Compassionately Grounded Therapy

01/20/2023

Double Tap 🤍 if you are working on letting go of some of these impossible jobs!
Gone are the days for feeling responsible for the actions and feelings of others.
Yet when you do find yourself in this situation again, set a limit and remind yourself that you are in control of YOU, that’s it.

11/16/2022

Not Pictured: CGT doing a presentation for parents of a high school in ATX.
Presentation titled:
“Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health”
Matching outfits were unplanned 🤷🏽‍♀️
*message us for the presentation link

11/16/2022

NEW TEEN —DBT Skills Group
We have a few more spots available for this upcoming group! Message us on our website or email us for more details. Group will be virtual and in person.

10/19/2022

Therapy might feel really weird at first!
-that’s totally normal , it’s a new environment after all. It may take a while for you to get used to , and it’s okay if you don’t feel immediately comfortable. Remember to give yourself grace and to let your therapist know how you’re feeling! Give yourself time to get comfortable with the process ✨

10/12/2022

Hey Pumpkin! 🎃
It’s Officially Fall ! Here’s a gentle reminder to engage in some kindness towards yourself this October by practicing some self-care. Make the intention to do things that bring you joy.

08/31/2022

1 Whole Year of …
Compassionately Grounded Therapy ✨
Today we celebrate 1 year of being open as a private practice & serving the Austin community. If we haven’t met yet, our names are Damaris & Lauren. We are the founders of CGT, PLLC. It’s hard to believe that we launched 1 year ago. It both feels like we blinked and now we’re here; and at the same time like such a big and hard earned milestone . They say when you start your own business /private practice - the first year is the hardest.. and when you open in 2021 — well, you get the picture!
Despite all of the challenges there were also several rewarding moments. One thing remains crystal clear - how grateful we are for every single one of YOU. Thank you for every referral, words of encouragement, feedback, trusting us to be your therapist or a therapist of someone you referred, and overall believing in the mission of CGT.
Your support has given us the opportunity to support several teens, college aged students, and adults. We also have fulfilled a dream to own a practice and be creative. We love getting to be Boss Girls and get involved with our own marketing, branding, website, and beyond.
We both feel thankful that In our first year we expanded our team. (Hello Katie Ray, LMSW! 👋🏽) & she is helping us by taking on new clients and running DBT skills groups.
While we are so proud of what our past year entailed, we are motivated and excited about what this new year will bring. Growth, challenges, new groups, new clients , highs/lows— we’ll welcome them with grateful and open hearts. All of it is beautiful and worth it if it means we can help support people on their journey to healing. We can’t thank you all enough 🤍
With Gratitude ,
Lauren, Katie, & Damaris

08/28/2022

•Get to Know : Katie Ray, LMSW•
1) What is your favorite day of the week ?
🌿Thursday
2)Favorite childrens book
🌿Goodnight Moon
3) Your current mantra/affirmation
🌿This is difficult and I can face it anyway.
4) Favorite DBT skill
🌿Self-soothe
5) Favorite color
🌿Leaf green
6) Favorite coffee shop in austin
🌿Flightpath
7) What do you like most about being a therapist ?
🌿Getting to build relationships with clients and watch them grow!

08/25/2022

Get To Know : Lauren Sanchez, LCSW
1) What is your favorite day of the week ?
🌿Thursday because it’s almost Friday
2)Favorite childrens book
🌿The Hungry Caterpillar
3) Your current mantra/affirmation
🌿Things are as they should be
4) Favorite DBT skill
🌿Opposite Action 💯
5)Favorite color
🌿mustard yellow
6) Favorite coffee shop in austin
I’m a huge Starbucks fan but when I feel like giving myself the full coffee experience, I’ll go to Palomino Coffee.
7) What do you like most about being a therapist ?
Deep connection - Being a therapist to me means being able to connect deeply with others. Throughout our lives, we develop relationships in many ways, some which last a lifetime and some for only a moment in time. Some of these connections have lasting impacts on our lives and perspectives we carry into the here and now. I appreciate the ability to share a space with my clients and see how this connection develops overtime at a deeper level. I feel honored in accompanying them on this journey and hope they can experience being seen and heard when for some they haven't before. This is one of the most rewarding parts of being a therapist.
Clients as teachers - My favorite part of being a therapist is learning from my clients and all the wisdom and energy they bring to our discussions. My clients themselves, just as they are, bring about so much growth for me and that is something I only can hope to give back to others.

