Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Ramos.
Angelica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m Dr. Angelica Ramos. I’m a 33-year-old queer Hispanic woman, and this is my story.
I grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma, but my roots are deeply tied to Puerto Rico. Both of my parents were born and raised on the island. They were middle school sweethearts and eventually followed my aunt to Oklahoma City, where my uncle was completing his medical residency. When they arrived, my parents hustled—running a seafood business, taking on extra jobs, and working tirelessly to build a future. My mom eventually went back to school to earn her nursing degree, while my dad joined the military and later the police academy.
Then I came along. I’ll admit, I’ve always been a little bummed that I wasn’t born on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, but my parents’ choice was intentional—they wanted to give me the world and opportunities they never had.
When I was just a year old, my parents divorced. My mom made it a priority for me to experience diversity and to be in an environment where there were kids who looked like me. I attended a private Catholic school in Oklahoma City and stayed in Catholic schools until I graduated high school.
High school was challenging. I struggled with my identity and my mental health. At 15, I came out as queer and found myself feeling out of place—and often misunderstood—in the Catholic school environment. One person made all the difference: my school counselor. She saw me for who I truly was and told me that I would achieve everything I wanted in life, that I would make it through the struggles I was facing. She is one of the reasons I’m here today, able to tell my story.
After graduation, I wasn’t sure who I was or what I wanted to do. I originally wanted to go out of state thinking distance from my family was the answer. It wasn’t. I realized home was where I needed to begin my journey. I enrolled at Oklahoma State University.
While earning my undergraduate degree in psychology, I met the love of my life—my now wife, Shelby Ramos—who was attending Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. I knew she was the one immediately. We encouraged each other to keep pursuing our individual goals, knowing that one day we’d build shared goals together.
Three months before I graduated in May 2014, Shelby proposed. That summer, I moved to League City, Texas, to be with her. I began working in the nonprofit sector but quickly realized that a bachelor’s degree alone wouldn’t allow me to do the work I envisioned. That same year, I was accepted into the University of Houston–Clear Lake’s Master’s in Counseling program.
In 2015, we bought our first home and got married—just one month after marriage equality became the law of the land. It was a beautiful, historic moment. During my graduate studies, I fell in love with counseling and realized I had found my purpose. I graduated in 2017 with my master’s degree in counseling, holding our three-month-old baby boy in my arms.
I immediately began working as a therapist in community mental health centers, nonprofit domestic violence and sexual assault shelters, and group private practices. In those spaces, I saw a glaring truth: in my area, there was little to no representation for Hispanic, queer women in mental health—especially those addressing the unique traumas faced by the LGBTQ+ community. I also saw an alarming rate of domestic and sexual violence, yet very few resources available to help survivors.
By then, we had welcomed our second child, a beautiful baby girl. I knew it was time for my next move. In 2021, I enrolled at Modern Sex Therapy Institutes and, in 2024, earned my PhD in Philosophy with an emphasis in Clinical Sexology. While in school, I took another leap and started my own private practice in the Clear Lake area, offering in-person and virtual sessions across Texas.
Today, my practice has grown into something I’m incredibly proud of. My mission is to provide accessible, affirming mental health care for all, and to create a safe space for people who feel unseen in today’s world. Every step of my journey—from my parents’ sacrifices to the challenges of my own identity—has shaped the counselor and advocate I am today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been many struggles battling myself, my own imposter syndrome, feeling like I didn’t want to take up space. Financially my wife held us down working as an elementary teacher with a steady income. We have two children who we want to be present for but also running your own business there are some very late nights and lots of hard work.
It has been a struggling being an openly queer therapist in the community.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Safe Harbor Coastal Counseling promises to be committed to providing an emotionally safe space for clients as we journey the healing process. We value our clients, respect their vulnerabilities no matter their past and walk hand in hand with them through any adversities by providing accessible mental health services.
Our approach is pretty straight forward and we tell it like it is but will also support clients with no judgement to create a safe harbor for them. We have both the education and skills to work with clients through complex trauma as well as helping them find a better path through life’s daily struggles. We are passionate about the clients and will join them in a collaborative relationship. We work with children, adolescents, and adults with wide-ranging backgrounds and differing concerns with significant physical and mental trauma. We have extensive experience working with sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. We also offer LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy and work with clients who are transitioning.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My best advice is tp follow every opportunity you get presented to you. If you are asked to speak at a conference, do it! Getting yourself in front of people is going to give you other connections. Any time someone emails, or calls asking for me to do an event and its within my scope I say yes, no hesitation and I can honestly say that’s how I have gotten a lot of my opportunities
Pricing:
- Accept Private insurance
- Medicaid
- Tricare
- Sliding scale
- $125 per session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://safeharborcoastalcounseling.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071687471763
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelica-ramos-75489a94/
Image Credits
Ross Johnson – family photo
wedding photos – Andrea Bacle Photography
