Hi, I’m Mariel Jen Gonzalez, a Licensed Professional Counselor dedicated to helping individuals and couples heal from trauma, anxiety, and depression. With years of experience supporting survivors of domestic violence and those navigating life’s toughest transitions, I offer a compassionate, non-judgmental space where you can feel truly seen and supported. I believe that the past doesn’t have to define your present—and together, we can work through painful memories that continue to impact your daily life, relationships, and self-worth.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Clients often tell me they feel understood and empowered after our sessions. I bring warmth, calm, and a sense of groundedness to the therapy room while also offering practical tools and honest feedback. Therapy with me is collaborative.. You’re the expert in your story, and I’m here to help you rewrite it in a way that feels authentic, hopeful, and healing.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
After working with various group populations in a nonprofit organization for victims of domestic violence, and later collaborating with a fantastic group of psychotherapists, I have developed a toolbox of resources to help my clients identify the underlying causes of their challenges. This enables me to create personalized plans that lead to measurable progress. If you or someone you know is seeking support, I'm here to help. Let's work together towards a healthier and happier life. Feel free to reach out for more information or to schedule a session.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I love working with adults who are going through tough times. Many of them feel stuck, overwhelmed, and anxious, which affects different areas of their lives. Whether you're seeking relief from the weight of trauma, struggling in your relationship, or simply looking for a space to explore your inner world, I’m here to help. You don’t have to navigate this alone healing is possible, and you deserve support that honors your story.
About Mariel Gonzalez
Identifies as
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
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Address
473 Resaca Shores, San Benito, TX 78586Appointments
Virtual & in-personMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that assists individuals in recognizing and changing negative beliefs or attitudes that impact their behavior. I implement this approach to assit my clients to effectively handle symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues by tackling the core thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to their emotional challenges. Throughout my experience as a counselor, I have observed that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven to be effective in assisting numerous clients in recognizing and addressing negative or erroneous thought patterns. CBT equips individuals with a clearer understanding of their environment, enabling them to navigate adverse circumstances with a more constructive and efficacious approach.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
In my role as a therapist, I often turn to DBT, which is an evidence-based approach that has shown to significantly improve people's lives. It helps alleviate feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress, while also reducing tendencies toward self-harm and suicidal thoughts. This kind of therapy really allows my clients to recognize and appreciate their own self-worth. Research has shown that the positive impact of DBT extends to individuals of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, and racial/ethnic backgrounds.
EMDR
One therapy approach that I use with my clients is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, which is a mental health treatment technique. This method involves moving your eyes in a specific way while you process traumatic memories, with the goal of helping you heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences. One significant reason for recommending EMDR therapy is that it does not require talking in detail about a distressing issue. Instead, EMDR focuses on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors that result from a distressing experience (trauma), allowing your brain to resume a natural healing process. This split focus can make disturbing images less vivid, helping clients to feel comfortably distanced from them and reducing the emotional impact of those memories. Since this therapy is fast and safe, bilateral brain stimulation might help my clients feel more relaxed. As the memories become less vivid, the brain might start to associate memory recall with relaxation rather than emotional shock, resulting in desensitization. In my practice, clients receiving EMDR typically start seeing results much sooner than with other forms of therapy.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
I have experience implementing CPT as an evidence-based treatment primarily used for PTSD. It helps my clients restructure unhelpful beliefs related to trauma and reduce emotional distress by identifying and challenging "stuck points"—rigid or distorted beliefs about the trauma, self, others, or the world.