If you're a UT student looking for a therapist who won't treat your faith as something to work around, you're asking a harder question than it looks. Austin has plenty of therapists. Far fewer will sit comfortably with both your anxiety and your relationship with God, and fewer still are within walking distance of campus.
This is a practical guide to sorting that out.
Can I just use UT's counseling center?
Often yes, and for many students it's the right first stop.
The Counseling and Mental Health Center offers clinical services free to enrolled students, along with group counseling, psychiatry (a $15 visit fee), and crisis support. Their 24/7 Crisis Line is 512-471-2255, and it's worth putting in your phone today whether or not you ever call it.
There are two things worth understanding about how CMHC is designed, and neither is a criticism.
The first is that CMHC describes its individual counseling as short-term. New clients start with an initial assessment with their Brief Assessment and Referral Team, which can be done by phone or in person, and are matched with whatever fits, which may be a group, individual sessions, or something else. There's no fixed session cap: in their words, clients receive the number of sessions most appropriate for their needs and resources. That model serves a campus of fifty thousand students well.
The second is that CMHC refers students out, on purpose. Their case management team helps students connect with clinicians in the community. So if you're carrying something that needs longer or more specialized work, being referred off campus isn't a rejection. It's the system working the way it was built.
That's usually the moment students start looking for someone like us.
Does my student insurance cover a therapist off campus?
Very possibly, and this is the question most students never think to ask.
UT's Student Health Insurance Plan, the one marketed as AcademicBlue, is underwritten by Blue Cross Blue Shield and administered by Academic Health Plans. Neema Counseling is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield.
One honest caveat. Being in network with BCBS broadly doesn't automatically guarantee your specific student plan network, so it's worth a two-minute check before your first session. But it's a much better starting position than most practices can offer, and it's the difference between paying a copay and paying full fee.
We're also in network with Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Oscar, Ambetter, UMR, Lyra, Magellan, Medicaid, and Medicare, which matters if you're still on a parent's plan. Our rates and insurance page has the full list, and our care coordinator will check your benefits before you're charged anything.
What should I actually look for in a Christian therapist?
Look for someone licensed first, and someone who treats your faith as yours rather than as a shared assumption.
Those two things together are the whole test, and it's worth being a little picky.
Licensure matters because it means real clinical training and a board you can complain to. "Christian counselor" is not a protected term in Texas, and a "biblical counselor" is often working from a certificate rather than a graduate degree and a state license. Neither is automatically bad, but they aren't the same thing, and you should know which one you're getting.
The second part is subtler. There's a version of faith-integrated therapy that mostly wants to agree with you, and a version that can hold your questions without needing to close them. A comprehensive meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that therapies meaningfully integrating a client's religion and spirituality perform at least as well as standard approaches, and better on spiritual outcomes. Done well, faith isn't an add-on that dilutes the clinical work. It's part of what makes it land.
At Neema Counseling, we believe that faith and science are meant to work together, not contradict each other. Depending on which of our therapists you see, that might look like cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems work, EMDR, or a trauma-informed approach. What stays constant is that nobody will tell you your depression is a discipleship problem.
What if I'm not sure what I believe anymore?
Then you're in extremely normal company, and it's a good reason to come rather than a reason to stay away.
A lot of what we see in students isn't a crisis of anxiety at all. It's the ordinary and disorienting work of taking a faith you inherited at home and figuring out which parts are actually yours. Sometimes that comes with real grief. Sometimes it comes with guilt about the grief.
Some students want to work through what Scripture has to say about what they're carrying. Some never mention church and simply want a counselor who won't flinch when they do. Both are completely normal here, and you don't have to decide which one you are before you call.
If you've been hurt by a church or a campus ministry, you can bring that too. Processing it is legitimate therapeutic work, and it doesn't require you to give up your faith or to defend it.
How do I fit therapy into a class schedule?
By picking somewhere close enough that a session doesn't cost you half a day.
Our Austin office is at 2717 Rio Grande Street, three blocks west of campus in West Campus. For most students in West Campus, North Campus, or near the Drag, it's a walk of a few minutes, which means a session can genuinely fit between a 9:30 and a 2:00. If you're coming from Hyde Park or Riverside, it's a short bus ride or drive, though West Campus parking during the semester is its own adventure.
Sessions are also available online anywhere in Texas. Because Texas licensure follows the state rather than the city, you can keep the same therapist when you go home to Houston or Dallas for the summer and pick back up in person in the fall, instead of starting over with someone new.
Which Neema therapists work with students?
Both of our in-person Austin therapists see college students.
Janica Pilcher, LPC came to private practice from school counseling, which shows up in how she works with academic pressure, career and major decisions, people-pleasing, and identity. She works with stress and anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and faith questions.
Elvia Delgado, LPC-Associate works with anxiety, depression, negative thought patterns, low self-esteem, relationship difficulty, and trauma. She earned her bachelor's degree at UT, so when a student describes a particular building, a particular pressure, or a particular kind of lonely, she isn't guessing. She sees clients in Spanish as well as English.
You can read about everyone on our team page.
What does it cost if I'm not using insurance?
Sessions are $175 for the intake and $150 ongoing with a Licensed Professional Counselor, or $150 intake and $135 ongoing with an LPC Associate. We take cash, credit, FSA, and HSA.
We also keep a limited number of reduced-rate sessions based on household size and income. Students ask about this more than anyone else, and it's a normal question. If cost is the thing standing between you and getting started, please just ask. Nobody on our team will make it awkward.
How do I get started?
Start with a free 15-minute consultation, which is a conversation with the therapist themselves rather than a form.
Fifteen minutes, no cost, no obligation. You can ask how they work, say a little about what's going on, and get a feel for whether this is someone you could trust with it. If it turns out not to be a fit, that's a much better thing to learn in fifteen minutes than after a full first session.
You don't have to arrive knowing exactly what you need. Most people don't.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be a Christian to come to Neema?
No. We're a Christian practice and we don't hide that, but faith enters a session because you want it there, not because we brought it. Students from every background and no particular background see us.
Is this instead of CMHC or in addition to it?
Either. Some students come to us after being referred out by CMHC's case management team, some come while also using campus groups, and some never use CMHC at all. If you're in crisis, call the CMHC Crisis Line at 512-471-2255 or 988 first.
Can my parents find out I'm in therapy?
If you're 18 or older, your treatment is confidential. The main practical exception is insurance, since a policyholder can sometimes see that a claim was filed. If that's a concern, tell our coordinator and we'll talk through the options, including self-pay.
How close to campus are you really?
2717 Rio Grande Street, three blocks west of campus in West Campus. Students walk over between classes regularly.
Can I have sessions in Spanish?
Yes, and in person if you'd like. Elvia Delgado sees clients in Spanish at the Austin office and online.
Written by Lauren Jones, LPC-S, founder of Neema Counseling.
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individual assessment or treatment. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call the UT CMHC Crisis Line at 512-471-2255, or call 911 for an emergency.
References
Captari, L. E., Hook, J. N., Hoyt, W., Davis, D. E., McElroy-Heltzel, S. E., & Worthington, E. L. (2018). Integrating clients' religion and spirituality within psychotherapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1938-1951. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22681
Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry, 2012, 278730. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/278730
Pearce, M. J., Koenig, H. G., Robins, C. J., Nelson, B., Shaw, S. F., Cohen, H. J., & King, M. B. (2015). Religiously integrated cognitive behavioral therapy: A new method of treatment for major depression in patients with chronic medical illness. Psychotherapy, 52(1), 56-66. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036448