Austin Winter

 Austin is a counseling intern currently completing his Master of Arts in Counseling at Lakeland University. His journey into counseling began through his previous work in the juvenile correctional system and as a Restorative Justice Intervention Specialist. Through these experiences, Austin saw how much a person’s past, environment, and experiences can impact who they are today. This helped shape his interest in counseling and his desire to help people better understand themselves and work through the challenges they face.

Austin holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from Lakeland University in Criminal Justice and Psychology, with an emphasis in Brain and Behavior. He has experience working with adolescents and adults, as well as some experience working with couples.

Austin believes counseling should be a place where people can feel comfortable being themselves without feeling judged. He works with clients to explore their emotions, past experiences, relationships, and current challenges while helping them identify what they want to change or work toward. His approach primarily draws from Psychodynamic Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Logotherapy. Through these approaches, Austin helps clients better understand how their past may influence their present, develop skills for managing difficult emotions, and explore meaning and purpose in their lives.

Austin has experience working with trauma, anxiety, and depression. Above all, he wants clients to feel that counseling is a space where they can be open, better understand themselves, and work toward becoming the person they want to be.