08/24/2022

{Get to know Damaris Rodriguez,LCSW }
1) What is your favorite day of the week ?
🌿Thursdays
2)Favorite childrens book
🌿Go Dog Go! By Dr.Seuss
3) Your current mantra/affirmation
🌿”Healing” & “I’m right where I need to be”
4) Favorite DBT skill
🌿Accumulating Positives in the short term
5)Favorite color
🌿🌸💕👚
6) Favorite coffee shop in austin
🌿
7) What do you like most about being a therapist ?
🌿I Love Helping People Learn About Themselves.
🌿 Laughter- Yes, there are tears and scrunched up tissue at times, but there is probably more laughter in the therapy room than you would think. As a relationship builds between my clients and me, we are able to laugh together. You want to be yourself with your Therapist, and be able to feel intensity, but at the same time feel a light-hardheartedness and positive energy when you're in the therapy room. The therapy room is an uplifting place, and it is YOUR space--not mine.
🌿Witnessing a client’s Growth- This is my absolute my favorite part of the Therapy process. I often see clients at their most desperate and lowest point in their lives. There are feelings of shame, unworthiness, sadness, anger, and hopelessness. But, over time, we work together so you can RISE. You are the one doing the work, and busting through blocks, barriers, and hard stuff in your life. You are the one pursuing the better you, the stronger you, the resilient you.

08/18/2022

There are still spots open for our young adult DBT skills group! Email us for more details or check out our website (link in bio) to send us a message. The group will be run by Katie,LMSW.

06/08/2022

Teen DBT skill group now available !
CGT is excited to provide another teen DBT skill group this summer. Send us an email for more information or to sign up! Spots are limited.

05/19/2022

Imposter syndrome is connected to shame..
This happens because we don’t talk about it and the pattern of thinking connected to this syndrome can keep us captive for years.
Some shameful thinking patterns we may have are :
👉🏽I’m not worthy
👉🏽What will people think when they realize I’m not good at this
👉🏽I can’t believe I don’t know how to do this- I’m so stupid/dumb/etc.
👉🏽I’m only valuable by the accomplishments that people value about me
👉🏽I won’t be taken seriously if I’m myself
Overcoming your Imposter Syndrome means changing /challenging the behaviors that keep this cycle going
Imposter Syndrome Behaviors :
👉🏽 over-functioning to compensate for feeling like a fraud
👉🏽Focusing on pleasing others
👉🏽Seeking Validation
👉🏽Getting caught up with being a star, the “go-to” person, a super person, a martyr
👉🏽Mind reading what other people are thinking about you (thinking error👀)- *jumping to conclusions *
👉🏽Focusing only on the negative about yourself (thinking error 👀)
*Mental filtering*
———————————-
Stay Tuned for a follow up post on how to begin making changes around Imposter Syndrome ✨

01/19/2022

What the Internet tells us Self-Love is vs. What Self-Love actually is —🤍
A lot of what we see about self-love on our daily scrolls tells us that we must do it out loud for it to be valid -which simply isn’t true. Self-Love is totally a personal experience.
We define what Self-Love is for us because we know the gaps we may need to fill.
We know self love is so much more than just how we love ourselves, but also how we allow and ask others to love us.

10/29/2021

We are still taking referrals for group! Feel free to share this flyer !

We are an inclusive therapy practice based in Austin, Tx.

10/13/2021

Meet Damaris 🌿
Damaris has extensive experience working with different ages who have a variety of mental health diagnosis including but not limited to: anxiety, depression, suicidality, self-harm, and trauma.
Her passion is to help her clients recognize their resilience as they navigate challenges in their lives by using a warm, authentic, compassionate, and client centered approach to therapy.
Damaris has a unique aim to be flexible with her clients by adjusting her style and pace to suit their needs.
In her free time, she enjoys orange theory fitness, watching true crime documentaries, shopping at Disney stores, and attending UT football games.

10/08/2021

Meet Lauren 🌿

Lauren enjoys working with individuals including adolescents and young adults, and their family systems to enhance growth in areas clients feel stuck.
Lauren’s approach to therapy is strengths-based in nature knowing that every client is different and the expert in their own experiences.
Lauren is a proponent of using compassion, humor, and a non-judgmental stance in her sessions with clients. She strives to explore the strengths and uniqueness of each person and believes everyone possesses an inner wisdom.
When she’s not working, you can find her playing sports, fantasizing and creating interior home design, spending time with her dogs, and exploring new/old Austin.

09/16/2021

Anxiety presents itself in so many ways. Sometimes there are symptoms we think are related to medical issues when in actuality anxiety is manifesting itself through physical issues.
🌿aching muscles after waking up
🌿breathlessness
🌿sensory overload
🌿doing everything quickly
🌿headaches & dizziness
🌿tension in your neck /shoulders
🌿constantly needing the toilet
🌿unexplained stomach problems
🌿skin issues
🌿ringing in your ears
🌿blurry vision
Of course we want you to seek medical attention first to screen for any medical issues that could be present & we also want to educate ways that anxiety can present after we have been cleared by a doctor
Having anxiety symptoms ? & need support schedule your free 20min consultation with us ! Link in Bio.