KIMBERLEY MEAD, LPC-S

Relational & Somatic Therapist | Supervisor | Educator | Adoptee

A Little About Kimberley

Who I am is woven into the work I choose to do.

I have always been deeply curious about people, their stories, how they experience the world, who they are, and who they might become. This has been the thread that connects the different chapters of my life.

I grew up in creative communities along the Coast of California and around the Great Lakes of Canada before eventually settling in Austin. I went to school for art, and then spent my early years in corporate America, where I worked first as a graphics and UX designer, then as a traveling business consultant, and eventually as a creative director. I now feed my creative spirit through acting and photography.

When I shifted my career, I decided to become a therapist with the focus of working with adults who had been adopted because I knew from the inside that adoption can leave people carrying questions, longing, and a complicated search for belonging and connection. As often happens, I took a turn along the way.

Early in my career, I found myself working at a grief center and discovered how deeply meaningful the work was to me. Working with those whose loved ones had died opened a deep, honest presence in me that felt both tender and grounding. Since then grief, like it does eventually for all of us, knocked on my door. I’ve tended to illness, said goodby to loved ones including both my parents, and kept vigil at the bedsides of dying friends and family. Grief has many lessons, most of them cannot be found in a book they must be lived through.

After more than 14 years as a therapist, I’ve learned that some things can only be understood through time. My work is shaped by deep study and ongoing learning, and by what I have lived and witnessed. I’ve come to understand that presence and the permission to be fully human in the room are as essential to healing as any theory or technique.

How I Work

There are times in life when we find ourselves in a lonely, isolated place. We have lost our sense of who we are beneath the weight of it all. There is a natural longing to feel whole, to have hope, and when we can’t find that path, we feel broken. I know I have.

It’s natural to ask “Why?” Why am I like this? Why did this happen? So many whys. We believe understanding will be the path to healing. And it can help us make sense of how we got here, but so often, it doesn’t actually free us. How often have I heard, “I know that, but it doesn’t change how I feel.”

That’s why I work from a relational and somatic perspective. I want to help you piece together not only what happened, but who you became because of what happened and, most importantly, how to move toward what comes next.

I don't see you as broken or as a collection of symptoms to treat. I see you as a complex person with experiences, relationships, strengths, losses, and pain that brought you here. I have found that therapy is more about learning to grieve what has been lost, making sense of experiences that have never quite fit together, and gently learning how to approach trauma that has remained stuck for a long time.

If you need to swear, swear. If you need to cry, cry. When words aren't enough, we'll find other ways to listen to what is happening beneath the surface through movement, sensation, imagery, or simply paying attention to what your body already knows. And sometimes, even in the middle of hard things, there is room for laughter. Not because the pain isn't real, but because it helps soften the heartache.

I can't change what has happened or what life asks of you, but I have found that healing is ultimately about finding a way forward without leaving parts of yourself behind.

Areas of Specialty

Grief & Loss · Adult Adoptees · Relationship Struggles · Boundaries & Identity · C-PTSD

In-Person in Austin + Virtual throughout Texas & Georgia

For Clinicians

I offer the following support to clinicians because we need each other to thrive.

Clinical Consultation · LPC Supervision · Workshops · Consultation Groups · Coaching for Private Practice

Fees

Standard 60 minute session: $190 · Extended 90 minute Session: $285
Current Hardship Rate starts at $140

Case Consultation Standard Fee: $190 per hour
For new therapists in their first two years of practice, I charge the same as your full published clinical rate.