About Noah

About me and my experience

I am a Latinx, neurodiverse, queer, nonbinary trans man (more specifically, bigender), and therapist. I operate from a trauma informed perspective with a social justice lens and anti-oppressive framework. I am also fat positive, sex positive, neurodiversity affirming, LGBTQIA+ affirming, poly, ethical non monogamy, and kink affirming and am allied with those engaged in sex work. I also strongly believe in harm reduction.

I studied at the University of Texas at San Antonio for both undergrad and grad school, graduating with honors from the honors college with a BA in Psychology and BA in Criminal Justice in 2006 and a MA in Counseling in 2010. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Board Approved Supervisor (LPC-S) and Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) with over a decade of experience providing individual, group, family, and couple’s therapy across a variety of levels of care including in inpatient psychiatric hospitals, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, mobile crisis outreach teams, community mental health agencies, and non-profit organizations. I have also worked as a utilization reviewer for a PHP/IOP program and as a utilization manager at a health insurance company.

As a member of several marginalized groups, I both understand and appreciate what it means to struggle. In my work with clients, my goal is to assist those who don't have a voice find theirs and support those who would otherwise not seek therapy for a fear of judgment. I currently provide both individual and group therapy to adults. I specialize in working with the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly the transgender and gender diverse community, although have come to realize that my actual specialty is what I call “unf**king our socializations.” In addition to this, since we are more than our gender and sexuality, and as a result of my previous professional experience, I work with a variety of mental health concerns. Some of my most favorite to work with are general life transitions, issues of identity, mood disorders, neurodivergence, anxiety disorders, PTSD & trauma, and grief and loss. Although working with clients is my primary passion, providing consultation and education to other clinicians on gender is a real close second. I am passionate about facilitating the gender journey of therapists of all genders who would like to gain a more nuanced understanding of this work, to create more options for competent and affirmative support for my community. I also run a weekly therapy podcast, NextQuest Podcast (available on all major podcast providers!), however am currently taking a break from recording new episodes in favor of work on other projects. In my free time, I thoroughly enjoy saltwater fishing, being the keeper of many spreadsheets, and a dog dad to my two loving pups, Batty and Zion.

my History

I was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. Once I began high school, I started to notice a deficit of mental healthcare professionals in the area. At the age of 15, I decided to pursue a degree in psychology and took my first college level psychology class. I continued my education at the University of Texas at San Antonio where I graduated with Tier II honors with a bachelors degree in psychology and a bachelors degree in criminal justice. I also completed an undergraduate thesis focusing on the relationship between personality traits and conflict tactics. I continued my education, receiving a Master's in Community Counseling, also from the University of Texas at San Antonio, in 2010. I completed a master's thesis with a focus on the perceptions of online counseling by sexual minorities as mitigated by factors such as location, phase of identity development, degree of outness, internet use, and demographic factors. 

my PROCESS

Some things you can expect from me as your therapist: I am authentic and transparent which results in me being very consistent. Who you see in session is who I actually am (within the boundaries as necessary within a therapeutic relationship). One of the things that ultimately led to me transitioning was the thought “If I can’t be myself, how can I expect others (ie my clients) to be themselves with me?” I also made a promise to myself at this time that I was never again going to do something because that’s what I thought was expected of me and was going to live the rest of my life being unapologetically myself. I really appreciate communication and communicate very openly and directly.

I draw from a variety of therapeutic models such as dialectical behavior therapy, creative therapies, psychodynamic therapy, client centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, relational, and solution focused therapy. I also integrate aspects of art, creativity, music, and cinematherapy in my practice and will tailor my approach to your strengths and love to help clients find and utilize their strengths in new unique and helpful ways. At my core, I am a classically Rogerian based relational therapist as the one factor that has consistently and historically been shown to aid in the process of growth, insight, and facilitation of change is the relationship between the client and therapist. My practice with clients is also very informed by feminist psychotherapy models, particularly in terms of power dynamics, and I strongly believe that therapy is a collaborative process between the client and therapist and am here to provide support as your GPS on your journey while you retain control of the wheel.

I am currently accepting referrals for individual therapy for adults. All peoples are welcome! Together we can create a therapeutic experience that is tailored to your needs, strengths, and goals to initiate long lasting change.

Noah’s contact info: (512) 810-0200

Noah’s Email: noah@nextquestcounseling.com

Schedule an appointment

If you are in a mental health crisis, please contact 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. 

Please contact us via the online form under the contact section of this website or via email at noah@nextquestcounseling.com in order to schedule an initial appointment.