Austin Parsons, LPC-S
Clinical Director

Austin is a Licensed Professional Counselor that works with clients who find themselves in various crises whether they be relational, emotional, physical or spiritual. Austin’s goal in treatment is to come alongside clients and walk them through struggles that include mood disorders, conflict resolution, loss/grief, trauma, boundaries, delayed adolescence, addiction, spirituality, communication, identity, and personality disorders.

Austin has extensive experience in crisis intervention & case management, performing individual, family, & group therapy, as well as the management of an intensive outpatient program (IOP).  Austin also works with a collaborative team that can be resources for medication and testing.

If you’re looking for lasting change, more fulfilling relationships, and meaningful connection, then let’s begin. Whatever brings you to therapy, there is hope. Together we will observe how the events in your life have formed deep rooted beliefs about how the world will respond to you. Austin believes that change happens in the context of relationships. Our therapeutic relationship will work to ease your distress and equip you towards transformation. We haven’t been promised not to experience pain in this life, but I believe we are not meant to experience it alone.

FUN FACTS ABOUT AUSTIN:

• Favorite quote: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt
• Craziest college job: Walking backwards and telling people about my awesome school.
• Show & Tell item: My dog, Ranger.
• Biggest fear: Creatures under the water that can attack me.
• Greatest achievement: I’ve never eaten Spam, followed by quitting hot dogs as of 2009.
• Favorite workout song: Titanium or Chandelier, or anything Sia really. (No shame)

SPECIALTIES:

• Mental health disorders
• Substance abuse
• Family & parenting challenges
• Relationships
• Spirituality
• Life Transitions
• Trauma recovery support

POPULATION:

• Individuals
• Families
• Couples
• Young Adults
• Adults
• Elders

EDUCATION:

• Bachelors degree in Communication at Texas A&M University
• Masters degree in Counseling at Dallas Theological Seminary

Contact Austin at Parsons@i360Austin.com

Nic Ballejo
Director of Life Development

Nic Ballejo has worked extensively in the treatment and recovery field providing direct client care, overseeing operations as well as developing and directing multiple recovery programs. Nic is responsible for maintaining the overall quality and performance of the Life Development team and continues to provide Life Development sessions to help men struggling with mental health disorders, chemical dependency and a variety of other emotional and spiritual challenges.

FUN FACTS ABOUT NIC:

• Favorite quote: “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown (He has some great inspirational speeches on YouTube.)
• Craziest college job: Bartender
• Show & Tell item: Ask me about bikes
• Biggest fear: Fear itself. (Cliché I know.)
• Greatest achievement: Sobriety and everything after
• Favorite workout song: “Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim (Check out the music video.)

SPECIALTIES:

• Mental health disorders
• Substance abuse recovery
• Life Development
• Program development

POPULATION:

• Executives / Business Professionals
• Individuals
• Young Adults
• Adolescents

Contact Nic at Ballejo@i360Austin.com

Laura Jones-Swann, M.Ed., LCDC, EMDR, CDWF
Counselor, Educator & Consultant

Laura has been working in the field of substance abuse and dependency for 25+ years.  She holds a MEd., and is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor.  She spent 13 years teaching and counseling with the Center for the Study of Addiction at Texas Tech University, then moved to Austin in 1999 where she started the University of Texas at Austin Center for Students in Recovery.

She currently has a private practice in counseling and is adjunct faculty at The University of Texas School of Social Work and Seminary of the Southwest.  Laura is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), is certified to administer and interpret the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) and is a Certified Daring Way Facilitator (CDWF).  Her counseling philosophy emphasizes a holistic approach to life and recovery from addiction.

FUN FACTS ABOUT LAURA:

• Favorite quote: Trust God and let go!
• Craziest college job: Filling jelly donuts at a donut shop
• Show & Tell item: My 40’ RV – named Clifford the Big Brown Dog
• Biggest fear: Not doing all the things I would love to do because of fear, time or money
• Greatest achievement: Raising two beautiful daughters
• Favorite workout song: I have tons of them….right now it is Unwritten.

SPECIALTIES:

• University of Texas at Austin
• Seminary of the Southwest
• St. Edward’s University
• University High School

POPULATION:

• Assessing and supporting individuals with Substance Use issues
• Adults
• Families

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS:

• Master’s Degree in Education
• Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
• Trained in Eye Movement Destination Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator
• Texas Teacher Certification – All Level
• Certified Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) Administrator and Clinical Interpreter

Contact: lalaswann@gmail.com

Sabrina Beck, M.Ed., LPC, NCC
TX LPC #68070
Family Therapist

Sabrina earned a Bachelors Degree in both Psychology and Spanish from Emory University in Atlanta.  She completed a Masters of Education in Human Development Counseling from Vanderbilt University.  Sabrina provided counseling services in a community counseling center, an employee assistance program and an adolescent treatment program for addiction.

Sabrina then spent 11 years working at Ridgeview Institute, a private non-profit psychiatric hospital & treatment center in Atlanta, GA, as the Family Program Coordinator.  This role allowed Sabrina to help addiction and psychiatric patients, and their families, work toward recovery from the destructive influence of addiction and mental illness.  Sabrina also offered education about family issues and recovery.  She also ran a women’s abuse survivor group, a recovering professional’s aftercare group, family therapy groups and spouses’ groups, walking alongside courageous people who were working through these difficult and complex issues.  Sabrina currently provides Family Therapy for i360 Austin and leads educational lectures and facilitates group therapy at other treatment centers in Austin.

