Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Gonzales.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I got my undergraduate and graduate degrees at Texas State University previously Southwest Texas State University- San Marcos. I literally have a degree from both! In February 2007 I got a contract position with Waterloo Counseling Center. WCC was founded in 1983 in order to provide mental health services for the LGBTQIA֡ community, people living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones and those struggling with depression, anxiety and trauma. I was so grateful to have landed a counseling job in Austin, Texas providing high quality, affordable mental health care to the community.
I started out as a contract worker. There had been some internal conflict at the organization. Everyone was leaving and the the new ED was scrabbling to keep the organization afloat. Fast forward a year and I had been offered a full time position as a Bilingual HIV Specialist. Although I did not consider myself bilingual I was talked into accepting the position and Spanish lessons where provided. I had to drop my current case load and travel to San Marcos and Georgetown to offer free counseling to people living with HIV. I held part time office hours at each location for many years before asking for more diversity in my case load. I was also burnt out on all the paperwork required to keep up with those those grants. Slowly I stopped traveling to Georgetown, then San Marcos.
During that time I also did a little hospice work. I had a client or two end up at Doug’s House, a five-bedroom residential hospice and recuperative care facility for people living with HIV. I’ve had many client losses over the years due to working in HIV. I think about each of them from time to time. I was also on the board of the Women Rising Project, a program for women living with HIV and AIDS dedicated to strengthening women through programs and activities that provide education, connection, support, advocacy and peer leadership opportunities. Those where some fun and challenging times. I miss those ladies. If we were still meeting we would be organizing for our annual Hearts and Flowers event.
I enjoyed moving into the role of Therapist, no more HIV only, no more driving to other locations, less paperwork. In my role as a therapist at Waterloo I wore many hats and worked my way up to Lead Therapist. I was never interested in the role of clinical director or executive director. I enjoy working with the clients most. In 2020 Waterloo merged with Texas Health Action. I was able to onboard new staff and keep moral up as Waterloo Counseling Center became a program of THA and with all the stressors of COVID, facing new leadership and an unexpected pay cut I finally left at the end of 2021. Almost 15 years.
It was hard to say goodbye but just like all the colleagues that left told me it would be, it has been the best decision I ever made. I opened my solo private practice, My Best Me Therapy, PLLC in February of 2022 and it has been the best decision I have ever made. It took getting here to remember that this is where I wanted to be all along. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s a lot of work and there are some trade offs but this is indeed where I wanted to be when I grew up.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, not smooth. I struggled a lot in school. I had undiagnosed dyslexia and dyscalculia making certain subject impossibly hard and others just required more discipline. I struggled in undergrad and worried I would not get into graduate school. I had to sit at the front of the class, take good notes and hustle during testes. I had to interview in order to be let in grad school due to my GRE and GPA scores not cutting it. I was asked how I though I was going to keep up given my history to which I relied, “I didn’t like any of those subjects, this I really like.” I did indeed loved what I was learning and was easily able to maintain the B average necessary. Whew! Then it took me six months to find my home at Waterloo where an insurrection would be occurring. The tension in the air was undeniable. Probable should have registered, the bad omen, that would be. Many would come and go and not for all the normal reasons you would think. This is where I learned that no matter what profession you are in there are bad actors, toxic bosses and broken systems. I fought the good fight for as long as I could before it was my time to move on. Life is full of these “challenges”. Even now I struggle. Struggle to get the administrative and marketing tasks done. Struggling to fill my case load and pay for heath care. Struggle with my own mental health a times. No, it has not been smooth but I have a strong feeling I am right where I should be.
As you know, we’re big fans of My Best Me Therapy, PLLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At My Best Me Therapy, PLLC I provide Texas-based online mental health care with a heart. I work well will folks struggling with depression, anxiety and relational concerns. I am LGBTQIA+ affirming, neurodivergent knowledgable, trauma informed, culturally competent and work from a relational lens. I learned early in my career that folks do best with a therapist they like, connect with and can trust has their best interest in mind. I strive to build that level of rapport so clients can feel more at ease doing the hard work. I am known for being personable, direct but warm and nonjudgemental. I like to help folks through their present issues and concerns while weaving in an understanding about how our past can inform our present. Who were you then, who are you now, who do you want to be? How do we get there? I use a mix of Relational Cultural Therapy, CBT, Mindfulness and Psychodynamic Therapy. I often encourage clients explore body and brain based practices like somatic work or binaural beats for homework. I am always trying to meet the client where they are. I like to plant the seeds and let the clients decide for themselves what is working for them. Real change happens over time and has to be internally motivated for those long term gains. I work with individual and couples and like to help folks build and maintain healthy relationships. I see clients 8am-3pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I do not take insurance. I have a quick and easy intake process and can get you in fast. Reach out anytime and I will happily set up a free 30 minute video call so I can answer all your questions and you can get a feel for what I am like in real life.
What matters most to you?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. Mental health matters, black lives matter, animals matter, health care in general matters, climate change matters, family and friends matter. Why? Because lives matter and the quality of those lives should matter. You matter and you need to matter most to you, so you can do what matters to you. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor because mental health matters to me. Relationships matter. The relationship you have with yourself, friends, family, partner your pets all matter. Why? They help us grow and growing is good, even if it’s hard. What matters is relative to you at the time. Sometimes, nothing matters and that’s okay too. Just cultivate a loving relationship with yourself so you can get back to what matters most to you.
Pricing:
- 175.00 per 50 minute session
- 260.00 per 80 minute session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mybestmetherapy.com
- Other: sarah@mybestmetherapy.com
