Meet Tae Moon | LPC Associate, NCC, E-RYT

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tae Moon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tae, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I was inspired by my internship at the Montrose Center to create an additional space for the queer community to be served, but I wanted mental health services to be accessible for more than just Houston. Ember and Moon Counseling was specifically created for the systemically oppressed to feel heard and seen, regardless of where they exist in Texas.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a white, queer, fat, disabled, AuDHD, genderfluid therapist based in Houston, Texas. There are inherent challenges to being fat, disabled, and queer in the south, but those labels are some of my favorite things about me because of the community and authenticity that comes with it. It also gives me the beautiful opportunity to see clients who are going through similar things and help them feel truly understood.

I am passionate about 2SLGBTQ+ rights (and human rights in general), intersectional feminism, anti-racism, sex work allyship, and dismantling systems of oppression. These things always lay the groundwork for how I show up as a therapist. I specialize in working with clients exploring their gender, sexual, or romantic identity, polyamory/relationship anarchy, late-diagnosed Autism or ADHD, adults seeking support around chronic pain and illness, and processing trauma. I believe therapy should be a collaborative process, built on mutual respect and authenticity, and my therapeutic approach will vary from person to person depending on individual need and unique lived experience. I often use a blend of somatic work and mindfulness paired with consent-based, feminist, narrative, trauma-informed, neurodiverse-informed, emotionally focused therapies.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Houston is practically full to bursting with food options because of all the wonderful cultural diversity. I think my top choice will always be Local Foods, but I highly recommend trying something that is locally owned regardless. One of my favorite things about supporting local is the endless opportunities to learn more about people’s stories and how the food they are sharing connects to it.

For entertainment, I love to go to spaces that do impactful work for the community, like Texas Art Asylum, The Book Cycle, The Feisty Collective, and Pearl Bar.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Everyone in the queer community (especially Trans women of the Global Majority) and all the staff at the Montrose Center who have paved the way for me to be who I am today. I love and value being able to show up as my authentic self as a therapist because of all the work that has been done by the folks who have come before me.

Website: https://emberandmoon.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.disabled.therapist