Austin Parsons

A Q&A with Innovation360’s Austin Parsons

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What brought you to Innovation360 Austin?
I’m a professional counselor driven by relationships and adventure.  I think that’s why Innovation360 is such an enjoyable place for me to work.  Though I am new to the i360 Austin team, I am not new to i360.  I began my therapeutic work with i360 Dallas.  I engaged many different aspects of the program including: Advocate, Individual and Family Therapy, Life Development, as well as leading IOP & Group Therapy.  Afterwards, I went into private practice.   It was ultimately my relationships with the i360 Austin team, as well as the adventure of the work i360 engages that brought me to Austin. 

What motivates you?
I consider myself to be an adventurer.  In my mind, an adventurer engages unknown challenges (often with places, people, and cultures).  They are problem solvers that seek to be prepared and expect the unexpected.  Adventures rely on their preparation, tools, and experiences to help them navigate through these obstacles and anticipate meaningful joy.

I seek to adventure all over the world, but also that’s the work I do in my therapy.  I guess you could call me an adventure therapist, though that might be misleading on the surface as most of my therapy work is done within four walls.

What do you do in your free time?
You can find me with my dog child, Ranger.  We are likely exploring the cities’ outdoor amenities, a local coffee shop, or on my couch watching sports and news. There are a few other shows I watch, but you’d probably make fun of me.  I have the ego strength for that, but ask me in person.

What are you afraid of?
I have a love/hate relationship with adrenaline.  I rarely turn down an opportunity for an exciting (potentially dangerous) experience.  What people don’t know though, is that deep inside in INSANELY scared.  I just have a personal goal to risk in hopes of experiencing “lightning in a bottle” joy.

What else are you passionate about?
Let’s get this out of the way.  I’m an Aggie, unashamedly.  However, I do have the wherewithal to know that not everyone around me loves Texas A&M.  I can talk about college sports for days, but I’ll usually let you start the conversation.  Oh, I love the Texas Rangers MLB team too.

What are your future goals?
To learn to surf.  I’m not crazy, Austin has a place called NLand where you can actually learn how to surf.  Professionally, I really do love therapy.  I’d love to continue in private practice, and I hope to teach someday as well.

CBS Austin

Are the people in your life really supportive?

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What is the secret to making lasting change? A few minutes browsing books online could yield countless results on how to cultivate motivation, willpower, and enlightenment. We all go running to these resources as we ask ourselves:

• Why do I keep taking on more than I can handle?

• Why can’t I say “no?”

• Why does my kid keep failing their classes even though I have given them every possible resource I can imagine?

• Why can’t I stick to a diet?

We arm ourselves with information and all the self-discipline we can muster and jump headlong into yet another “lifestyle change.” However, the fatal flaw in our sustained progress, or that of our loved ones, is that we go at it alone, all by ourselves. Let’s admit it: it’s uncomfortable for others to know how and where we struggle and to what extent. Or perhaps we don’t think anyone is capable of helping. Despite all of this, it is the action of stepping out and recruiting healthy support, that is the first and most powerful step in making anything really happen, and stick.

Read the full article on CBS Austin’s website.