My Story
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Before I was a psychologist, I worked as a lifeguard, certified personal trainer and high school chemistry teacher. I've been involved in research throughout my undergraduate and graduate academic training.
I love to travel, spend time in nature, watch movies and sports, and hang out with the people I love. I also enjoy reading, art, playing the guitar, weight-lifting, and tasty food.
I live in San Antonio, Texas with my wife. I am a native Texan of Mexican-American descent who is bilingual and proud of my heritage, though I just think of myself as American and a member of the Human race.
I have been blessed with opportunities to travel extensively from an early age and these experiences have provided me with a deep appreciation for the diverse cultures of people around the world and of various world religions, so I think I’m pretty open-minded and I'm sure that helps me get along well with most people.
I consider myself to be Spiritual. Meditation, Music and Nature help me feel whole. I like all kinds of Music, but it's Rock and Roll that fills my Soul.
PROFESSIONAL BIO
Dr. Gonzalez began his educational training in psychology as an undergraduate college student at the University of Texas at San Antonio. After two years of pre-medicine coursework, personal life experiences sparked a search for the meaning of life and incited a passion for the study of psychology, philosophy and world religions.
Dr. Gonzalez graduated Summa Cum Laude with top tier honors from the Honor’s College of the UTSA in 2004 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. During his undergraduate training, Dr. Gonzalez worked as a research assistant and completed his honor’s thesis on cognitive biases in depression amongst college students. He also pursued an intensive personal study of Jungian psychology that remains a cornerstone of his psychotherapeutic world view and approach to his clinical practice.
Dr. Gonzalez completed his master’s level graduate psychology training at the UTSA. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a M.A. in Community Counseling in 2009. During his education in this counseling program, worked as a graduate research assistant and conducted clinical training as a counseling intern at the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas, helping children, teens and adults who suffer from grief and trauma.
Dr. Gonzalez obtained his doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology with Summa Cum Laude honors from Texas A&M University in 2014. His clinical training experience included work with Veterans, college students and adults seeking services at the community mental health training clinic. Dr. Gonzalez was awarded a graduate research and clinical therapy assistantship from 2010-2013 that allowed him to serve rural residents of the Brazos valley with video telehealth psychotherapy services. He also conducted research on Mexican-American cultural factors that influence the assimilation of college students.
Dr. Gonzalez completed his pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship training program as the Generalist Track Intern at the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Memorial Hospital of South Texas Veterans Health System in San Antonio, TX in 2014. He subsequently completed his post-doctoral clinical psychology fellowship training program with a specialty emphasis in psychosocial rehabilitation for individuals with severe mental illness in 2015. He continued his clinical practice as a licensed staff psychologist in the same healthcare system helping with Veterans suffering from the most severe mental health disorders.
Dr. Gonzalez has been in private practice full-time at the Phoenix Mental Health Clinic since April 2021. His clinical work at the Phoenix Mental Health has incorporated the integration of traditional psychotherapy treatment modalities (i.e., CBT, ACT, Clinical Hypnosis) with more novel approaches to treatment, including Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. He has acquired certification in Clinical Hypnosis from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He has also completed extensive Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy training for the facilitation of various psychedelic medicines, including MDMA, Psilocybin and Ketamine.
Dr. Gonzalez is a Licensed Natural Medicine Clinical Facilitator in Colorado. He is the first Texan and one of the first mental health practitioners in the nation to become a licensed psychedelic therapist. Dr. Gonzalez completed a Psilocybin Assisted Facilitator training at Inner Trek in Portland, OR – the first legally established psilocybin healing and facilitator training center in the U.S. He received his Colorado state license as a Natural Medicine Clinical Facilitator (NMCF.0000021) on June 30, 2025. He is the owner of Mindful Elevation Natural Medicine Healing Center (NMHC-00044) - a lakefront healing center located on the serene Evergreen lake. He offers Psilocybin Assisted Therapy services within the legal framework of the state of Colorado for his individual clients and offers this beautiful space to other licensed facilitators for guided therapeutic medicine journeys with their clients.
Learn more about Mindful Elevation Natural Medicine Healing Center at https://www.mindfulelevationhealingcenter.com/
Read Dr. Gonzalez’ full CV here.
What is your approach to therapy?
I have a broader view of the psyche best conceptualized by Jungian and Humanistic lenses. In practice, I utilize a multi-theoretical integrative approach, tailoring therapeutic techniques from CBT, Schema therapy, ACT, DBT and hypnosis to each individual's specific issues and needs.
What can I expect in my first session?
A warm, non-judgmental safe space where you will feel heard and leave with hope and clarity about the process of healing and direction for therapy structure that can help you reach your goals.