Hi everyone! My name is Garreth and my pronouns are they/them/theirs. I have had an interest in mental health since my first attempt at undergraduate class and my journey of finding my own identity led me to see how underserved so many people are by the current mental health field, especially in traditionally conservative areas like Texas. Through my background in sociology, I saw the systemic discrimination that people face on a daily basis which led me to pursue a degree in marriage and family therapy that I am currently enrolled in. The pairing of these two area, means that I put special emphasis on practicing from a social justice informed, identity affirming, and anti-racist lens. While many mental health professionals may see problems as being within a person or a relationship, I maintain that it is important to understand and address the social and cultural contexts that each person’s story exists in. Outside of the mental health world I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. Running friends through a campaign of Dungeons and Dragons has always been enjoyable and is a strong influence on my view of each person’s experience as a story. I also enjoy reading (primarily fantasy and sci-fi novels) and cooking. My partner and I were married just before lockdown 2020 and we currently have 3 cats and a Great Pyrenes that we recently adopted from a rescue. It isn’t unusual for one or more of them to appear during sessions and say hello.