Shayna Feldman Barksdale

Shayna Feldman Barksdale is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Austin Therapy for Girls, a specialty practice offering therapy for tween and teen girls in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of experience, Shayna brings a warm, honest, and empowering approach to working with adolescent girls and their families—especially around issues like anxiety, self-esteem, perfectionism, and mother-daughter dynamics.

Shayna holds a master’s degree in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University and is trained in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), EMDR, and The Daring Way™ (based on the work of Brené Brown). Her sessions blend real talk with clinical expertise to help girls develop emotional regulation, confidence, and authentic connections.

She is also the author of Pink Chaos: Navigating the Mother–Daughter Relationship with Your Tween—a relatable, research-informed, and often hilariously honest guide to the emotional rollercoaster of raising a tween girl. In Pink Chaos, Shayna offers practical tools, heartfelt insights, and therapist-tested wisdom to help moms understand what their daughters are really going through—and how to show up with compassion, connection, and just enough calm to survive the chaos (without losing themselves in the process).

In 2012, Shayna founded Austin Therapy for Girls to create a space where girls could feel safe, seen, and supported—without judgment. Her mission is to help girls glow up from within, especially during the messiest, most meaningful years of their lives.

When she’s not in session or writing, Shayna enjoys 80s music, scary movies, and spending time in her hometown of Austin with her husband and their two rescue dogs.