Beth Cortez-Neavel

So, you’re looking for a therapist. Asking for help is a courageous first step to healing! As I tell you more about my skills and specialities, keep in mind I’m here to center you and your needs for therapy in a gentle way.

My primary goal as your therapist is to hold a safer, nonjudgmental space for you as we uncover your innate power and most genuine self. I truly believe you are the authority of your own experiences and I am here as part guide, part sidekick, and part confidant.

I am trained in evidenced-based and structured trauma work including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I have also trained in the Gottman approach and family systems work. If you’re interested in learning more about how those types of therapy can help you, I am happy to explore that with you. I also provide trauma-informed talk therapy through relational and cultural lenses.

If this sounds interesting, let’s talk about what our work together will look like. We’ll collaboratively explore – at your own pace – how you hold meaning in your life and how your experiences influence the relationships you have with yourself, your partners, your children, your community, and the world. Whether you are seeking counseling as a teen, individual adult, intimate partnership, or family, I am honored to be your companion and help you get curious about the core need for healing.

I work with many different types of clients. But, my specialties are working with intimate partnerships (including consensually non-monogamous and kink), gender identity, sexual identity, navigating your place in the LGBTQIA+ community, teen dating violence, and/or sexual trauma.

(If you would like to read a little more about me as a human person, not just as a clinician, feel free to scroll down to the end of this page).

A little about me

I am a Latinx, neurodivergent, queer, and nonbinary native Austinite. I worked as a journalist for 8 years before I realized a career in counseling and therapy was calling to me in a loud voice. I have my M.A. in Counseling from Texas State University and am continuing to learn through training, professional literature, and podcasts. My peers and supervisors have told me I have a calming demeanor in the counseling room and during a crisis. I have an empathetic nature and am always striving to challenge and unlearn any socialized biases or prejudices. I don’t shy away from humor or cursing in my practice.

I enjoy cooking, going on long walks (mountains, not beaches), advocating for social justice issues in my community, and making deep personal connections with others. I am a secret introvert and my favorite thing is to curl up on a comfy chair with a good book. In my creative spirit, I am a writer and poet. I am not the best at understanding board game rules, but I love playing them anyway! Studio Ghibli movies are my calm place.

That’s enough about me! I’m ready to turn the focus on you!