About Brittney

hi, i'm brittney

✦ Calm & Curly Therapy is opening soon — late July / early August. Booking isn't open just yet, but I'd love to hear from you in the meantime.

I'm Brittney S. Austin, an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist with Calm & Curly Therapy. I've been in the field of mental health for 13 years, and most of that work has been alongside folks in the highest need — people experiencing homelessness, veterans, individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness, and survivors of severe trauma.

As a young Black girl who lived through a lot of instability, I learned early to lean on perfectionism and high achievement as a way to outrun my trauma. It wasn't until I sat in the chair myself — seeing my own therapist — that I realized my superpower: taking everything I've lived through and helping others separate their sense of identity from their trauma experiences.

I'm genuinely in love with what I do, and I think the connection I have with my clients is felt in every single session. I'm pro Black, pro Brown, pro queer, pro do-whatever-the-hell-you-want — as long as it doesn't involve hate, racism, or sexism.

I'm part therapist, part hot mess — and honestly, I think that's a feature, not a bug. It's a reminder that you don't have to be perfect in this space. For maybe the first time, you can show up as you, with zero fear of being judged or talked down to.

I'm well-versed in theory, but you're just as likely to hear me quote Young Jeezy or Langston Hughes — or, depending on the situation, a little Iceberg Slim (if you know, you know). I invite you to come share space with me and see if starting your journey together is the right thing for you.