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About Eliza Jade Brown, LCSW-S
I am a Master’s-level therapist in full-time private practice and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor (LCSW-S) in Texas. I have completed advanced training as a NARM Master Therapist, and I serve on the Board of Directors for Kasamahan, a Filipino mental health nonprofit. I meet and consult with mental health professionals located all over the United States from both communities.
Before opening my private practice in 2021, I worked in a variety of settings such as group private practice, outpatient clinics, psychiatric hospitals, and with the local court system. These professional experiences provide me with valuable insights on the many ways people navigate their mental health with the systems in place.
Although I have supported clients to address more mental health related challenges than I can list, I consider my specialties as Complex PTSD and ADHD based on my advanced therapy training and my earned clinical and lived experiences. I have found both are often intertwined with and can underly chronic anxiety, difficulty managing emotions, and struggles with coping mechanisms to where they impact self-esteem, important relationships, and the ability to maintain chosen responsibilities.
Regarding some personal history, I am a first-generation Filipino American immigrant, raised mostly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Outside of Texas, I have familiarity with life in Chicago, Illinois, Manila, Philippines, and Wellington, New Zealand. This also shapes my work, and allows me to honor the cultural complexity each client brings into the room.
In my personal time, I enjoy painting abstract landscapes, learning more about pan-indigenous psychology, writing and often re-writing information on what I have learned for my practice and other organizations, exploring new nature spaces, and nurturing relationships within my family of origin and family by marriage.
Although it doesn't paint the entire picture, I resonate with the INFP-A personality in my love for creativity and authenticity, sensitivity to others, and appreciation of nature.
My other professional profiles
PsychologyToday | LinkedIn | Alma | NARM
About Mindfulscape
The name of my practice, Mindfulscape is inspired by the mindful nurturing of internal and external landscapes supported by therapy that is depth-oriented and nature-centered, and is often applied through trauma-informed and mindfulness-based interventions.
Modality: NARM Therapy
Being a NARM Master Therapist means I have completed the full formal training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model. Gaining advanced knowledge in mental healthcare and psychology through the training, I integrate NARM principles and skills into every session I offer.
NARM is a powerful therapeutic approach specifically designed to address complex trauma and the internal patterns that affect quality of life that often emerges alongside it. These patterns usually began as adaptations to early adversity, but can become automatic and unhelpful when the original source of stress is no longer present.
One of the things I appreciate most about NARM is how well it translates to online therapy. As long as you are in a private, comfortable space where you can safely turn inward, we can do this work together from anywhere. While many nature-based or mindfulness approaches focus on awareness of the external world, NARM centers on your internal world in how you relate to your own thoughts, sensations, and emotions in the present moment as the foundation for healing.
NARM is both trauma-informed and rooted in depth psychology. It recognizes the impact of unprocessed trauma and the role of the subconscious in shaping our lives. Sessions are experiential and mindfulness-based, meaning we work together in real-time with what arises. This approach is also relational as we pay attention to how you’re feeling in our present connection, and somatic in including the awareness of physical sensations and nervous system shifts that happen as part of the healing process.
As a NARM therapist, I skillfully work within the four pillars of the model:
Clarifying the Therapeutic Contract – getting clear about what you want from therapy and receiving your active consent for our work
Asking Exploratory Questions – gently inviting curiosity with your experiences and how it may relate to what you want with therapy
Reinforcing Agency – supporting your capacity to choose your experience based on what we learn
Reflecting Psychobiological Shifts – noticing present physical shifts as we explore to support embodied, fuller awareness
NARM also explores what are called survival styles or patterns developed early in life as a means to survive:
Connection – When early relationships didn’t offer safety or recognition, we may grow up feeling disconnected from ourselves and others, unsure if we truly belong.
Attunement – If our emotional or physical needs weren’t noticed or met, we might learn to disconnect from those needs, making it hard to know what we feel or deserve.
Trust – When caregivers were unreliable or misattuned, we may struggle to let others in, guarding ourselves even while longing for closeness.
Autonomy – If our independence or boundaries weren’t respected, we might feel guilt or fear when asserting ourselves, leading to patterns of compliance or self-silencing.
Love/Sexuality – When love, affection, or sexuality were confusing or unsafe, we may struggle to feel fully alive in intimacy, caught between longing and shame.
Together, we will provide space and curiosity to how these patterns show up in your life today. With time, many people find that what once felt like lifelong struggles can shift—making space for living with more aliveness, connection, and authenticity.
To learn more about NARM, I refer to additional resources under my Client Resources section or through the Complex Trauma Training Center or the NARM Training Institute
Modality: Walk and talk ecotherapy
My experience providing walk-and-talk therapy:
For years, I have guided others, including other therapists for walks and meetings outside in different parks and walking trails in the Austin, TX area. For as long as I can remember, I have preferred nature as a backdrop to spending time with others over meeting indoors. Most of my vacations or time I make to recharge from work are also built around hiking and ways to appreciate the local landscapes.
