Garreth Baldwin

I have had an interest in mental health since my first attempt at an 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, which I graduated with in December 2020. The pairing of these two areas 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 in which each person’s story exists. 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 5 cats and a Great Pyrenees that we recently adopted from a rescue. It isn’t unusual for one or more of them to appear during sessions and say hello.