVE SAENZ, MA, LICENSED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST
TEXAS LICENSE #202925

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is your rate and do you take insurance?

My rate is $180 for 50 min of counseling. There are no sliding scale rates available at this time. I am not on any insurance panels nor do I foresee joining insurance panels in the future. I do take HSA/FSA cards as a form of payment. I can also provide a superbill with a diagnosis on it (when appropriate) that you may submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement.

What is your location?

I have a hybrid model of seeing clients both online and in person. My physical office is in Northwest Austin, Tx. I offer secure online sessions for clients who currently reside in the state of Texas, USA. I am licensed in Texas and can not practice therapy across state lines.

How long will I be in therapy?

I prefer to work in a short term model; focused on helping people facilitate long term change. Everyone is different and this treatment model is not appropriate for all clients. I tell new folks to consider dedicating to a therapeutic process with me for a “season” of life. I say this because human beings generally grow and change in accordance with seasonal shifts that are echoed in nature, our communities, and our biologies. After a season of therapy you will likely feel ready for some kind of shift; be it into less counseling or a different mode of therapeutic experience.

What happens in counseling?

Weird magic, but not that kind of magic.
Honestly, if I had a magic wand to just take away your pain, I would absolutely do that and that would be awesome… but I don’t.
What happens in therapy is we sit in a lot of pain together while we find ways to eliminate the shit we can and transform what we can’t into a catalyst for growth. But it isn’t all muck, often we laugh and play and have fun because there are an endless number of ways to show up for yourself.

Do I have to make art?

Art making is optional, creativity is not. I have lots of art supplies and poetry books in my office which I use to send out lots of invitations to think outside the box. Often my sessions are entirely traditional talk therapy. That said, I do tend to have a creative or symbolic lens through which I view healing and, while we may never make “art” we will undoubtedly veer into the realm of imagination and storytelling at some point.

What is your license and training?

My MA is in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy, obtained from CIIS in SanFrancisco in 2012. I have been a licensed therapist in the state of Texas since 2016, I obtained my full LMFT status in 2020. I also have additional training in EFT, drama therapy, sexual health, Jungian psychotherapy, ethical non-monogamy, life coaching, mindfulness, and spiritual counseling.

I do understand how hard it is to find a good fit in therapy. If you need more immediate help there are several options such as group counseling practices, non-profit counseling agencies, and even online services that match you with a therapist.
I wish you well on your journey and hope that you find the support you need.

MakeSpace

Let’s do therapy from home! Grab a couch and log in to secure, encrypted video sessions via my Telehealth platform. Or come into my beautiful and peaceful office…maybe we will spot some deer out the window.

Make Time

Sessions usually last 50 min and happen weekly. Most sessions include art directives and homework. Longer sessions can be arranged for relationships and those who only want to come in occasionaly.

Make Magic.

Just by reading this you have already taken the first step. 

It is not easy to reach out, but doing so can begin to shift things. The most healing aspect of the therapeutic process is that you don't have to do it alone.

As your therapist, I will warmly invite you to sit down with your own inner genius. You have all you need to grow and heal, let me help you find it.

 Let's start dreaming about what your life might be like on the other side of this passageway.

Therapeutic Style

Conscious

Mindfulness is the basic (but not easy)human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Hello, wake up. Good morning. Breathe. Let’s be here now.

Like most therapists, I combine ideas and interventions that inspire me the most in to a unique style of working with clients.

This is a list of the therapeutic theories and techniques I draw from most often. -Person Centered Therapy - Jungian Analysis - Solution Focused Brief Therapy - Systems Theory - Gottman Stuff - Spiritual Counseling - Experiential Therapy - Mindfulness. 

Creative

Creativity and playfulness are gateways to the unconscious where help, truth, (and sometimes a bit of trouble) lie in wait for us.

BUT artists do not have a monopoly on creativity. We all have access to it if we can simply step away from our attachment to the product and let ourselves get involved in the process.

Your creativity is your birthright and your best medicine.

I am an expressive arts therapist, y’all. In session we may or may not do “art”, but I am absolutely going to invite you to take creative risks. We will speak in symbol and metaphor, we will talk of sacred rites, we will laugh about silly dance moves, we will discuss your favorite earthly delights and how certain poems feel like home.

I have learned over the years that your creativity is my co-therapist; because it taps you into your ability to grow and heal. You don’t need me. You need access to your own voice.

Change

Transformations can be small or large, public or private. They can last years, minutes, or days. Their wake can be brutal or barely noticed. Regardless, evolution being what it is, they are a fact of life.

You will change, the question is how.

In a world that lacks sacrament and ceremony, making time for therapy and creative reflection during life transitions ensures that we come out on the other side of these passageways healthy and whole.

Here is the crux of what I believe about this: honoring and recognizing life transition, whether personally or publicly, is psychologically imperative for mental health. 

Examples of life transitions include:

• Pregnancy and new parenthood

• Engagement or newlywed period

• Career change

• Death and Bereavement

• Break-ups, separation, and divorce

• Puberty or Coming of Age

• "Coming out" (as LGBTQA and/or non-traditional relationship)