Jade Austin, MA

Everyone has and deserves the opportunity to seek truth and find meaning in their lives and the world around them. While immersed in our day-to-day flow of responsibilities, this exploration for meaning can so easily get pushed to the backburner while we continue to go through the motions. We may find ourselves feeling stuck or even in crisis when our past trauma, current circumstance or lifestyle has inhibited our ability to remain grounded, connect authentically, and live a life we find meaningful. Sometimes healing requires slowing down and peeling back the layers of our lives to uncover that our most basic needs have not been met. In the therapeutic relationship, my goal is simply to be a safe & real person to connect with and provide some guidance while you do what you need to do. This might look like processing life events and their meaning, understanding & addressing symptoms of mental illness, or just learning how to better care for yourself.

I strive for a genuine connection in therapy to create an environment free of judgement where exploration can begin. Wherever you are in your journey, I’ll meet you there and walk with you on your way to the next checkpoint. My own journey to become a therapist started fifteen years ago when I began to understand that for some, the ability to show up for themselves and others was only made possible through incredible resilience. Curiosity about this took me to the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where I graduated with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience. I moved to Chicago and was able to work with individuals of all ages with presentations including visual and neurological impairment, ADD/ADHD and autism. I enlisted in the Army Reserves and returned after initial training to complete a MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Adler University.

In addition to my role at Clarity, I am the Clinical Director for a specialized mental health rehabilitation facility where I’ve worked for over six years. Most of my experience is with adults living with severe and persistent mental illness, including but not limited to diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I appreciate the creative process involved in treatment of these conditions as everyone finds their own unique path to healing. In the Army Reserves, I currently serve in a Combat and Operational Stress Control unit as Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Behavioral Health Outreach. I’d be honored to continue to support any service members, veterans and athletes through therapy or sport & human performance training.

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