We had the good fortune of connecting with Thomas Austin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thomas, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I spent about ten years working with clients in an number of different settings and stages of mental health treatment prior to starting my practice. Over time, I began to notice a trend in the industry. Unfortunately, many people are not able to access quality mental health care until it reaches a point of crisis in their lives. In my experience, both personally and professionally, this is far to late to begin the therapeutic process. I believe that there is a need for high-quality therapeutic intervention and counseling as a tool for prevention, not just as a reaction to a problem. You wouldn’t wait to change your oil until the engine has already seized. Basically, I saw a need for services that was not being filled, and I decided to fill it. My goal is to reduce the stigma of mental health care and therapy and to help more people live fulfilled, happy, self-actualized lives.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am incredibly grateful to be where I am today, but my life did not always look the way it does now. After college, I had developed a serious anxiety disorder. I was experiencing panic attacks multiple times per week and had difficulty holding jobs or relationships for any period of time. Over time, and without treatment, I found myself abusing alcohol regularly in an attempt to calm my chronically dysregulated nervous system. When I finally reached a point of crisis, I found myself in a therapist’s office. I discovered that with the right guidance and techniques, and by having someone in my corner who I knew was there to help me work through these issues, I was able to find contentment and peace. I no longer experience the symptoms of anxiety and have been without a drink for over six years!

I love being able to use my lived-experience to give back to others in the way my therapist did for me so many years ago. I believe that my lived-experience, in addition to years of training and practice in the field, helps me stand out from the crowd and connect with my client’s in a meaningful, compassionate, and understanding way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man, Colorado is home to so many amazing places, but one more than others stands out in my mind. Whenever I get the chance, I take people to Eleven Mile Reservoir in Lake George, CO. That place is truly special. We love kayaking on the reservoir and discovering new little coves and rock formations along the shores. The sunsets are incredible, and the mountains and wildlife are different from anything I have experienced in the past. I may be a little biased, because my wife and I took our first camping trip together there many years ago, and it really set the course of the rest of our lives together. We still try to make it out at least once a year when possible.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Anyone who has ever had the courage to look themselves in the mirror and begin the process of healing.

Website: https://COLifeTherapy.com

Instagram: ColoradoLifeTherapy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colorado-life-therapy/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJz6bynAn_g&t=23s&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

Other: Email me at TAustinLCSW@gmail.com or call/text me at (720)263-2493

Image Credits
TJ Austin

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