Sonya Gao, MA, LPC, MSN, RN (she/her)

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Student, Clinical Therapist

Warm, Patient, Compassionate & Grounded

Sonya is a therapist in Austin who supports individuals, families, and couples navigating the stress, uncertainty, and challenges of life. Many people feel overwhelmed, stuck, or powerless in a fast-moving world-and Sonya’s work is dedicated to helping clients slow down, breathe, and access the strength they already possess. She believes that people have the ability to heal, and sometimes guidance, reflection, and support are all that’s needed to uncover new possibilities and create meaningful, lasting change.

With more than 10 years of experience in the mental health field, Sonya has supported over 1,000 clients from diverse backgrounds. Her experience includes working with individuals managing serious mental illness, personality disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression, and the stress associated with life transitions and complex family dynamics. This broad expertise allows her to approach each client with understanding, compassion, and grounded perspective, whether they are exploring identity, relationship challenges, or emotional growth.

Sonya’s approach is eclectic and flexible. She draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Insight-Oriented methods, and Solution-Focused techniques. Treatment is tailored to each client, emphasizing what will genuinely support progress. Rather than simply affirming existing thought patterns, she helps clients challenge unhelpful beliefs, explore new perspectives, and develop healthier patterns that foster a more fulfilled and meaningful life.

She works with children and teens addressing anxiety, depression, school stress, family conflict, self-esteem struggles, and identity development, helping young clients feel safe, understood, and empowered. She also supports adults facing anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma, and the challenges of an ever-changing world, guiding them to identify internal and external resources for increased resilience, grounding, and confidence.

Sonya also works with couples managing infidelity, intimacy concerns, communication difficulties, and the emotional strain often accompanying long-term relationships. She assists partners in understanding each other’s needs, breaking old patterns, and rebuilding connection in ways that feel honest, respectful, and hopeful.

As a therapist of Chinese descent, Sonya brings a nuanced understanding of bicultural identity, immigration stress, and generational differences. This perspective informs her work with clients who feel caught between cultures or are integrating different aspects of themselves and their upbringing.

Additionally, Sonya incorporates ketamine-assisted psychotherapy when appropriate. As an RN with experience at one of the busiest ketamine clinics in the country, she has witnessed how ketamine can open new pathways for healing, support neuroplasticity, and help clients shift long-standing emotional patterns. Combining this approach with psychotherapy can be particularly effective for those feeling stuck or disconnected from their sense of possibility.

Above all, Sonya creates a warm, safe, and collaborative space where clients can explore emotions, challenge unhelpful thinking, develop coping strategies, and cultivate greater self-awareness. Her goal is for every client to leave feeling stronger, more understood, and more connected to themselves.