Our LPC Associates
Finding Balance Counseling works as a supervised practice. Alongside Reem Glasco, LPC-S, a group of LPC Associates sees clients under her supervision, which means the same clinical lineage at lower fees and sooner availability. Most work online across Texas; one also sees clients in person in Austin. Every associate offers a free consultation first.
At a glance
| Associate | Works with | Fee, 50 minutes | Sliding scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nica Ayala, M.A. | Adults 25 to 55: anxiety, stress, relationships, identity, nature-based work | $100 | Limited places at $70 |
| Sylvia Earl | Grief, emotional dysregulation, symptoms rooted in past experience. English and Spanish. | $125 | Limited places from $75 |
| Natasha Mahesh | Adult children of dysfunctional families, attachment patterns, self-worth, boundaries | $130, or $150 couples and family | Limited places from $100 |
| Sheila Singh | Identity, belonging and cultural stress, anxiety, grief, trauma. Individuals and couples. | $145, or $165 couples | Places at $75 |
| Heather Johnston | Anxiety, depression, trauma, parenting, career, self-esteem, emotional regulation | $150 | Not published |
| Emmy Laursen | Mindfulness, parts work, somatic exploration, psychedelic integration | Ask in the consult | Ask in the consult |
For comparison, a 50-minute session with Reem is $240, and her caseload is small because of her supervision and consultation work. The associates are not the budget option so much as the available one.
The associates
Nica Ayala, M.A., LPC Associate
Works with individual adults roughly 25 to 55 who feel drained or overwhelmed, want change without knowing the shape of it, or hold values that differ from the people around them. Curious and warm, with the client setting the direction. Describes herself as sex-positive, shame-free about addiction, and an LGBTQIA+ ally, and offers nature-based sessions. Pronouns she/her.
$100 per 50-minute session,
limited places at $70. Free 15-minute consultation.
NicaAyala1986@gmail.com · (737) 242-0882
Sylvia Earl, LPC Associate
M.A. in Counseling from St. Edward's University, with an internship completed at Austin State Hospital. Works with grief, emotional dysregulation, and symptoms whose roots sit in earlier experience, drawing on DBT, CBT, narrative work and EMDR principles. Bilingual in English and Spanish.
$125 per 50-minute session,
limited places from $75. Free 15-minute phone consultation.
Info@sylviaearlcounseling.com · (737) 326-1838
Natasha Mahesh, LPC Associate
Works with adult children of dysfunctional families, including people who grew up with neglect or abuse, on anxious and avoidant attachment patterns, self-worth and boundaries. Also sees couples and families. Her framing: healing is the end of conflict with yourself.
$130 per 50-minute session, or $150 for couples and family,
limited places from $100. Free 15-minute consultation call.
natasha.cmhc@gmail.com · (510) 877-0898
Sheila Singh, LPC Associate
Works with individuals and couples on identity, belonging and cultural stress, anxiety, grief, exhaustion, family strain, and trauma both complex and single-event. A first-generation Indian American therapist who works with clients balancing family expectations against their own path. Culturally responsive and trauma-informed, combining Somatic Experiencing, parts work and attachment-based approaches, shaped by more than twenty years practicing and teaching yoga and meditation. In person in Austin and by telehealth across Texas.
$145 per 50-minute session, or $165 for couples,
places at $75. Free 15-minute consultation call.
sheila@beaconcounselingatx.com · (512) 537-3352
Heather Johnston, LPC Associate
Works with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship and family concerns, parenting, career challenges, self-esteem and emotional regulation, with an integrative trauma-informed approach. Experience spans inpatient psychiatric work at Austin State Hospital and outpatient settings, and a prior corporate and law-firm career that informs her work with clients under professional pressure. Sees adults across cultures, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds, and is an LGBTQIA+ ally.
$150 per 50-minute session. Free 20-minute consultation.
info@illumination-psychotherapy.com · 512-537-0614
Emmy Laursen, LPC Associate
M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adams State University, with an undergraduate degree in Studio Art from UT Austin and practicum and internship hours through Capital Area Counseling. Combines parts work with mindfulness and somatic exploration, and works with psychedelic integration. Her view is that therapy is less about fixing than about making a safe place to explore what the body already knows, with the client as the guide.
Fees are discussed in the free consultation.
facingeasttherapy.com
How to choose
Availability and fee decide it more often than specialty does. If you already know what you are bringing, the table above points at one or two people. If you do not, say what is going on in a few sentences through the contact page and you will be pointed at the right fit rather than left to guess.
You can also write to an associate directly. Every one of them offers a free consultation first, which exists precisely so that neither of you commits to a poor match.
What supervision means for you
An LPC Associate in Texas is fully qualified and licensed to practice, and is completing the 3,000 supervised hours the state requires before full licensure. Their work is reviewed every month by a Council-approved supervisor, which here means Reem.
In practice that means a second experienced clinician is thinking about your case alongside the person in the room. The licensure guide explains the requirement in full.
Questions about seeing an associate
What is an LPC Associate?
A counselor who has finished a master's degree, passed the required exams and holds a Texas LPC Associate license, and is completing 3,000 supervised hours toward full licensure. It is a license to practice, not a trainee status, and the work is supervised monthly by a Council-approved supervisor.
How much does it cost to see an associate?
$100 to $150 for a 50-minute individual session depending on the associate, and $150 to $165 for couples or family sessions. 4 of the 6 hold a limited number of sliding-scale places, starting at $70. Sessions with Reem herself are $240.
Do the associates have sooner availability than Reem?
Usually yes, and that is the main reason to start here. Reem keeps a small therapy caseload alongside supervising associates and consulting on EMDR, so her openings are limited and often waitlisted.
Is therapy with an associate as good?
It is different rather than lesser. An associate is earlier in their career and brings more open attention and a supervisor reviewing the work each month. Reem has been in practice since 2010, with a particular depth in developmental trauma and stalled EMDR. For complex developmental trauma she is the better fit; for most other presentations an associate is a good one.
Can I see an associate in person?
Sheila Singh sees clients in person in Austin as well as by telehealth. The others work online across Texas. Trail walk and equine sessions are offered by Reem rather than the associates.
Do associates offer couples or family therapy?
Yes. Natasha Mahesh sees couples and families at $150 for 50 minutes, and Sheila Singh sees couples at $165. Reem's own caseload is individual therapy.
How can I learn more?
The frequently asked questions page collects everything that is not specific to one service: fees and insurance, how the methods differ, complex PTSD, what Texas requires of a counselor, and how to start. If the answer is not there either, a free consult is the quickest way to get one.
This practice does not provide emergency care. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Start with a conversation
Therapy consults are fifteen minutes. Supervision and EMDR consultation consults are thirty. Both are free and commit you to nothing.