Austa Murray , LCSW

Austa Murray is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 22 years of experience helping people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and relationship or intimacy concerns. She also supports people facing parenting challenges, ADHD, trauma and abuse, and issues related to LGBT identity. Her style aims to make people feel heard and respected from the first conversation.

Austa moves at a pace that feels comfortable for each person. She focuses on building a trusting connection so clients can talk through what matters most. Sessions blend listening, practical skill building, and clear explanations of coping strategies.

She draws on attachment-based thinking to look at how early relationships affect present patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques are used to identify unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. Client-centered principles guide the way she responds, keeping the person’s goals central.

In practice Austa mixes insight-oriented work with hands-on tools. That can mean learning emotion regulation skills, practicing new communication habits, or developing steps to manage mood shifts and stress. She also addresses complex trauma and relational wounds with care and attention to pacing.

People considering therapy will find conversations that are compassionate and practical. Austa helps create a clear plan tailored to each person’s needs. She works from Illinois and conducts sessions in English.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current feelings and reactions. Online work can help uncover those patterns and practice new ways of relating in real time. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress and adapts well to video or phone sessions for homework and skill practice.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. That collaborative process guides whether more attachment-oriented, CBT, or other techniques are used in sessions.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversations and skill demonstrations. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or for a focused check-in. Live chat or text-based messaging works well for brief check-ins, journaling between sessions, or people who prefer typed communication. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy schedules.