Benefits of walking while talking:
Through my personal and professional experiences, I've found walking while talking allows an intuitive and organic way to practice being body neutral and body aware which can support body image and trauma recovery.
Practicing body neutrality is about focusing on the body's natural state and function rather than evaluating its appearance and performance which may be healing for those who are struggling with their self-esteem related to their body. I find walking is more of a body neutral physical activity than, for example, biking, swimming, or yoga which requires a certain level of skill that can leave many focused on performance which can sometimes get in the way of present awareness.
An aspect of trauma is disconnection with the body and ultimately with the self, as we are inseparable from our bodies and nervous systems. This disconnection is adaptive and what helped us survive overwhelmingly painful adverse experiences. When this disconnection is prolonged past the need for survival, this can create an obstacle to living in a way that feels authentic and fulfilling. Being able to practice and experience body neutrality and awareness in ways that feel intuitive and organic can give us more access to connect with ourselves and therefore heal from the disconnections created from trauma.
Benefits of being in nature:
Even when not walking, being outside in nature can feel grounding and centering. Grounding in the way that sights, sounds, and experiences found in a natural setting may feel more familiar and comforting to our senses and nervous systems than limiting ourselves almost fully to artificial lighting and conditions however they are intended to be adaptive to our needs.
Centering in the way that more exposure to a living environment of plants, animals, and elements may remind us that we are always connected with an ecosystem which can be especially supportive for those experiencing isolation and loneliness.
Availability:
Walk-and-talk therapy appointments are available when I have capacity in my schedule for established clients in the NW Austin, TX area. These appointments are also limited to milder weather for safety and to allow more focus on the actual process of psychotherapy.
Preperation:
To prepare for walk-and-talk therapy, I provide a brief informed consent form through the client portal. If you have any pre-existing conditions that may be affected by walking and talking, I recommend checking in with your primary care doctor first.
I also provide the opportunity to discuss risks to privacy and confidentiality in public spaces, and any location related concerns such as parking and restroom accessibility.
As with any activity outdoors, I recommend dressing with comfort and security as the focus: wearing supportive shoes and bringing essential belongings in a secure bag. During warmer days, I highly recommend bringing water and wearing sun protection.
Considering weather and transportation issues are more likely to arise last minute in meeting in-person outdoors, I do require flexibility to switch to an online therapy appointment, as needed, for these reasons.
You may find parks and trails in the Austin, TX area to visit on your own in my Client Resources section.
Specialty: Complex Trauma
What is complex trauma?
My definition of complex trauma is informed by various, "expert" sources which many can quickly find through google, and significantly through my lived professional and personal expriences while working as a psychotherapist through the years.
I define complex trauma as a stored process developed from repeated and extreme, compounding adverse experiences not limited to childhood. This said, complex trauma is more likely to develop during impressionable and more vulnerable, developmental years.
In daily life, this stored process seemingly spontaneously arises and impacts the self as a whole and its components: the physical body (nervous system and other biological systems and processes), the mind (thoughts and perceived experiences), emotions (an inseparable blend of perception, sensations, and meaning), and even what some may consider their spirit. The impact also extends to the person's life or external components that is in relationship with the self (chosen responsibilities, relationships, behavioral patterns intertwined with the environment, and opportunities and growth).
When complex trauma is considered Complex PTSD, this means it also meets criteria for PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). PTSD develops from shocking, life threatening (whether direct, secondary, concrete, or perceived) experiences. This can include life threatening neglect or abuse, sexual abuse, incidents of self-harm, accidents, disasters or war.
Complex trauma and Complex PTSD is developed and stored due to the body, mind, emotional and spiritual self being unable to digest the repeated and compounding adverse experiences even after a significant amount of time has passed. Reasons for this inability may be due to limited internal resources or capacity that is developmentally or circumstantially appropriate. What is too much for the self does not necessarily disappear and may become an unconscious or disconnected process within the self instead.
What are symptoms of trauma?
Due to this unconscious or subconscious quality of the impact of complex trauma / Complex PTSD, someone may realize they are suffering when they notice repeated patterns in their life that feels like "survival mode", "failure to thrive", "scarcity mindset", chronic and unexplainable anxiety, self-sabotaging behavior, a pattern of unhealthy or stressful seemingly chosen patterns of behavior, relationships, responsibilities, and circumstances. The sufferer may misattribute the root of the issue to other mental health challenges that focus on a cluster of surface level symptoms, unavoidable misfortune, or "negative" external factors, people, places, or things.
What is trauma recovery and posttraumatic growth?
The therapy or recovery process of complex trauma and Complex PTSD center around growing awareness and agency at a pace that the person recovering from trauma can tolerate and integrate consciously. In a way, working through what was unable to be worked through before while being firmly in the present. I've found NARM therapy offers a very helpful framework to support therapist and client in this process.
