We were lucky to catch up with Fayth Hunt recently and have shared our conversation below.
Fayth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.
My schooling and training experiences have been really formative, both personally and professionally. I did my undergrad at Texas A&M in College Station, where I focused on public and community health. This gave me a broader perspective on counseling, thinking about how individual mental health connects to community and systemic factors. Then I went to grad school at UTSA, and I was actually one of the youngest students in my program. That was a really unique experience because it exposed me to people from so many different stages of life and career paths. It was such a rich environment to learn from others’ perspectives.
One thing that really stands out is the way my program at UTSA kind of threw you in the fire with seeing clients. You always had tons of support from professors, but you also had to navigate real client interactions. Over time, that really built my confidence and helped me understand that there is no one perfect way to do counseling. It is a mix of skill, intuition, and learning from each experience. Having that combination of strong guidance and hands-on practice was extremely valuable, and it gave me a lot of insight as a young entrepreneur stepping into my own practice.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Fayth Hunt, and I’m a licensed therapist based in Austin, Texas. I grew up around family members who struggled with addiction, and seeing the way therapy changed their lives made a big impact on me. I always felt drawn to this work, even before I knew exactly how to get there. I started college at Texas A&M planning to go into nursing, but by my senior year I realized counseling was where my heart really was. I applied to graduate school, attended UTSA, and that’s where I gained the confidence and tools to support people in meaningful and practical ways.
I’m now at Grace Counseling of Austin with Grace Shook, offering individual therapy both in person and virtually, which allows me to work with clients all over Texas. I love working with teens and young adults, helping them heal from past relational hurts, manage anxiety or depression, build self-confidence, and navigate big life transitions. Connection is a huge part of what matters to me, and I’m passionate about helping people strengthen the relationship they have with themselves as well as the people around them. My style is flexible, client centered, and grounded in genuine care, with room for humor and real conversation.
One thing I’m especially proud of is stepping into private practice right after graduate school as an associate. It’s a big shift, and there’s a lot to learn that you don’t get taught in the classroom, especially the business side. It can feel overwhelming at times, but I’ve really enjoyed the challenge and the growth that comes with it. I take the work seriously, but I also believe therapy doesn’t have to feel heavy all the time. There is space for laughter, lightness, and being human. It’s truly an honor to walk with people through their healing and growth.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Other than training and knowledge, I think one of the most important parts of succeeding in this field is building genuine connections. Networking has been incredibly helpful for me, not in a transactional sense, but in forming real relationships with other therapists, providers, and people in the community. Those connections have led to referrals, mentorship, and opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. More than that, they’ve helped me feel supported and grounded.
Counseling can be a lonely field at times. It’s a very relational career, and we hold so much emotional weight for the people we work with. Unlike a typical nine-to-five job, we don’t always have coworkers sitting right next to us or a big office environment to lean on throughout the day. Because of that, it’s essential to have colleagues you can turn to—people who understand the emotional load, who can offer perspective, and who can remind you that you’re not doing this work alone. Having that kind of support system has made a huge difference for me, both personally and professionally.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn was the idea that I needed to be perfect to be a good therapist. In school, I thought I would eventually learn exactly how to do everything “right” and that each session would follow a certain structure or standard. But once I started working with clients, I realized therapy isn’t about perfection at all. It’s a creative, flexible field, and every client brings their own story, their own needs, and sometimes challenges you’ve never encountered before. You’re constantly learning and adjusting. That’s part of what makes the work meaningful.
I had to let go of the belief that a session was only successful if it looked a certain way. Now I know that a “perfect” session isn’t about flawless interventions or sticking to a plan. It’s when a client feels seen, heard, and safe. When there’s connection. When they leave feeling even a little more understood than when they walked in. Letting go of perfection has made me a better therapist and has helped me stay more present, authentic, and open to whatever each client brings into the room.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gracecounselingofaustin.com/about
- Instagram: @feelingswithfayth
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayth-hunt
