Jennifer L. Ayres, Ph.D., ABPP, HSP

  • In-Person in Central Austin | Telehealth Nationwide
  • Based in Central Austin
    In-Person & Virtual Care

When the current feels too strong,
Find Peace at Still river

Let's Connect

Hi, I'm Jennifer. Licensed Psychologist, Self-Compassion Practitioner, ADHD Specialist, Mother of Twins, and Owner of Still River Counseling.

You don’t have to keep holding it all together. You’re allowed to say you’re disappointed, struggling, or overwhelmed. Together, we can figure out how to move forward. I’ve seen how powerful it can be to have a safe space to reflect, learn new skills, and move through life’s challenges.

At Still River Counseling, we believe healing begins quietly, with curiosity, understanding, and small, intentional steps toward your goals.

Your story is safe here. Your next chapter starts here.

live with intention

Meet Dr. Jennifer Ayres

With over 25 years of experience as a board-certified clinical psychologist, I’ve seen firsthand how therapy can transform lives. Healing often begins with self-compassion and curiosity, understanding the “why” behind your choices and rediscovering your capacity for change. As a working single mom, I know that growth has to fit within the realities of everyday life. Whether you’re processing something painful or simply feeling stuck, I help you slow down, look beneath the surface, and take meaningful steps toward the life you want to create.

More About Dr. Jennifer

WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE HERE

Whether something painful happened to you or you've simply realized you're not living the life you want, you're in the right place.

Children & Teens

Compassionate, developmentally tailored therapy for children and teens navigating anxiety, behavioral challenges, school stress, social struggles, or family transitions. Sessions provide a safe, supportive space for young people to express emotions, strengthen coping skills, and build resilience.

Anxiety & Stress

Evidence-based approaches to help you understand anxiety, manage panic, and navigate chronic stress with greater calm and clarity. Together, we’ll practice coping skills that quiet racing thoughts, reduce avoidance, and support intentional, grounded living.

Trauma

Compassionate, evidence-based therapy for survivors of abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and vicarious trauma. A healing-centered approach that helps you process painful experiences, rebuild safety and trust, and reclaim your sense of strength and self.

Grief & Loss

Supportive counseling for navigating loss, life transitions, and unexpected change. Together, we honor what you’ve lost, make space for what still matters, and help you find a meaningful path forward.

ADHD

Specialized support for children, teens, and adults with ADHD. Learn practical strategies to strengthen executive functioning, improve focus, and build systems that work with your brain, not against it, to reduce frustration and promote steady progress.

Couples & Family

Support for couples and families navigating everyday stress, communication challenges, blended family transitions, or biracial and bicultural dynamics. Together, we strengthen communication, resolve conflicts, and build deeper connections that honor your family’s unique story.

Adoption

Comprehensive adoption services, including pre-adoption evaluations, transition support, and parent coaching. Navigate the complexities of adoption with guidance from a psychologist who understands the process and the emotions that come with it.

Healthcare Providers

Confidential, stigma-free therapy for healthcare professionals experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, work-life balance struggles, and job-related stress. Receive support from a psychologist who's worked in fast-paced healthcare environments and understands the unique pressures of medicine.
Let's Connect

"Only when our clever brain and our human heart work together in harmony can we achieve our true potential."

- Jane Goodall

YOUR GUIDE FROM STUCK TO UNSTUCK

Work With Dr. Jennifer

If you’ve reached the point where you’re ready to make time for therapy, life has likely stretched your coping skills to their limit. The yoga classes aren’t enough. Talking to friends isn’t enough. You need something more, and that’s exactly why I’m here.

You don’t need to have it all together before starting therapy. Show up exactly as you are, imperfect, overwhelmed, trying your best. Maybe you’re struggling to manage stress or addiction, communicate clearly, or make choices you feel good about. I’ve seen it all, and none of it makes you broken or beyond help.

The thoughts that feel too dark, the feelings that seem unacceptable, the disappointments you’re not “supposed” to have, all of it is welcome here. Healing often begins with the simple act of saying what’s truly on your heart and being met with understanding instead of judgment.

You’re the expert on your own experience. My role isn’t to tell you what to do, but to help you access your own wisdom, resilience, and inner strength, so you can make choices that feel right for you.

Together, we’ll develop practical tools to help you pause, reflect on what’s really happening, and make conscious choices about how you want to live, so you can respond to life’s challenges with clarity and purpose instead of reacting out of habit.

