We were lucky to catch up with René García recently and have shared our conversation below.

René, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

The most defining moment in my career was to focus my therapy practice on primarily helping Adult Men. That moment came in 2019 when I was feeling somewhat lost in my career. By that time, I had been a therapist for 19 years and felt somewhat stuck. I had a good amount of clients who were seeking therapy however, I did not have a niche. I started hearing conversations about Men and how they are all “evil” or have the inability to change. I kept hearing phrases like “men don’t go to therapy” from friends, family, and unfortunately even other therapists. I just felt these antiquated mind sets not only hurt these men seeking help but, were also perpetuated by the very same people who could benefit the most from these men’s receiving help. Also, incredible movements like #MeToo were now publicly holding men accountable for their actions. I fully support everything the #MeToo movement has done and continues to do. They gave a voice to victims. My only concern was men were being held accountable for their actions however, no one was discussing these men’s possibility to heal.

As a result of all of this, I decided to dedicate my practice to the overall healing of adult men. I want be a space men can come to be challenged and grow in their mental wellness. I want to continue to challenge my colleagues to make spaces welcoming to men, despite how they are referred to treatment. When a man in Texas is thinking about going to therapy, I want them to call me to first.

René, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I found out about this career through my mother. I had graduated with my BA in Sociology in 2008, right at the heigh of a big financial crisis. Gas was expensive, I had a 1 year old daughter, and really no path. My mom was working for a university in Houston and told me I might be interested in one of the master’s programs. I never thought of me going to grad school however went to an informational meeting for the program. In that meeting, I met the Dean of the program as well as one of the founders. I fell in love. Finally a place I see myself going to school and a career I see myself doing good and enjoying.

I graduated in 2012 with a MS in Psychology focused on Marriage & Family therapy. During my program, I worked at a substance use disorder outpatient clinic, as well as completed internships at a psychiatric hospital and community clinic. I began working at various substance use disorder facilities up until I opened my own practice in 2017.

The problems I solve for my client vary from client to client, as well as session to session. Therapy needs to be individualized because we can’t expect peoples stories to be the same. I help people find what they are looking for. Essentially, my job is to work myself out of a job, to where the client no longer needs me at all or very little.

I am most proud when I see clients achieve a “break through”. This, to me, is when a client has been struggling with an issue and only looked at this issue one way. A break through happens when they begin to view the issue in different ways, takes control of the issue, or learns the issue may be small part of the something bigger. Break throughs make my heart sing, and I love when clients get there.

What I want people to know the most is mental health is very real. There is so much data and research out there that if we do not treat and take people’s mental health care seriously, it can and will get worse. We have to dedicate time to have in-depth conversations with people where each person feels heard and understood. People are quick to give advice and tell people what to do however, that doesn’t work for everyone. Therapy is a powerful tool that gives people a private space to discuss anything. I like to tell people “it’s a place to be comfortably uncomfortable”.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Networking. Every job or opportunity I have achieved has been because of networking. And not just with other mental health clinicians. Professional student organizations when I was in college, cultural professional groups, coffee with like minded people, school reunions, friend’s events, etc. Go to these places, have an “elevator speech” about what you do, and connect with people. I was once told “your network is your net worth” and that has been 100% true in my career.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was my own self-doubt. Even therapists are human, and we are not immune to our own struggles. I often times, even today, second guess my self and do not “follow my gut” when it comes to my profession. I have to remind myself I got into this business for a reason, and that something inside called me to it. I have times where I am unsure if I am truly meeting everyone’s expectations however I have to remember I am cannot help everyone. My skillset is finite. I go into every session with the internal goal for clients to leave in better space than the way they came into my office.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.garciamentalhealth.com
• Instagram: @garciamentalhealth
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ren%C3%A9-garc%C3%ADa-lmft-s-lpc-s-lcdc-6750256/

Image Credits

Lisa Hause