An organ transplantation is far more than the physical preparation, discomfort, surgery, and post-surgery recovery. It can change your relationships with your body, health, future, and loved ones. 


As both a therapist and organ transplant recipient, I understand that the emotional journey starts long before and continues well after the surgery. I’ll focus on all aspects of your healing, including the complex emotional and mental challenges that can exist alongside this experience.

schedule your intro call

You’ve received an incredible gift in a second chance—this is the next step of a complex journey.

From the whirlwind of preparing for your transplant—the hospital visits, endless labs, medications, uncertainty, and constant anxiety about your health—to waking up to a new reality after the operation, the process is often emotional, confusing, scary, and, at times, isolating.


You may feel immense relief, gratitude, and joy for the gift of a transplant, while simultaneously feeling:

Grief over the changes transplantation has brought to your body, independence, relationships, work, and everyday life.  

Trauma from the fear you’ve experienced for your life, undergoing life-changing medical procedures, and the pain you’ve endured. 

Guilt surrounding your donor or the circumstances that made your transplant possible.

Feeling disconnected from your own body and a loss of identity to who you are without the weight of organ transplantation hanging over you. 

Utterly exhausted from the years of navigating the physical, emotional, and psychological demands of serious illness.

Loneliness and isolation, even if you’re completely surrounded by loved ones, because they simply don’t understand what this experience has been like.

Confusion surrounding the many changes in your life—ranging from diet, public outings, pet care, travel, and more.

You can be grateful for your second chance and still struggle with what it took to get here.

Reclaiming your life goes beyond the surgery.

Organ transplantation can make you feel like a stranger in your own life, stripped of your health, agency, and identity. You’re fighting for your physical health while also facing often-overwhelming medical jargon, endless hospital visits and tests, medications, bills, and unknowns surrounding the surgery. 


The surgery can feel like the finish line you’ve been working towards. But it’s also the start of a new chapter. One with its own complexities: new medications, routines, concerns, possibilities, limitations, and questions. 


Questions such as:

“How do I trust my body again?” 

“How do I make sense of everything I’ve been through?”

“Will I ever feel normal?”

“How do I move forward?”


Together, we’ll explore those questions, fears, and anxieties in a safe space, free from judgment or expectation. We’ll work toward integrating this experience into your life and making it part of your story, not the whole story. 

Organ transplantation changes what “normal” looks like, but it can still be a life you love.

Support is here for every step of adjusting to life as a transplant recipient. 


You’ve been through enough. You deserve support that honors what you’ve experienced and gives you a framework that you can gently incorporate into your life without adding more disruption. Together, we’ll look at routines, habits, boundaries, and educational resources that can help you feel more grounded and confident as you start building your next chapter. 

Hi, I'm Dianne Arnett

Dianne Arnett, an Organ Transplant Support therapist in Austin, TX, standing in front of a National

An Austin therapist who truly understands what you’re going through.

Because I’ve lived through this myself.


Being the recipient of my sister’s kidney saved my life after a lifetime of surgeries. 


I was fortunate enough to have support through the entire transplant process, and I know full well how truly valuable that is. I’ve been deeply involved in the national and local transplant community ever since, and currently serve as a board member on the Genie Kilpatrick Foundation. 


It’s my mission to pay forward the support I was given by lifting others as I was lifted and sharing resources with those at any stage of their transplant journey. 

Learn More about Me

Organ transplant support throughout the entire journey:

Process what you’ve been through

The transplant experience can bring a powerful storm of feelings, from fear, grief, gratitude, relief, uncertainty, and anything else. Talk through these feelings in a safe, warm environment.  

Educational Resources

Clear, practical information and guidelines to help you feel more informed, prepared, and empowered throughout this journey. 

Transplant Community Connection

Your support network is wider than you may think. I can connect you with local Austin and national transplant organizations, communities, and resources where you can find others who understand what you’re going through. 

Tools & Strategies

We’ll create a framework and transitional tools to help you build sustainable habits to support your physical and mental health. 

Support for Families

Transplantation affects the whole family. If your loved one is undergoing an organ transplant, we can explore role changes, communication, boundaries, and how to become a stronger support system.  

Get Started

You don’t have to worry about explaining everything to someone who hasn’t been there.

As both a therapist and transplant recipient, I know how meaningful it is to connect with someone who implicitly understands how this experience has affected you. 


This is a place where you can talk about all of it—the scary, hopeful, overwhelming, joyful, or complicated. 


You don’t have to minimize what you’ve been through because you’re grateful, pretend you’re okay because the surgery was a success, or even have the right words for what you’re feeling. 


No matter what you’re feeling, I understand. I’m here to help you process what you’ve been through, make sense of what you’re feeling, and find your footing as you look towards life beyond surgery.

From recovery to rebuilding a life that feels like yours.

Whether you’re waiting for a transplant, preparing for surgery, recovering, or wondering how to move forward, you deserve to feel support and guidance at every step.


Together, we’ll process what you’ve experienced, make space for every emotion that can arise from this journey, and start shifting from just surviving through each day to exploring what you want your life to look like beyond transplantation. 

Connect with me