Dr. Stevie VanAusdale, PhD.
I’ve been a licensed mental health clinician in Gainesville since graduating from the University of Florida’s Counselor Education program in 2016. Today, I specialize in working with high-achieving adults navigating complex trauma (CPTSD), burnout, anxiety, and perfectionism.
But my path into trauma therapy wasn’t purely academic, it was personal.
After experiencing a traumatic event that turned my life upside down, I sought therapy hoping for relief. Instead, I left feeling more alone, invalidated, and misunderstood. It was the kind of experience that keeps many high-functioning adults from ever reaching out again. That moment changed me. It clarified my mission: no client should ever leave therapy feeling unseen or dismissed.
Therapy with me is collaborative. We untangle patterns gently but directly. We build emotional safety. We increase self-understanding. And we create space for you to exist beyond performance. If you are a high-achieving adult in Gainesville navigating CPTSD, burnout, or complex relational trauma, you don’t have to keep carrying it alone.
My role is to sit beside you as we unravel the complexities of your story, not as an authority above you. But as a grounded, attuned partner in your healing.
Why did you become a therapist?
I think I’ve always been on the path of helping people just never knew how exactly I would help. But I had one experience with a therapist who invalidated my experience after a traumatic event in my life. I left that appointment knowing I never wanted another person to feel the way I did at that moment. I believe that there is great power in someone witnessing and sitting with another who is suffering without pathologizing that pain.
What can a client expect to experience in session with you?
You can expect a real person to sit across from you who will join with you on the exploration of who you authentically are. Which is a fancy way of saying I will listen, won’t judge, gently point out your bullshit, and remind you that you are powerful. There will also be a lot of swearing too.
If you could be the therapist to one celebrity, who would it be?
I would love to sit down with Kayne West. I have been endlessly curious about this mindset. I’m not sure if I could be of value to him but I’d love the opportunity to potentially being of value to him.
How do you spend your free time?
Outside of work my life is full of activities with my two school aged daughters, indulging in reality TV, or tending to my Monarch butterfly garden.
What’s your favorite quirk about yourself?
My love for reality television (hear me out), there is nothing better than using very few brain cells to watch people act bananas. You name the trash show and I’ve watched it.
What does social justice mean to you?
I believe that having a social justice mindset means to embody being an accomplice in the fight for equity. As a white woman I must know when it’s my time to use my privilege for change and when to step back to amplify the voices that need to be heard. The fire in me is always ready to tear it down.
How do you believe change happens?
I believe that change begins through the simple act of gaining awareness of why we do the things we do. Once we understand the process behind our “issues” the more clearly we can know our authentic selves which allows for making different choices in our lives. Choices that aren’t often easy but valuable.