You’ll gain tools you can actually use on a hard Tuesday, simple, sustainable strategies for managing stress, setting boundaries, improving communication, and strengthening focus. We’ll practice them together, tailor them to your life, and adjust as things evolve so the path forward always feels doable.

Let's Connect

What you can expect from our first session together

I begin our first session by inviting you to share what brought you to therapy, your reasons for seeking support, your hopes for the process, and how I can best help.

My goal is to create a safe, non-judgmental space where you feel comfortable sharing your story, the parts of your life that bring pride and joy, as well as those that carry pain, uncertainty, or struggle.

Connect

Tell me why you're here and how I can help.

Plan

We clarify what’s getting in the way and set realistic steps that fit your life.

Practice

Build skills, adjust habits, and strengthen relationships with support.

Sustain

Return for check-ins and support as you navigate new challenges.

"Dr. Ayres was a dedicated supervisor who expertly guided me through complex case conceptualization and provided me with immersive training in psychosocial assessment and behavioral medicine intervention. But most importantly, she took the time to mentor me and enhance my professional development by including me in teaching, networking, and program development opportunities. I've never had a supervisor who was so evidently invested in my growth as an emerging psychologist."
Previous Supervisee
"Dr. Ayres has the rare combination of precision, insight, experience and most importantly, empathy. She is there with you, really present. In this world of distraction, chaos and disconnection by being technologically connected, Dr. Ayres seems to reverse it all, instantly. Her office is a safe place, a breath of fresh air and a respite that slows time and promotes healing. Guided gently by her presence and expertise, patients emerge and foster a long-term relationship that goes beyond a clinical one. She really cares about her patients in a most authentic way. If you are able to see Dr. Ayres, I am most confident the hardest part will be letting her go."
Referring Physician
"Working with Still River Counseling has been life-changing. I’ve taken several of Dr. Ayres’ self-compassion classes and have followed every installment of her Still River Reflections blog for years. Her writing has a way of making you feel seen, like someone finally understands what it feels like to carry stress, overwhelm, and responsibility while still trying to show up for everyone else."
Student
"What sets her apart is the combination of clinical expertise and genuine warmth. The tools she teaches, especially around boundaries, nervous-system regulation, and nurturing your inner voice, are practical, gentle, and immediately usable. I’ve learned how to slow down, listen to myself, and create sustainable habits that support my emotional well-being. Her classes don’t feel like lectures; they feel like sitting with someone who walks alongside you."
Student
"The blog has become part of my weekly routine. Whenever life feels chaotic, her reflections are grounding, relatable, and filled with the kind of compassionate guidance that helps you reset your mindset. Whether she’s writing about holiday stress, burnout, parenting, perfectionism, or the simple act of breathing, her words always remind me that healing doesn’t happen through pressure; it happens through patience."
Blog Reader
"If you’re looking for a therapist who brings together professional expertise, a calming presence, and deeply practical support, Still River Counseling is truly something special. I’m calmer, more confident, and kinder to myself because of this work. I recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone seeking counseling, emotional resilience, or a more compassionate way of moving through the world."
Student
"Still River Counseling has completely changed the way I care for myself. After taking several of Dr. Ayres’ self-compassion classes and reading her Still River Reflections blog, I finally feel equipped with practical tools to manage stress, set healthy boundaries, and approach my life with more calm and clarity."
Blog Reader
"Her gentle, evidence-based guidance makes everything feel approachable. The classes are supportive, the writing is grounding, and her ability to help you understand your emotions without judgment is truly unique. If you’re looking for a compassionate therapist who specializes in stress, burnout, and emotional resilience, I cannot recommend Still River Counseling enough. Her work has helped me feel more centered, confident, and connected to myself.”
Student
"Dr. Ayres's leadership in these group sessions is a beautiful blend of wisdom, warmth, and genuine care. The space she created for our group became a place to breathe, share, learn, and feel truly supported. Her gentle guidance and thoughtful insights offered comfort, clarity, and connection each time we met. She is a gifted storyteller, guide, and mentor. The impact of her presence and thoughtfulness in crafting those sessions stays with all of us, especially me.”
Workshop Participant
