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Get to Know Micaela
Therapist in Austin, TX

Micaela Hernandez, LCSW
Pronouns: She/They/Ella

Hi! My name is Micaela Hernandez, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the states of Texas and Virginia.

 

I strongly believe that each individual is incredibly resilient and has their own unique set of strengths. My passion lies in helping people uncover and harness these strengths. Life can be turbulent, but in therapy, we'll use your inherent strengths to build up your resilience.

 

Are you facing a major life change that's hitting you harder than expected? Or perhaps you're grappling with mixed emotions about big decisions? That's perfectly okay.

 

I strive to make therapy a safe place to process these emotions,  making it easier to move smoothly through changes and making the decisions that have to be made - whether you want to or not.

 

I specialize in helping teens and adults process difficult experiences and leverage their strengths while riding life's roller coaster. Together, we'll work on identifying and amplifying your unique strengths, developing strategies to build resilience, processing complex emotions surrounding life changes, working through decision-making challenges, and finding balance during turbulent times. 

 

Let's collaborate to help you thrive, not just survive, through life's ups and downs.

Micaela Hernandez LCSW

I provide online counseling for residents of Texas and Virginia and in office counseling in Austin, TX

Intergenerational Trauma・ Cultural Stress・ Grief・ Anxiety・ Life Transitions ・LGBTQIA+ 

High School Teens ・ College Students ・ Young Adults ・ Adults

How I Help

One of my favorite sayings is “we all grow from somewhere.” Whether you feel ready to fully jump into therapy, or you’re a bit hesitant to start, I will meet you where you feel most comfortable.

 

I also know that therapy can feel pretty intense at times. To make sure that it doesn’t get overwhelming,  I like to check-in throughout our sessions to gauge how you feel about the pace of our work.

 

Finding the balance that makes therapy feel like it’s working, is a collaborative effort. I am always happy to make adjustments that you think could help you get the most out of therapy. There may be times where you need me to listen more and others where you feel like I am not saying much. Therapy is a dialogue! So, your feedback is so valuable to our time together. It will not only be our guiding light but it will also help us know when it’s time to move forward.

 

No topic is too big, nothing you share with me is too much, nothing will be shunned or shamed, so let’s jump into this together!

Image by Maik Fischer

Areas of Focus

Sometimes the scariest part of starting is not knowing what will take place! I want you to know that in our first couple sessions I will be getting to know more about YOU. I want to know who you are, as a whole person, not only to get to know you for who you are, but also to inform how best to approach our time together. We talk about what brought you to therapy and also identify the goals you are hoping to reach. Together, we will begin to form a safe and open space among one another. This is a great time for us to also discuss any hesitations you have or areas where you feel you may need some more time to work through the struggles that have brought you to therapy. In addition to working with those who have experienced trauma, I also provide therapy for those struggling with anxiety, anger, ADHD, chronic illness, chronic pain, gender and sexual identity exploration, and people pleasing. 

Image of a person facing two different doors, representing life changes and transitions. Discover how Abia, a compassionate female counselor in Illinois, Florida, and Texas, specializes in supporting individuals through adjustment disorders and navigating life's transitions. Find guidance and empowerment as you embark on a new path towards well-being and personal growth. Image by Letizia Bordoni

Have you heard the saying “you can only trust family”? It makes sense in a way, but how are you supposed to feel when your family hurts you? That confusing mix of emotions about your family is hard to work through. It is difficult to know why your family would try to control your decisions, give you ultimatums, or to assign blame when you make mistakes. One important reason these kinds of dynamics show up in family life is generational trauma. Sometimes our family members that came before us have experienced such distressing and traumatic events that the impacts of those events ripple through the generations after them. The experiences we live through growing up not only shape the way we view and interact with the world, but also impacts how our future family members experience it as well. Whether those experiences include things like war, poverty, racism, or other traumatic experiences, our ancestors, or even our own parents, have reacted to those events in many different ways, some less helpful than others. They might have been very cautious of trusting anyone who isn’t in the family, as a result it’s hard to know who to actually trust. Maybe they tried to control your choices at the expense of connecting with you on an emotional level or just ignored your emotional needs completely. It can be really challenging to try to tell your family no or even expressing how you feel when you don’t want to upset your family. The impacts of these experiences are passed down through the generations in a family, until someone recognizes them, names them, and decides to do the work of disrupting that generational pattern of avoidance and harm. 

 

Whether you’re starting a family of your own or going through an experience that has you reflecting on your own childhood, being confronted with the realization that maybe your family wasn’t the healthiest and that you would like to do it differently, means it is time for change.  When we focus on intergenerational trauma in therapy, we will focus on not just “what happened” but also what strength it took to make it through and how to break the cycle of harm that your family has carried forward over time. As Dr. Muriel Buqué has said “we carry generational trauma, but we also carry generational resilience.”

Image of women laughing together, symbolizing the power of connection and support in therapy for women. Discover how Abia, a compassionate female counselor in Illinois, Florida, and Texas, provides specialized therapy for women, creating a safe and empowering space for personal growth, healing, and well-being Image by Priscilla Du Preez

Whether you are preparing for college, are in college, or are leaving college —…you might be thinking what’s next, where do I go from here, or will I be okay? Big life changes are truthfully terrifying especially when we don’t feel as prepared as we need to and instead we feel the uncertainty growing bigger as the change gets closer. 

