Woman sitting cross-legged in beige suit, smiling.

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”

-Brene Brown

Director of Clinical Care

Sharla Austin

MS , LMFT

Sharla Austin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Texas. She received her undergraduate degree at Boston College before pursuing a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Texas Woman’s University. Sharla’s clinical training took place at the Department of Psychiatry’s Family Studies Center and the Neurology Clinic at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Sharla’s training was instrumental in fostering a deep love of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which is a research proven approach and the primary modality of therapy that she utilizes when working with couples, families, and individuals.

Sharla is a Professional Member of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She is also on the Steering Team for the North Texas EFT Community. Prior to co-founding Relational Therapy Collective, Sharla served in supervisory and clinical director roles in addition to her role as a clinician. While gaining clinical experience at UT Southwestern, Sharla also worked with medical students and psychiatry residents to help train future medical professionals to take a more wholistic approach to understanding their patients and thus improve treatment outcomes. Sharla had the immense honor of providing medical family therapy to patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their families as a part of the their treatment team at UT Southwestern’s Neurology Clinic. Sharla also authored a chapter of the book “Case Studies in Couple and Family Therapy” which is a resource used by supervisors and educators in the field of marriage and family therapy with therapists-in-training.

A PASSION FOR HELPING PEOPLE THRIVE RELATIONALLY IN DALLAS, TX, AND SURROUNDING AREAS

We are inherently relational beings, hardwired for connection. The quality of our relationships deeply affects and impacts nearly every area of life. When our relationships are thriving, we are not only happier and healthier—they can even contribute to longer life expectancy. Strong relationships increase resilience and equip us to navigate life’s challenges more effectively. Yet when disconnection and relational distress set in, we are more prone to experience heightened stress, anxiety, sadness, and even negative impacts on our physical health and wellbeing.

Informed by Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Sharla helps couples, families, and individuals understand and change interactional patterns that drives emotional disconnection. Her work repairs painful relational ruptures, builds safety and trust, and fosters the secure attachment that sustains closeness and resilience in the most important relationships. Sharla brings both humility and integrity to her clinical work, creating a safe and supportive environment where clients feel truly seen, understood, and empowered.

With over a decade of experience, Sharla is recognized for her compassionate presence, clinical excellence, and dedication to ethical care. She walks alongside clients facing difficult life circumstances, life transitions, relational discord and disconnection, grief and loss, and the challenges of chronic, debilitating, or terminal medical conditions. Her work consistently helps couples and families move from cycles of disconnection toward deeper intimacy, emotional healing, and lasting peace.

For those seeking couples therapy, marriage counseling, family therapy, or individual counseling in Dallas, Texas, and surrounding areas, Sharla offers relational expertise that combines evidence-based practices with heartfelt compassion. She provides clients with meaningful tools, deeper insight, and guidance toward lasting transformation. Grounded in attachment science and systemic frameworks, Sharla’s approach addresses relational dynamics at their core rather than surface-level symptoms. With a compassionate, nonjudgmental, and ethically grounded approach, she empowers clients to cultivate secure, connected, and thriving relationships.

CREDENTIALS:

Texas License in Marriage and Family Therapy
International Centre for Excellence in EFT Certificate: Core Skills Training in EFT (2019)
International Center for Excellence in EFT: Certificate Externship in EFT (2018)
Prepare/Enrich Certified Facilitator

ENDORSEMENTS

  • "I’m thinking how rare it is that we actually know whether another therapist is great, because we are not in the room to observe them with clients. Sure, there are recommendations and good outcomes, but without actually observing someone’s therapeutic style, the alliance they build, how they balance that alliance with each family member in the room, how they utilize their model and apply theory…how do we know? However, in this case, I have actually done co-therapy with Sharla, observed her work with clients, and even read deeply introspective chapters contributed to textbooks authored by Sharla. She’s a wonderful, multipartial, highly trained systems therapist.”

    —Mindy Howard, MS, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

  • “Sharla has the wisdom and relatability to create a felt sense of genuine support and clear structure as she navigates the toughest obstacles with her clients. I had the honor of observing her heartfelt empathy and engagement with her clients. She consistently seeks feedback and advanced training to serve clients to her best ability, demonstrating her trustworthiness as a clinician.”

    —Morgan Doolittle, MS, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

  • “Sharla is a compassionate, dedicated, and gentle therapist who meets clients where they are and motivates them to embrace new experiences. She truly understands relational dynamics, couple communication issues, and the importance of developing intimate connections in close relationships. Sharla is a soulful therapist who will work to deeply understand and situate herself in a person’s experience. Her respect for her work and her clients is commendable, as is her professional demeanor and the spirit with which she cultivates professional relationships. I highly recommend Sharla.”

    —Shirley Shropshire, MS, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Owner

  • “I have witnessed very moving and meaningful change events occur between family members who are trusting their therapeutic experience to Sharla. Her sensitivity, warmth, and honed skills will not disappoint. I highly recommend her services.”

    —Laura Flowers, MA, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Owner