Amanda Dishner, LMFT-S

Smashing fear-based and starvation economy mindsets is my jam! I believe love is the root of radical change. Love for self and others is essential for growth and happiness. It requires courage, vulnerability, compassion, empathy, healthy boundaries, and strong listening & communication skills, to name a few. With love, we can sit with ourselves and others free of judgement, guilt, or shame. From this place real change is made. My goal is to help you love yourself, feel seen & loved, and love others by empathically holding space for your processing, strengthening your boundaries & instincts, healing your past, and empowering you to create the presence & future you truly desire.

I like working with a wide variety of clients and have enjoyed watching the demographic of my clientele organically shift over the last 10+ years. I am currently focusing on individuals and families navigating fertility, ART, adoption, pregnancy & postpartum, and parenthood. Other areas of specialty are: trauma & grief work; dream work; consensual non-monogamy; and families with neurodivergence. Some common threads in all these niches involve encouraging balance, self-care, compassion, and creating healthy boundaries. With an open mind & heart, a little humor, and genuine passion, I will support you in finding your own path to a more balanced and satisfying life. I pull from a variety of techniques and balance therapeutic interventions with goal-oriented coaching strategies.

Therapy can be both preventative and healing and I believe it should be an integral part of everyone's self-care repertoires, helping us through the challenging times and the good times. When we take care of ourselves, we become better equipped to handle all of life - the ordinary and extraordinary. I provide a safe, unbiased, and judgement free place to grow and find balance. Just as in all areas of life, there will be hard times in therapy. Reflecting, adjusting, and growing are difficult but rewarding. I'll be there every step of the way, challenging you to live the life you want, directly and sugar-coated in unconditional empathy, compassion, and curiosity.

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Education, License, & Special Trainings

  • Texas State Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Board Approved Supervisor, License # 201978

  • CRM Trained Clinician

  • Perinatal Mental Health Trained

  • RETAIN Parental Leave Coach in Training

  • EMDR Trained Clinician

  • MA, Marriage & Family Therapy and Professional Counseling, St. Edward's University, 2012

  • BA, Psychology and Human Development & Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, 2005

The Castell Story

Castell means castle in Catalan - the language of Catalonia, a historic nationality in Northern Spain. It refers to the Catalan ritual of building human towers. Building human towers has become a competitive sport, spreading across the globe, displaying great feats of strength, courage, and unity. The motto of castellers (members of the human tower) is "Strength, Balance, Courage, and Reason". The formations require all four characteristics on both an individual and communal level.

I chose this namesake for my practice because of the similarities between the symbolism of castells and my philosophies about life. I believe the old adage "it takes a village" rings true around the world. However, modern Western society often overemphasizes the importance of independence, which can lead to struggles over autonomy versus community. On the other hand, focusing too much on what society deems appropriate and denying your true self can lead to despair. With this practice, it is my intent to provide therapy that can strengthen our independence, renew our communities, and help us find balance in life. 

The below images are of teams building castells. A team of castellers hold onto each other to form a strong base for others to climb up, building a human tower. Pretty incredible! It is an amazing feat of instincts, community, strength, balance, communication, vulnerability, courage, empathy, love, passion, & patience. These are vital components of a well-lived life. If any of these are missing or not present enough in your life, I’m here to help.