 

As you’re navigating high school you might be worried about how you’ll make friends, if you’ll be accepted, and if you’re actually ready to leave home after graduation. High school was hard enough, so how could I handle college? The thought of talking to teachers, taking responsibility for school in a way you haven’t had to before, and deciding what you wanna do for the rest of your life, is just too much! Not to mention, talking in front of a class, finding your friend group, and passing your classes, feels so overwhelming. Being away from family or friends that you’ve grown up with has really started to feel more and more isolating. It makes sense that you have started to feel frightened, on edge, or unsure of the future. Asking yourself, do I belong here? Did I make the right choice? I was so excited to come here, why do I feel like this now?

 

In college, there are times where we can struggle with the desire to have perfect grades, a perfect experience of college, and overall be the perfect version of ourselves. Sometimes we feel so incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of work, the responsibility of being independent, or juggling multiple roles that we keep pushing off doing our work and studying. There can also be the experience of feeling lonely, and we may be scared to reach out to our loved ones for support.  

 

Even when you make it through the challenges of college life, getting ready to graduate presents its own hurdles. As you’re getting ready to graduate you can feel the nervousness setting in. Am I ready? Did college prepare me for my career? What if this job isn’t what I imagined? However complicated the next steps feel, it’s always helpful to have someone to process with. When you’re scared, choices feel daunting and impossible. It’s hard to lean into our strengths and remember that we are capable of overcoming difficult experiences. Through our work together, even when scary, we can explore different paths and use your strengths as supports for our journey through. 

Sad, unhappy woman.

Grief and Loss
 

Loss comes in so many forms. From losing a loved one, to ending a career, or grieving the loss of a relationship, how to grieve the loss in the most helpful way for you, can be hard to do on your own. You may have emotions of sadness, confusion, anger, and uncertainty. Where do I go from here? How will I ever heal? Will I even heal? Did they know how much they meant to me? Could I have done anything different? You’re getting tired of hearing “I’m so sorry for your loss.” You cry every time someone mentions it. Maybe you feel emotional about a relationship or marriage that has come to an end. You thought this person would be in your life forever. You never imagined you’d be here. Perhaps your childhood home has been destroyed by an awful storm. You imagined yourself in this home for years, and even hoped to give it to your children one day. There are so many questions you have and yet no answer anyone offers feels right. There is no right or wrong emotion in grief. In fact, there is no right or wrong way to process grief. Everyone’s experience of grief and each individual loss is uniquely different. What may work for someone may not work for others.


 

I am here to support you in processing all the emotions you carry on your journey of healing. If you feel lost, we can take the time to just understand why the loss is confusing or where to begin to process. If you feel sad, we can take the time to explore what part of the loss that may be making the hurt linger. If you feel annoyed that it continues to bother you after all this time, we can explore what may be holding you back from healing. Loss has a way of feeling defeated, but together we can find a path to moving through this experience. Living without these consuming emotions is not far away.

Racing Cars

A Bit About Me

You’re probably thinking, “I’ve read your bio but who ARE you? Like really?” Well at my core, I value a lot of rest and quality time. Which is probably my creative way of saying I’m a homebody. During racing season, you’ll catch me on most Sundays watching Max Verstappan dominate Formula 1 (ugh, again!) I also really enjoy spending quality time with my number one love, my cat, Luna.

 

I also grew up in the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia), so you’ll often find me visiting my family for holidays or heading to RVA for a weekend trip to visit some cherished places. I also really enjoy building floral LEGOs, binging reality TV, and being near any body of water!

Water

Let's rediscover your Bright Light.

My Qualifications

MSSW in Clinical Social Work

2020

The University of Texas at Austin

Bachelor of Social Work

2019

Virginia Commonwealth University

License Information

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Texas, 103639

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Virginia, 904016829

Texas Public Complaint
Notification Statement

The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council investigates and prosecutes professional misconduct committed by marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, psychologists, psychological associates, social workers, and licensed specialists in school psychology. Although not every complaint against or dispute with a licensee involves professional misconduct, the Executive Council will provide you with information about how to file a complaint. Please call 1-800-821-3205 for more information

For assistance please contact:

Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council

1801 Congress Ave., Ste. 7.300, Austin, Texas 78701

(512) 305- 7700, or 1-800-821-3205.

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30 N Michigan Ave Ste 515,

Chicago, Illinois 60602

1500 W 38th St Suite 32,

Austin, Texas 78731

Contact

FX: 1-888-356-8766

We acknowledge that the Chicago office of Bright Light Counseling Center is located on the unceded land of the Potawatomi, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Myaamia, Kaskaskia, Kickapoo, Ho-Chunk, and Peoria Nations. We also acknowledge that the Austin office of Bright Light Counseling Center is located on the unceded land of the Tonkawa, Coahuiltecan, Jumanos, Comanche, Lipan Apache, and Sana Nations.We pay our respects to the elders, past and present, of these Nations. We are grateful for the opportunity to work and live on this land.

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