Hello, I’m Kat Weiss-Malik.

I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate and a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (supervised by Diana Walla, M.S., LPC-S, LMFT-S) in Austin, Texas. I work with adult individuals, couples, and families who want to heal and grow. If you feel like you’re stuck or like you’ve tried everything else, then I might be the right therapist for you. I love supporting clients who want to do deep work, so they can heal longstanding issues.

My approach is relational, intuitive, and trauma-informed. I believe you are the expert on you, and I have a set of tools to help us reach your goals. I am Certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and NARM, but I sometimes weave in other approaches including attachment theory, mindfulness and somatic practices, polyvagal theory, the Gottman Method, Terry Real’s RLT, and Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFS for Couples). No matter what comes up in session, I’ll always be right there with you, and we’ll figure it out together.

“I wondered, ‘Why have I been chasing happiness my whole life when bliss was here the entire time?’”

— Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love

Before becoming a therapist, I had a vibrant career in the corporate world. I’ve worked for large companies like Facebook, nonprofits like the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, and several startups. I also lived in Europe for a while, first as an au pair, then as a student while I earned my MBA, and finally as an employee at a tech company. My life was pretty exciting at that time, but all of this excitement was really a distraction from my internal struggles. Like many of us, I experienced developmental trauma growing up, and it took a long time for me to be ready to deal with it. When my unresolved stuff started affecting my health and my relationships, I was finally ready to figure things out. I wish I had started sooner, but I believe we all do the best we can. When I finally started healing old wounds with the help of a number of talented therapists and healers, it was hard, but it was also transformative. The changes I’ve made have allowed me to live a much happier, more authentic life. In other words, I’ve been down the road you might be on, and I would be delighted to be your guide as you take steps toward your own healing.

These days, I’m still learning and growing. Right now, I’m exploring qi gong as a way to cultivate physical and emotional health. I’m also learning mahjong, and even though I’m not much of an artist, I really enjoy street art. In fact, most of the photos on this site are snapshots of street art that inspired me at one point or another. (I’ve asked permission and given credit as best I can.) Finally, I live near Austin, Texas with my husband, my stepdaughters, and our cats, Honeybee and Taco.

How I Work

I rarely believe diagnoses are helpful, and I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with you. If you’re seeking therapy, you’re taking steps to help yourself, and that’s always a good thing! I believe the way you feel and act makes sense based on your life experiences. Your feelings matter—they’re giving you important messages. After all, emotions are simply energy in motion, and it’s important to get that energy moving. By getting to know the many parts of ourselves, we can better understand why we do the things we do and feel the way we feel. If something doesn’t make sense, it’s our job to get curious, so we can understand what’s happening for you and help you accept it or change it if you wish.

I aim to make our sessions a judgment-free space, and I am delighted to work with all kinds of people with all kinds of beliefs. Even when I have strong opinions on a topic, it’s not my job to tell you what to do—you are the expert on you and your life. That said, I’m human. Sometimes, I make mistakes. Therefore, I’m open to feedback, and I believe in having hard conversations. In fact, those conversations are crucial if you want to have great relationships, and I believe that great relationships make life so much better. Finally, I believe we can heal from trauma and fix even the most challenging relationship issues. I’m not talking about managing symptoms or getting by, nor do I believe we should fake it until we make it. I’m talking about doing the work to address the root cause of an issue. It’s a longer road, but in my experience, it’s worth it.