Megan Powell, PhD
Hello! My name is Megan Powell, PhD – you’re welcome to call me Megan.
I earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2015 from Seattle Pacific University. I earned a master’s in psychology as part of my doctorate program, and I have a bachelor’s of science in psychology from the University of Washington. All my training and professional experience has been in Washington State until 2025 when I moved to Austin, TX.
I opened Pacific Vista Psychology in 2019 and successfully transitioned during the pandemic from fully in-person to a hybrid practice that offers both in-office and virtual appointments. I am licensed in Texas and Washington State, and I hold a PSYPACT passport that credentials me to treat clients virtually in 40 additional states.
Megan’s Training and Clinical Qualifications
I have a diverse training and professional background across multiple treatment settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient practices, university counseling centers and ambulatory care facilities. This large scope of training and experience has equipped me with skills and tools to treat a wide range of presenting concerns and needs.
I have specialized training and research in treating couples as well as eating disorders, and I have focused my practice to address unique challenges within these populations. Some of these challenges in couples include high conflict, relationship ambivalence, and navigating divorce and separation. I have experience working with nontraditional/nonmonogomous and polyamorous relationships, and I am a sex positive provider as well as an LGBTQIA+ ally. For those struggling with food, weight and body image, I practice from a health at every size and intuitive eating approach. I have experience working with less common disorders, such as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and I appreciate collaborating with other providers to facilitate interdisciplinary care.
Although I am trained as a generalist, there are treatment areas that I have more experience with and gravitate towards. These include providing support with navigating life transitions (e.g., parenting, retirement, starting college/career), career and identity exploration, healing attachment trauma, relationship/dating anxiety, grief and loss, self-esteem development, and emotion coaching and boundary setting.
Megan’s Approach
My approach to treatment is both integrative and interpersonal. These approaches incorporate evidence-based practices, such as emotion focused therapy (EFT), internal family systems (IFS), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Gottman, mindfulness and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). My therapeutic approaches focus on helping clients develop greater understanding of themselves and their emotions, explore and recognize patterns within relationships and behaviors, and learn to utilize emotional and relational insight to develop skills to take more effective action moving forward.
I am certified in integrative relationship therapy (IRT), which is a modality that focuses on integrating cut off parts of the self. By integrating separated parts, clients can reach a place of greater acceptance and fulfillment, and reduce negative thought, feeling, and relational patterns.
How can you expect me to be?
You can expect me to be genuine, warm, and non-judgmental – I can be direct at times, and I believe honesty and transparency (from each of us!) is the best practice. I like to incorporate humor when appropriate and I try to not take myself too seriously. I see us each as an expert in the room – you are an expert on you and I am the expert on the practice and science of psychology – therefore, collaboration is key for positive treatment outcomes.