Engracia Gill has been a psychotherapist in West Lake Hills, Texas since 2002. Her deep and varied experience makes her uniquely qualified to bring warmth and insights to couples counseling.
In my twenties, I earned an MBA from The University of Texas At Austin. I quickly found that I was in the wrong field and vowed to return to my first love, the study of the human psyche. I was thrilled when accepted into the clinical social work program at NYU in New York City. Transferring back to the University Of Texas, I completed my M.S.W. in Austin. Eager to put into practice the theoretical knowledge that NYU had instilled in me. To that end, I studied with one of the most learned psychotherapist in Austin, Arlene Montgomery LCSW, Ph. D., honing my skills to better integrate the intuitive with the theoretical.
I am a licensed clinical worker (LCSW), licensed by The Texas Board of Social Examiners, License #36536. I trained and worked at North Austin Medical Center where I was exposed to a great variety of situations, disorders and populations.
While doctors and nurses tended to the physical aspects a patient’s needs, I loved contributing to the patient’s healing process by advocating for his/her psychological well-being.
I also trained and worked at Capital Area Mental Health Center where I was exposed to a diverse individuals and a wider range of psychological issues. Deeply convinced of the clinical benefits of support groups, I piloted a support group at this institution to allow for better integration of the skill learned in individual psychotherapy.
As a school counselor in a private school, I worked with children from kindergarten through 8th grade. This experience taught me a lot about receiving back love as a reward for authenticity, firmness and playfulness. Personally affected by the war and trauma in my early childhood, I became fascinated with the healings effects of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a specific mind/body therapeutic tool that addresses aspects of psychoneurommunology in the healing of post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Five years ago, I trained in EMDR and have had great successes utilizing this technique with a variety of clinical presentations.
I continue to explore other mind body techniques through the use of color therapy. I have completed 4 levels of training in Emotional Transformational Therapy (TM), a therapeutic intervention tool that combines the psychological benefits of exposure to light therapy with psychological benefits resulting in enhanced psychological and physical well-being.
Engracia can conduct sessions in English, Spanish, and French upon request and serves the greater Austin, Texas area.
Drawing from years of experience in the field of substance abuse and chemical dependency, I continue to bring support and hope to the adolescents, individuals, families and couples affected by the ravages of drug and alcohol dependency in an outpatient setting. To that end, I have studied the works of Pia Melody, John Bradshaw and Patrick Carnes, all specialists in the study of compulsive behaviors. I conduct couples therapy sessions, family therapy sessions and individual therapy sessions.
Because of my love for the human psyche and my fascination with its great healing powers, I continue to deepen my understanding of recent discoveries in the field of neurobiology through literature review courses.
