Post-Graduate Interns
Bo Townsend, MDiv, LMFT-Associate, LPC- Intern
Bo has been with AFI since the spring of 2008 and is a graduate of St. Edward's University with a Masters in Counseling. He is a native of East Tennessee and he and his family moved to austin in 2000. Bo has a variety of experiences and once worked in a hospital with a supervisor trained by family systems theorist, Murray Bowen. Bo continues to have an interest in Bowen's Family Systems approach. He has experience working with teenagers, individuals and families and has particular interest in working with couples. Bo is trained in Prepare and Enrich, a couple's assessment tool and in Gottman's marital therapy approach.
Alex Ott, M.A., LMFT-Associate
Alex holds a Masters of Arts in Counseling from St. Edward’s University and a Bachelor’s degree in Literary Journalism from Hampshire College. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, Alex works collaboratively with his clients to facilitate growth and healing with empathy, trust, and compassion. As an associate with Austin Family Institute, Alex takes a holistic approach to therapy, blending traditional talk therapy with systemic theories in order to best serve his clients’ needs.
Natalie Harbison, M.A., LMFT-Associate
Natalie is a graduate from St. Edward’s University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s of Arts in Counseling. She has an extensive background working with individuals experiencing childhood disorders, learning disorders, and developmental disabilities. Because Natalie believes in the impact that disorders have on the family as well as the individual, she values providing guidance and support to both. Natalie takes a warm and open approach to therapy and works alongside her clients to assist in accomplishing their goals. Seeing every client as an individual with unique characteristics and abilities allows for a counseling experience tailored to fit each person’s needs.
Graduate Practicum Interns
Katie Benson
Katie is a native of Southwestern Connecticut and moved to Austin in 2005 where she received her Bachelor’s of Psychology from St. Edward’s University. She is currently in her final year of graduate school at St. Edward’s, pursing the LPC and LMFT dual track. She believes that self-awareness is an important part of the therapeutic process. Katie works collaboratively with her clients to meet their specific needs through empathy, awareness, and the client-therapist relationship. She takes a Bowenian stance to therapy while also incorporating traditional talk therapy into her work. One of Katie’s goals at AFI is to extend her bilingual experience to the Spanish-speaking population. In addition to studying Spanish throughout high school and college, she spent two months in an immersive Spanish program in Antigua, Guatemala. Katie is excited to be joining the AFI team and is looking forward to working in a truly collaborative environment.