I’m Chris Gongaware
Prior to my counseling career, I held dual roles in the community. During the day I served as an Avionics Electrical Technician with the U.S. Coast Guard, where I led maintenance repairs, earned multiple Good Conduct Medals, and garnered numerous awards for excellent performance during deployments. On the weekends and during my leave time I was being trained in and then leading immersions in self awareness, personal growth, mindfulness, and relational skills. The discipline and empathy cultivated during those years inform my therapeutic style and my commitment to helping clients navigate life transitions.
I completed my Master of Arts in Counseling at St. Edward’s University in August, 2025. I hold an LPC Associate and an LMFT Associate (under the supervision of Russ Bartee Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT-S) license in the state of Texas. My clinical experience spans diverse settings, including St. Edward’s University Community Clinic, the Hays CISD school system, and The Last Resort Recovery Center substance‑use retreat for men. These roles have allowed me to work with individuals and families from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, sharpen my clinical instincts in intensive inpatient environments, and affirm my dedication to supporting your mental health.
My Approach
My therapeutic approach integrates existential, reality‑based, and humanistic frameworks, enhanced by mindfulness‑based practices and somatic techniques such as Focusing and Somatic Experiencing. I believe that counseling is a collaborative process: together we explore your experiences, clarify your values and build resilience so you can live more authentically.
LPC Associate & LMFT Associate under the supervision of Russ Bartee Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT-S
All questions send you on a quest, at the end of which is the resolve or answer you are seeking. I see this as living into a greater truth. In counseling we work together to find out what is true for you. Maybe there’s something you don’t want to know. Maybe there is something you do want to know. Our work together is your opportunity to live into a truth, and into a life, that is meaningful, purposeful, fulfilling, and impactful.