"Jennifer is a fabulous teacher and mentor. In the course that I took with her (on intentional closures and new beginnings), she used a combination of guided meditation, insightful commentary, and down-to-earth stories to develop the course theme. I always felt heard and respected by Jennifer in the discussions that followed. She encouraged us all to draw on our own wisdom in facing the challenges of life, and I regard her course as being an important part of my own personal development."
Student
"I attended Jennifer’s presentation at the Texas Psychological Association meeting and left genuinely inspired. Her clinical expertise and psychology knowledge run deep, yet she delivers her interventions with a kind of grace and artistry that makes them feel effortless. She is a rare blend of teacher, clinician, and creative thinker. I have never seen or met anyone who does what she does as she does it. Anyone who has the chance to work with Jennifer should absolutely take it."
Student
"Working with Dr. Ayres was a turning point for me as a leader. I participated in a self-compassion class she led at my workplace, and she named something I had been feeling for a long time: our ability to care for others well depends on how we care for ourselves. Jennifer understands the unique pressures of leadership, especially for women, and she created a space where I felt both seen and equipped with practical tools. Her work helped me lead with more clarity, steadiness, and kindness, toward others and toward myself.”
Workshop Participant
"Dr. Ayres is a masterful educator, a gifted facilitator, a compassionate presence, and a deeply grounded healer. Her wisdom and authenticity radiate through her writing. Her blog is truly not to be missed! Drawing from profound lived experience, she honors and validates the realities of suffering while also illuminating the pathways that invite, reveal, and celebrate the formidable power of the human spirit."
Former CEO
"I have had the opportunity to participate in many educational sessions with Dr. Ayres. She engages her audience in the material using innovative activities that really bring the material to life. Her presentation style is so relaxed and natural so that whether it is a large group or small group setting, you feel connected to her as a person. She offers vivid examples with a gift of story telling that also draw in her audience. Whenever I have the chance, I attend sessions by Dr. Ayres as I know that I will come away with profound new ideas and inspiration to apply them in my own world."
Workshop Participant
"I was drawn to the way Jennifer speaks thoughtfully and carefully, to her poignant and reflective nature and to the energy she brings into conversations and trainings. Her approach is like a creatively and strategically crafted balance of judgement-free kindness and confident firmness. When I listen and learn from Jennifer, I trust that I am never being judged, I believe that I am heard, and I know that I will walk away open to seeing a new perspective or idea born from our exchange. Jennifer is a talented therapist, a thoughtful educator, and a dedicated professional. I cannot recommend time with her enough."
Workshop Participant
"I have attended several workshops and presentations led by Dr. Ayres and always find them to be worthwhile. Her presentation style is engaging, knowledgeable, curious, empathetic and passionate. It is always evident that she loves what she teaches and lives by example."
Workshop Participant
"I completed one of Jennifer’s Mindful Self-Compassion Course of study during a pandemic year, and my first year in a new job. The class was integral to my emotional well-being and the protection of my own bandwidth during trying times. It didn't feel like lessons or teachings, rather a release and a growth."
Workshop Participant
"I happened upon an online post about Dr. Ayres’ Mindful Self-Compassion course at a much needed time and I’m grateful for the happy accident! While I was very interested in the course, I was a bit uncertain as to whether or not it would be right for me. I was immediately put at ease by Dr. Ayres’ calm and insightful approach. She has a strong knowledge of the material and her genuine belief in MSC practices helped to make each class a joy. I’ll say it again…grateful for the happy accident!"
Workshop Participant
Let's Connect

Connect Today

It’s time to step off autopilot and reconnect with life in a more intentional, meaningful way.

Still River Reflections

Ready for some honest conversation? The Still River Reflections blog is full of practical wisdom about life’s messy moments and how to navigate them.

Image
Holiday Burnout at Work: How to Cope with Forced Festivity, Secret Santa Stress, and End-of-Year Overwhelm
A psychologist’s guide to navigating workplace holiday pressure and burnout, setting self-compassionate...
Read More
a92e33f7-b14e-4d8f-aabb-c59ef89e706a_1060x913
When Politics and Social Media Drain Your Energy: How to Protect Your Emotional Bandwidth This Holiday Season
Happy December, fellow travelers. I hope you enjoyed the Holiday Survival Guide blog series and found...
Read More
photo-1640282693834-f941c0c012aa
Holiday Survival Guide, Part 4: Coping with Conflict & Emotional Tension
The holidays can be stressful during times of family conflict or unresolved tension. Instead of joy,...
Read More
View all blogs

Get Your Free Guide: "How to Create Space for What Matters Most"

Learn how to simplify your schedule, reclaim your time and manage your day with self-compassion and self-respect.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name