Abby Wilson, LCSW

While therapy can be a space to be challenged in taking ownership and accountability, you should never feel shamed or judged by your therapist. All of the thoughts, feelings, & experiences are welcome in therapy 🤍

How do you experience trust in your decisions?

Re-connecting with ourselves after losing our sense of self is how we grow.

Our pain does not have to be meaningless; it is where our growth lies.

What gives you a sense of protection?

A full week of diving into existential-analysis material and deepening connections with my cohort in Portland. It’s been an enriching experience, to say the least. Excited to continue this journey over the next several years and see what unfolds.

“The great task of our existence is to make our existence personal. Existence is not here all by itself; I have some ability to influence it. This fundamental contribution can intensify our experience. Existence is an option, an offer. We can be here and not take it up. We can let life happen and have very little say in how we experience it. We can hope that the winds turn in our favor. Realizing our existence is an option, a possibility. I have to make it my own first.”

— my favorite quote from my professor this week

Letting go of the burdens that were never yours to carry, and taking steps towards who you are becoming.

When we ignore the parts of ourselves that need attention, they will continue to get louder.

Prepped for a long weekend of EA training with fresh flowers, a matcha at , and enjoying the sunset during our break last night.

A reminder from our instructor (on uncertainty) - “you are not the questions, you are the answers.”

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead 🤍

- from an existential therapist 🤍

Sometimes self-care is about simplicity. Let’s normalize doing less and allowing ourselves to just be.

Knowing what matters to you and why it matters is how you come to better understand yourself. 🤍

Growth requires some form of loss. Let yourself grieve, and then let yourself grow ✨

This is why understanding our past is so critical to our healing. Compassion towards these parts > judgment, criticism, & shame.

And maybe it’s a little bit of both… but when we trust that we’ll show up for ourselves when we need to, that we’ll challenge or reject what is not healthy for us, we feel more empowered and secure in relationships.

When we have a healthier sense of self, we have the discernment needed to open up with others who feel safe and trustworthy.

Sometimes it’s not so much about trusting others, but about trusting yourself. 🤍

The way this trend/movie portrays attachment wounds & inner-child healing 🙌

Many people don’t realize how their inner-child shows up in their present day relationships. Fear of abandonment, self-sabotage, over-functioning, avoidance, etc. can often be tied back to early childhood experiences.

This is why re-parenting ourselves is so healing. This starts with understanding our childhood experiences and how our attachment wounds are showing up today. From there, we can begin to have corrective emotional experiences that lead to secure attachment 🤍

Thank you & for my new website photo! 🥰

Now seems like a good time for a re-introduction✨

Hi! I’m Abby. I am a mental health therapist based out of Austin, Texas. I work with young professional women navigating anxiety, relationships, identity, and life.

I am a relational, humanistic, and existential therapist which basically means my approach focuses a lot on living a fulfilling existence, values-based decisions, freedom & choice, and understanding the impact of our relationships (past & present).

Therapy changed my life in my early 20’s and led to me shifting my career path to become a therapist. I know the impact firsthand, and it’s part of what makes me so passionate about what I do.

Thank you for being here and following along! 🤍

Inspirational quotes from “The Pivot Year” ✨ I’ve loved starting my mornings lately with reading a few pages from this book. Really helps set the tone for the day ahead. These are just a few of my favorites I’ve come across.

Happy Tuesday! 🫶

Yep, even your therapist doesn’t know what the f*ck they’re doing sometimes 🙃. We are all vulnerable to tragedy, heartbreak, uncertainty, fear of death, relationship stress, trauma, you name it.

No one has it “all figured out” because life isn’t always easy and it’s actually very bizarre to just exist in this world.

You are not alone. Go easy on yourself 🤍

Excited to share that I have some new openings for clients in Texas! ✨

I work with professional women navigating quarter-life struggles including anxiety, relationships, self-esteem, and life transitions.

My approach in therapy is trauma-informed, relational, and grounded in humanistic and existential philosophy. I love working with women in their 20’s and 30’s who are motivated to grow and have a desire to understand themselves on a deeper level.

In therapy, I’ll help you gain insight into how your past has impacted you and how we can move forward with intention. We’ll gain clarity around your values and what truly matters to you so we can take steps that are rooted in your authenticity.

We’ll work towards creating a meaningful and fulfilling life - whatever that looks like to you.

Reach out today for a free 15 minute consultation —> link is in bio.

Follow for more mental health content. ✨

Constantly sacrificing your needs and boundaries for someone else isn’t love; it’s codependency.

When we step out of the cycle of enabling, we step into a place of secure love - a relationship where boundaries exist. We give the other the opportunity to mess up and possibly take accountability.

Not an easy task, but often necessary for more inner-peace.

Some existential question prompts to start off your week… 🫣

From my notes; on being human, fulfillment, & involvement with life. ✨

Happy Sunday 🤍

And then it’s deciding what we are going to do with it all ✨

This is why we say the relationship to self is most important ✨

Coping skills are great, but let’s also leave room for sitting in the discomfort, holding space for the pain, and allowing it to just be. 🤍

I didn’t plan for today to be a “mental health day” but that’s exactly how it felt. Started the morning with a yoga class, got coffee with a few therapist friends, got a massage, and then dinner with a good friend (who I’ve now known for nearly 20 years!!! 🥹 we actually lived together when I decided to become a therapist - she’s seen it all 😅).

Felt like a truly meaningful day.

Sometimes self-care is in the small, simple, day to day acts and other times it can be intentionality around a whole day or even weekend. Regardless, it’s about tending to what you need so you can feel restored afterwards. Meaningful connection with others and taking care of my body does it for me every time 😌.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead 🫶

Self-betrayal can show up in so many ways - sometimes through big decisions (like who we choose as our partner), and other times in our daily habits that might seem small but are just as significant.

If you’re aware that you’ve been betraying yourself in some way, what’s keeping you stuck? What is one small change you can make towards a life that feels more fulfilling to you?

Anybody else loving this gloomy weather? After being in sunny California for a month, I’m actually appreciating the coziness this weather brings 😌. A helpful reminder to slow down and take time to reset. Permission to just chill a for a bit. Funny how the weather/different seasons can serve as a reminder of what we need in life.

Also loving the pieces of wisdom from this new book. Just what I needed to hear coming out of a season of so much “doing”. Happy Tuesday 🙂

Some of my favorite takeaways from existential-analysis training this past weekend:

Active engagement with life is where we create meaning + fulfillment. EA is about the experience, not so much about the cognitions. We ask - “how do you experience that?” to help someone understand if there is true inner-consent in their behaviors/choices/actions.

True inner-consent means living in authenticity with who you are at your core. It means saying “yes” to what matters to you/what you value and “no” to whatever betrays your Self.

We see our decisions as leading towards something greater, otherwise our choices are meaningless. We evolve through our decisions - we develop our Self through our relationship to life.

We don’t know where every decision will lead, but we take responsibility for these choices. Even if we regret it later on, when we live with inner-consent, we do not betray our Self through our decisions.

Consent requires inner-knowledge + self-awareness. Consent allows me space to be myself. It allows me to stand behind something with a readiness to deal with potential effort or anxiety or consequences that follow.

Living with inner-consent gives us the highest possible chance to live a life of fulfillment and happiness. 🤍

Thoughts? So far, I’m obsessed 🙃