Jessica Fink, LCSW-S
Therapist in Austin, TX
Helping anxious rule-followers release the death grip on life
Specializing in sleep issues, chronic pain, OCD, PTSD, and Radically Open DBT.
Online Therapy for All Texas Residents
A clear, structured approach for people who want to understand what’s happening in their mind—and learn how to change it.
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0:02 You figure. If you can just do everything, like, just exactly right. You'll get what you're looking for. You'll be sleeping through the night. You’ll feel truly connected with others.
0:17 You won't be plagued by those what-if thoughts every step of the way. You wish you could loosen the grip. But you're afraid of what might happen if you do.
0:27 So what would a life without all that effort look like? Because I will be willing to bet you are working harder than everyone around you.
0:36 But they all seem to be managing with, like, half the effort? How is that? So I like to do this demonstration with my pen.
0:48 How tight do I need to grip my pen to be able to hold it. So if I grip it as tightly as I possibly can, it hurts.
0:59 It hurts my hand. My fingernails are digging into my palm. My hand cramps up. And it's excessive. I don't actually need to grip it that tightly.
1:08 But at the same time, I'm not asking you to just be like, you know, completely let everything go, stop trying, stop caring.
1:17 What if you could just loosen the grip just a little bit, just enough so that you've still got to hold on it, but it's not any tighter than necessary.
1:29 So, hi, my name is Jessica. I'm a therapist and I have been helping people who hold life too tightly for close to two decades down.
1:40 My specialties are sleep issues, PTSD, chronic pain, radically open DBT, and OCD. So I have pages for each of these specialties, so feel free to click around and explore based on what you're looking for.
1:57 I live in the Austin area, so Georgetown to be exact. But my practice is a hundred percent virtual, so I can see anybody located in the state of Texas.
2:07 So, uh, welcome to my therapy office. This is exactly what therapy with me will look like. So if you want to take the next step.
2:15 You can go to my contact page. There's a button at the top. I think it's the top right. It should be the top right, uhm, of your screen.
2:24 Uh, there's a button that says contact. Click on that. It’ll take you to my contact page. You’ll give me a little bit of your information, and then I'll get back with you about scheduling a free 15-minute phone consultation.
2:36 Or if you're still thinking about it, um, again, click around, visit my specialty pages. You can also go to my blog.
2:42 Which there's a link to it up at the top. I post about all my different specialties, and hopefully there's some useful information in there for you.
2:50 So, um, thank you so much for watching this, and I hope to hear from you. Thank you. You
When life starts feeling unmanageable, you’ve usually been pushing through for a long time.
You’re used to doing everything “right.”
You plan carefully, follow the rules, and hold yourself to standards you’d never expect from anyone else.
You’ve always been the responsible one—smart, capable, reliable—so it’s especially frustrating when your own mind stops cooperating.
Lately, things have crossed a line:
A night of sleep so poor you couldn’t function at work
Compulsions eating hours of your day and straining your relationships
A level of exhaustion or overwhelm that genuinely scared you
Anxiety spiraling for days after disrupted sleep
Pain shutting down the activities you used to enjoy
A fear of failure or mistakes that makes even simple decisions feel high-stakes
You may even feel disconnected from people you care about—not because you don’t value relationships, but because opening up feels uncomfortable, vulnerable, or risky.
You’ve tried solving it on your own. You’ve read the articles. You’ve tracked the data. You’ve pushed harder.
And none of it has been enough.
It doesn’t have to stay this way. There are clear, effective methods that work.
My approach is grounded in science, structured, and practical.
Clients often tell me two things:
“I’ve learned a lot.”
“You’ve given me tools.”
You won’t just talk about what’s wrong—you’ll understand what’s happening and learn skills you can use for the rest of your life.
People I work with often experience changes like:
Falling asleep faster and staying asleep
Feeling lighter, more hopeful, and more capable
Getting back to the activities pain pushed out of their life
Taking time back from compulsions
Navigating difficult conversations with more clarity
Sleeping well even while traveling
Reducing or fully coming off sleep medications
Feeling confident they can handle future setbacks
Hello, I’m Jessica. I’m glad you’re here.
I work with adults who value learning, crave clarity, and want a structured approach that makes sense.
My role is to help you understand your symptoms, challenge rigid patterns that no longer serve you, and use evidence-based tools to build real change.
You don’t need to figure this out alone.
You just need a framework that works.
Specialties
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Insomnia • Hypersomnia • Nightmares • Circadian Rhythm Disorders
A science-based approach to restoring healthy, predictable sleep.
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Reducing pain-driven avoidance and helping you return to the activities that make life meaningful.
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Evidence-based treatment that helps you reclaim time, reduce compulsions, and build flexibility.
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Structured, supportive therapy that helps you work through trauma without being overtaken by it.
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For people who have been called “rigid,” “overly controlled,” or “too hard on themselves.” Learn how to loosen up, connect more easily, and adapt to change.
A clear path forward. Ready to take the next step?
Schedule your consult today.
Featured in
Most Popular Blog Posts
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Flip Upside Down for Better Sleep?
Some people find they sleep better if they flip around. Why?
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What is maladaptive overcontrol?
You CAN have too much self-control. Learn more here.
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DBT vs. RODBT: How are they different?
Despite having similar names, RODBT is really different from DBT. I explain how.
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Frequently Asked Questions for a Therapist in Austin
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Not all therapists are psychologists but some are. Not all psychologists are therapists but some are. A psychologist has earned a PhD in Psychology (or some variation like an Ed.D or a Psy.D. but you didn’t click this to get into the academic weeds so I’ll get back on topic.) Some do therapy and some do research. Therapist is a broad term that covers multiple professions including Social Work, Professional Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Psychology. I have a blog post where I go into detail about the differences in mental health professionals. I am a social worker so I am a therapist who is not a psychologist. A psychologist can offer diagnostic testing; the other therapist professions can’t offer that service. Psychologists get more training in diagnosis. Other than that, I believe your therapeutic needs can be met by any of these licensures.
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This depends on a lot of factors. The first is whether you are using your insurance vs. paying out of pocket. If using your insurance, you will pay a copay and maybe other momey depending on whether you have a deductible and/or co-insurance. Fees for therapists vary based on years of experience and specialized training. Lower fees are typically students under supervision or newly-graduated therapists. Sliding scale fees are more common in nonprofit settings than in a private therapy practice. My fee is $175 for a 45-minute session, $200 for a 60-minute session, and $60 for a group session.
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Most therapists will chuckle at this question and reply that “everyone needs therapy.” Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t. I would say seek out therapy if your functioning and/or quality of life is impaired or just not what you want it to be.