Recovery from complex trauma or Complex PTSD does not erase what has already transpired and developed as a way of coping much like an injury or deep wound and the tissue's way of accommodating will permanently alter someone. In fact, some of what developed out of trauma may even be useful tools when it is no longer fused with and subconscious within the self. A reasonable expectation with recovery and also sometimes considered "posttraumatic growth" is how successful someone can prevent or reduce harm from re-injury or re-wounding due to their improved capacity for awareness and agency over their experience and behaviors.
Through therapy appointments, there is space to go into the nuances of complex trauma or Complex PTSD symptoms, and specific potential paths to recovery and growth. It's notable that while the EU recognizes through the ICD-11, the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) or what American mental health providers reference for diagnosis does not recognize Complex PTSD as a formal diagnosis. I may use "Other Reactions to Severe Stress" or even "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" to indicate the presence of symptoms that may stem from complex trauma or PTSD if it is a more severe case of Complex PTSD.
Links with more information:
Client Resources Section
Specialty: ADHD
What is ADHD?
My definition of ADHD is a culmination of reviewing research and medical information on this diagnosis from various experts, and my lived professional and personal experiences while working as a psychotherapist. ADHD or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is within the umbrella of neurodiversity or a neurological level of difference in overall baseline perception and experiences of external information. ADHD specifically involves dopamine and norepinephrine pathing and this being a primary factor with challenges involving motivation and productivity that cause significant issues in daily functioning.
How is ADHD diagnosed and treated?
ADHD is typically diagnosed through a comprehensive neuropsych that tests specific neurological functioning. Neuropsychs are conducted by licensed psychologists that have received specific training to conduct these structured assessments. Diagnosing can also be through a Master's level clinician or any other mental healthcare provider that has a license to independently practice that may start as a self-screening followed by qualitative interviews and phenomological experiences with the client over the course of therapy to support or adjust the diagnosis.
Due to the biological makeup of ADHD, symptoms are typically required to be present in childhood although there has been an increase in adult diagnosis even with limited concrete information available from childhood. This said, there are many cases when symptoms are present but may not have been recognized potentially due to lack of ADHD symptom awareness from caregivers and educators or due to other co-occurring issues that may obscure these symptoms ranging from anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, or challenging environmental issues with family and peers taking the focus away or even Giftedness or exceptional abilities compensating for struggles with ADHD. In these cases, clients or patients may not receive a diagnosis until these are resolved or differentiated which may not occur until adulthood. Through therapy, adults may reprocess experiences in childhood with consideration of their ADHD symptoms.
You may notice someone with ADHD having extended or unpredictable periods of time with decreased or increased motivation and productivity that is in consistent conflict of what is required of them in their work and responsibilities leading to common labels of "lazy", "unambitious", "self-centered", and "undisciplined". Adding to this misunderstanding, they may have uncommon motivation and productivity or the ability to "hyperfocus" on activities or projects they personally enjoy due to their differences in dopamine and norepinephrine pathing. To support them in these extended or unpredictable states involving motivation and productivity that lead to difficulty following through and completing tasks, people with ADHD may require medication to regulate, extra assistance or understanding from professors, bosses, family members, friends with deadlines and time management, and/or acceptance of significant changes in lifestyle that allow for their natural shifts and states.
A person considered predominantly hyperactive type may be more sensitive to external, tactile information while those with predominantly inattentive type may be more focused inward with their internal experiences. I sometimes consider inattentive type, internal hyperactivity. Inattentive types may be those who may overdo activities that require less physical exertion that allow them to channel their internal hyperactivity rather than push past it. This may involve many hours playing video games, scrolling online, or deep in personal reflections or daydreams. Those with hyperactive type may have difficulty sitting for extended periods of time, need a certain amount of physical activity daily to "expel excess energy" or have careers that implement the physical which allows them to go with their hyperactive state. All these activities must be considered detrimental to basic daily functioning and following through such as difficulties with maintaining their homes, jobs, and relationships to where it harms their health and wellbeing to be considered a disorder.
As mentioned throughout this section, treatment can be a combination of therapy to support awareness needed to make lifestyle, social, and environmental changes as well as exploring medication options with an outside medication provider.
Links with more information:
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
ADHD Self-Report Scale
ADHD Self-Report Scale with Hyperactive vs Inattentive
Wender Utah Rating Scale for ADHD
Other Specialties?
I have worked with and am familiar with a very wide range of diagnoses and mental health challenges that I have not mentioned here. I invite you to mention any mental health related concern you may have through a consultation call or during our next appointment. If I notice limits to my understanding than what is required in the near future or a need for a different kind of mental health support than individual therapy, I provide the space to explore this and may provide referrals to other specialized providers so you can get the competent care.