FUN FACTS ABOUT SABRINA:

• Favorite quote: And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.  Anais Nin
• Craziest college job: Waxing gym floors and scraping gum off of bottoms of desks as a custodian at the local high school.
• Show & Tell item: The belts I am earning in the practice of Tae Kwan Do.
• Biggest fear: Fear itself!  And heights!
• Greatest achievement:  Professionally: Earning the trust of the members of my aftercare group.
• Favorite workout song: Maroon 5 “Sugar”

SPECIALTIES:

• Mental health
• Substance abuse
• Family Systems
• Abuse Survivors
• Recovering Professionals

POPULATION:

• Individuals
• Families
• Young Adults
• Group Therapy

EDUCATION:

• BA in Psychology and Spanish
• M.Ed. in Human Development Counseling
• National Certified Counselor

Contact Sabrina at Beck@i360Austin.com

Jenna Opperman, MFA, LMSW
Advocate & Therapist
Certified Imago Relationship Therapist

Jenna believes in the dignity of all people and is driven to facilitate powerful conversations in order to enrich the lives of her clients. She derives joy from working with people from all walks of life, especially families, couples, young adults, and adolescents, and has a special affinity for those experiencing the effects of various life transitions. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker and Co-Active Coach whose clinical focus is on narrative, mindfulness, attachment, cognitive-behavioral, and somatic therapies. She is currently being supervised by Dana Jones, LCSW.

FUN FACTS ABOUT JENNA:

Favorite quote: “Go down any road far enough and you’ll come to a slaughterhouse, but keep going and you’ll reach the sea.” ~Dean Young

Craziest college job: I worked at a health food co-op in the student union and volunteered to take the 6am shift almost every morning. The crazy part: I made coffee that early, but I never drank it.

Show & Tell item: My seven siblings

Biggest fear: Being thrown a surprise birthday party

Greatest achievement: Resilience

Favorite workout song: Tie between “Son of a Preacher Man” by Aretha Franklin and “We Belong” by Pat Benatar

SPECIALTIES:

• Mental Health
• Family & Parenting
• Relationships
• Spirituality
• Life Transitions
• Gender & Sexuality
• Trauma
• Coaching

POPULATION:

• Individuals
• Families
• Couples
• Adolescents
• Young Adults
• Adults

EDUCATION:

• BA in English, University of Texas at Austin
• MFA in Poetry, New England College
• MSW in Children & Families, University of Texas at Arlington

Contact Jenna at Opperman@i360Austin.com

SPECIALTIES:

Brittany Biangone
Life Development Team Lead

Brittany has a background working in residential substance abuse treatment with co-occurring disorders. Brittany has worked in various roles including recovery care technician, operations, and admissions. Her current role at Innovation360 is Life Development, with a specialty in recovery from drugs and alcohol. She has a passion for helping people, especially women struggling with mental health.

FUN FACTS ABOUT BRITTANY:

• Favorite quote: “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t. ” Thomas Edison
• Craziest college job: Body Piercer
• Show & Tell item: My sneaker collection
• Biggest fear: Being buried alive
• Greatest achievement: Sobriety

SPECIALTIES:

• Mental health disorders
• Substance abuse

POPULATION:

• Individuals
• Young Adults

EDUCATION:

• Currently pursuing a degree in chemical dependency counseling

Contact Brittany at Biangone@i360Austin.com

Rachel Mayer

Academic Consultant and Life Development Team Member

Rachel has spent the last ten years in the field of education, working with populations ranging from young children to working professionals. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Mississippi, Rachel taught English abroad before returning to the states and making Austin her home in 2015. Since then, she has guided high school and college students on their academic paths. Her approach to students focuses on utilizing their values to develop skill sets that will allow them to be successful in their field of interest and obtain a satisfying career. Rachel provides specialized academic services to i360 clients as a supplementary service to the mental health support they receive in order to further their development and growth. 

FUN FACTS ABOUT RACHEL:

Favorite Quote: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Craziest College Job: Summer nanny for three boys under the age of eight – I learned the true meaning of multitasking!

Show & Tell Item: Any artifact from my father’s Civil War memorabilia collection.

Biggest fear: Not hearing my alarm clock go off. 

Greatest achievement: Teaching and living abroad after college. 

Favorite workout song: “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child

Specialties:

• Academic tutoring
• Transcript evaluation
• College application and registration
• Career and internship exploration

Population:

• Teenagers and young adults
• Working professionals

Education

• B.A. in Education from University of Mississippi
• Special Education Generalist Certificate

Marvella Boggs, M.A.
Client Liason

In the role of Client Liaison, Marvella has the privilege of navigating families through the initial steps of care. Marvella has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and has spent the majority of her professional career helping individuals and families both in the mental health and medical fields. Her experience includes counseling children and families in crisis as well as coordinating care within the fast-paced medical environment for patients seeking chronic pain relief without the use of opioid medications.

Marvella’s organizational experience includes admissions, client relations, community relationship building, and program implementation.  In her free time, she loves spending quality time with her family, practicing yoga and cooking.

FUN FACTS ABOUT MARVELLA:

• Favorite quote: “Everything will be ok in the end.  If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” John    Lennon
• Craziest college job:  Tutoring college athletes
• Show & Tell item: I’m a lefty.
• Biggest fear: Heights
• Greatest Accomplishment:  Moving to Austin and creating a new life adventure!

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s in Psychology
• Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

Contact Marvella at Marvella@i360Austin.com or call 512-710-5533