Guiding Teens Toward Healing with Austin Davis of Clearfork Academy

In this insightful episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome Austin Davis, MA, LPC-S, founder and CEO of Clearfork Academy, a Christ-centered residential treatment facility for teens struggling with substance use and mental health challenges in Texas.

Austin shares his inspiring journey from youth ministry to counseling and ultimately to building Clearfork Academy from the ground up. Motivated by a calling to reach young people before addiction and trauma take deeper root, Austin discusses how his experiences working with adults in recovery led him to focus on adolescents, helping families change their futures by intervening early.

Episode Highlights:

• From Calling to Career: How Austin’s pastoral roots shaped his therapeutic approach and led him to combine faith and clinical care.
• The Birth of Clearfork Academy: The incredible story of selling everything to create a safe, healing space for teens—and how that leap of faith became a thriving program.
• Adolescent Identity & Mental Health: Why understanding “Who am I?” is central to teen recovery, and how identity confusion, social media, and disconnection fuel today’s youth crisis.
• Family Healing: How Clearfork treats the entire family system, not just the child, through weekly sessions, intensives, and experiential work that rebuild trust and connection.
• Parenting Tools: The “Shoulder-to-Shoulder vs. Knee-to-Knee” method, Austin’s powerful communication framework for parents to foster openness and recognize warning signs of distress.
• A Message of Hope: Austin’s closing wisdom for anyone facing a crossroads, five steps inspired by Jeremiah 6:16: Stand. Look. Ask. Walk. Rest.

To learn more about Austin and Clearfork Academy, visit: https://clearforkacademy.com/