Ryan Cheney, LCSW
Welcome!
I'm here to work with you toward transformational change. When you’re facing a problem, we work to discover the root cause and bring healing there. When the root is healed, the symptoms disappear.
I take great joy in helping people become the fullest version of themselves. Some of the freshest, most sublime and transformative moments of my life are ones in which connection sparks deep change, welcoming more of someone into the world. For me, therapy is a sacred act.
How I Work
Perhaps the core learning from formal research on psychotherapy is that the quality of the relationship between the client and the therapist is the biggest predictor of therapy’s effectiveness. Who you choose as your therapist is important.
In service of helping you judge whether we’re likely to be a good fit, here’s how I tend to approach therapy:
- Results-oriented. Sometimes therapy facilitates change quickly, sometimes it doesn’t. I want our work together to make a real difference in your life at a pace that feels right for you. We’ll track and discuss how our work is affecting you. If you reach your goal, it’s healthy to graduate! If progress feels slow or you feel stuck, we’ll look at that together and adjust course if need be.
- Insight-driven. I help you to slow down and go inside to discover what’s true for you.
- Embodied. Emotional truths (implicit emotional memory, to be specific) are mostly processed in the regions of your brain that govern your body states (limbic and subcortical regions), not the area of your brain that’s responsible for reasoning (your cortex). I invite folks to slow down and notice body sensation because that’s a shorter path in the brain to emotional truths than reasoning.
- In the now. Bringing attention to what’s happening in the now can give us a bit of wiggle room to step back and notice the stories we hold about ourselves and the world. Emotions are sensations! Noticing body sensations during session helps build awareness and tolerance so that when you experience them outside of session, they’re less scary and you can respond with more centeredness.
- Spontaneity and Play. I strive for these!
- Centering our relationship. I work to build enough safety that we can discuss our relationship in ways you might avoid with others – ways you feel unseen, what you’re feeling toward me, what doesn’t work for you, etc.
Specialites
Couple’s therapy, family therapy, sex, polyamory, tantra, high conflict relationships, men’s issues, trauma.
Training
- (*forthcoming) Internal Family Systems (IFS). Level 2. Intimacy from the Inside Out. John Palmer and Sallie Ingle. Oct-Dec 2026.
- IFS Level 1. IFS institute. Lead trainer Steve Krantz. Sep 2024-Jan 2025.
- IFS - Stepping Deeper (16 weeks). IFSCA. Lead trainer Gustavo Mello. Jan-April 2024.
- IFS - Stepping Stones (16 weeks). IFSCA. Lead trainer Derek Scott. Oct 2023-Jan 2024.
- Coherence Therapy - Intermediate Intensive. Trainers: Sara Bridges, Bruce Ecker, Michal Jasiński & Hannah Emery. Nov 2025.
- Coherence Therapy - Introductory Workshop. Trainers: Sam Robinson and Josh Killam. Nov 2024.
- Somatic Experiencing - Beginner III. Somatic Experiencing International (SEI). Lead Trainer: Jeanna Gomez. Nov 2024.
- Somatic Experiencing - Beginner II. SEI. Lead Trainer: Jeanna Gomez. Mar 2024.
- Somatic Experiencing - Beginner I. SEI. Lead Trainer: Jeanna Gomez. Nov 2023.
- Relational Whole Body Focusing. Cultivating Wholebody Relationships in Everyday Life and in Professional Practice. Module 1. Karen Whalen, and Roberto Larios, MD. Apr-Aug 2022.
- Tantra 1. Agama Yoga. Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand. Lead trainer: Swami Vivekananda Saraswati. 2009.
Feel free to request sessions in these specific modalities. You’re welcome to try a given modality for as long as it feels right for you. If we’re working in a specific modality, it’s okay to take breaks and have standard talk therapy sessions. In a session, it’s also common to devote some time to standard talk therapy, and some to working in a specific modality.
Clinical Experience
- Psychotherapist. Private Practice. Jan 2026-present.
- Psychotherapist. Deep Centered Mental Health. (formerly Deep Eddy Psychotherapy.) Oct 2023-Dec 2025. (2 yrs, 2 months)
- Counselor I. LifeWorks Austin. Jul-Oct 2023. (4 months)
- Youth & Adult Counseling Intern. LifeWorks Austin. Jan-Jul 2023. (7 months)
- Clinical Social Work Intern. Austin State Hospital. Adult Psychiatric Services. Aug-Dec 2022. (5 months)
- Mental Health Counselor. GoodWill of Central Texas. Sep 2021-May 2022. (9 months.)
Stuffy Trad Education
Integrated Behavioral Health Scholar.
Services & Cost
I offer therapy both in-person at 1310 S. 1st St. in South Austin and online.
Insurance & Sliding Scale
I’m not taking new clients paying with insurance at this time. I can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance company if you’d like.
Sliding Scale
I offer 3 tiers of sliding scale, based on income:
To qualify for my sliding scale, you must satisfy two conditions:
- If unmarried, your net worth excluding the value of your primary residence is less than $200,000
- If married, your combined net worth excluding the value of your primary residence is less than $400,000
Single Adult Household - Annual Income Requirements
| Tier 1 ($150/session) |
Tier 2 ($135/session) |
Tier 3 ($120/session) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| My income is less than: | My income is less than: | My income is less than: | |
| No kids | $64,000 | $56,000 | $49,000 |
| 1 kid | $106,000 | $94,000 | $82,000 |
| 2 kids | $133,000 | $117,000 | $102,000 |
| 3+ kids | $168,000 | $149,000 | $129,000 |
2+ Adult Households - Combined Annual Income Requirements
| Tier 1 ($150/session) |
Tier 2 ($135/session) |
Tier 3 ($120/session) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Our combined income is less than: | Our combined income is less than: | Our combined income is less than: | |
| No kids | $86,000 | $76,000 | $66,000 |
| 1 kid | $103,000 | $91,000 | $79,000 |
| 2 kids | $112,000 | $99,000 | $86,000 |
| 3+ kids | $129,000 | $114,000 | $99,000 |
Income levels are based on MIT’s living wage calculator for Travis County.
Next Steps
I'm currently accepting new clients.
When I'm accepting new clients, you’re invited to book a first session or a free 20 minute consultation (on zoom or in-person) to explore what it might be like to work together.
To set up a first session or free consultation, or if you have any questions, feel free to call/text me at (512) 736-9065 or email me at ryan@qualityofbeing.com
Thanks so much!
May the Goodness that's within you shine brightly.