Need a shrink? You’re not alone. As the urgent need for therapy exploded during the pandemic, so shattered the stigma around it. But finding a good provider can be a challenge, especially one that offers evidence-based practices that actually work.
Lake Austin Psychotherapy tackles this by combining both the science and the art of psychological intervention. LAP specializes in anxiety, depression, PTSD, prolonged grief, and alcohol use disorder, offering Zoom counseling and EMDR to anyone, anywhere in Texas, from its offices in Austin. (EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and it's an evidence-based treatment designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.)
But what really sets this practice apart is its ketamine assisted psychotherapy and how founder Mary Moore, LPC, and medical director Truman Milling Jr. MD are approaching it differently than other ketamine clinics.
Moore is a licensed professional counselor, and Dr. Milling is a board-certified emergency physician and clinical researcher. Along with LAP staff, they emphasize the medical and psychotherapeutic partnership for a more complete and effective treatment. In practical terms, this means clients are not simply sent on their merry way after a ketamine infusion. Ketamine is the reset button, but consistent psychotherapy is how you permanently rewire.
Ketamine assisted psychotherapy is an often misunderstood approach that combines talk therapy with an infusion of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine, a safe drug that has been used as a medical anesthetic since the 1960s. In the last 20 years, it has proven highly effective for treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Other ketamine clinics rely on packages and repeated doses over several weeks, often without regular talk therapy or a physician at the bedside. LAP typically pairs one small dose of intravenous ketamine delivered over 40 minutes with ongoing weekly counseling that optimizes the neuroplastic window for enduring results. This allows most clients to go months before they need another infusion. LAP tailors to the individual rather than selling a one-size-fits-all treatment that may not be right for the client.
"It's a less intrusive model that has resulted in a 98 percent response in our patient population," says Moore.
For alcohol use disorder, LAP carries out once-a-week ketamine infusions for three weeks, a discreet approach that doesn't require the patient to check into a rehab clinic. The ketamine infusions are paired with naltrexone or acamprosate to reduce alcohol cravings. Other than for the in-person office visits for the infusions, patients are able to remain in their home environment with no disruption to their daily activities and work schedules. This is followed with weekly therapy sessions to unwind the issues which led to drinking as a coping mechanism.
LAP prioritizes individualized care with privacy and convenience, even offering door-to-door luxury transport to and from Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and surrounding areas. Clients can enjoy a secluded, comfortable environment exclusively reserved for them at a wooded, five-acre retreat in West Austin.
Photo courtesy of Lake Austin Psychotherapy
Prioritize yourself.
To schedule a free one-hour consultation session, head here, email info@lakeaustinpsychotherapy, or call or text 512-666-1184.
