Hope Guides Us, Healing Drives Us
Our Mission
To bring healing and hope through counseling and peer support.
Our Vision
To create a compassionate and caring community that embraces mental health and well-being.
Our Core Values
Respect
We value rights and dignity for every individual, even when we disagree, and work to eliminate discrimination.
Compassion
We care deeply about your needs, and we work to alleviate suffering through acceptance, friendship and service.
Integrity
We strive to be honest and fair in all we do.
Support
We provide a refuge without judgment, creatively empowering and encouraging everyone on their journey to wellness.
Hope
We believe that recovery is real. We believe in you, and we create opportunities for you to believe in yourself.
Community
We are a family building healthy relationships and social networks that lead to independence, resilience, a greater sense of belonging and full participation in society.
Meet the River City Advocacy Staff
Meet the people who work to improve mental health in our community.
Amanda Hunt
Amanda joined the River City Advocacy and Counseling Center team in April 2021, after serving as Board Chair since 2018 and having joined the Board of Directors in 2016. She has a BS in Psychology and Kinesiology from the University of Houston. She has had a long career in the nonprofit arena and has worked for many years at the YMCA (Houston & San Antonio). She recently served as the San Antonio Alpha Home’s development, marketing and business director before coming to River City Advocacy. She loves living and working in New Braunfels.
Racheal Frederick
Racheal joined the River City Advocacy and Counseling Center team in April 2023. She has spent over 25 years working in the nonprofit world, working as a consultant for affordable housing development, and providing guidance and service coordination for persons with disabilities, substance abuse, mental health needs, and those who have experienced homelessness. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership.
Susan Tjernagel
Susan Tjernagel is a Certified Mental Health Peer Specialist who has been working with River City Advocacy since 2011. She enjoys interacting with peers through facilitating support groups, teaching life skills classes, participating in artistic expression in our art studio and planning special activities. You’ll find Susan in the peer support area and art room in our new building on San Antonio Street.
Renee White, MA, LPC
Renee V. White is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Counseling Program Director at River City Advocacy. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology and MA in Counseling from UTSA. She has experience with CPS and the SAPD and is a United States Air Force Veteran. Her passion for serving New Braunfels with quality mental health services, regardless of insurance, has further focused our counseling program on the overall mission of River City Advocacy.
Hannah Nelson, MA, LPC
Hannah Nelson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has been working with River City Advocacy for nine years. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Lamar University and obtained her Masters in Counseling in 2013 from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Hannah has a passion for people and has been invested in River City Advocacy’s mission of providing compassionate, affordable mental health care since she walked in the door as a graduate intern in 2013.
Nathan Hodge, LPC-A
Nathan Hodge is a recent graduate from the University of Texas, San Antonio. He is currently an LPC Associate working on his licensing hours and is supervised by Sherri Lambiase, LPC Supervisor. Nathan is interested in Christian, solution-focused counseling with clients seeking help with depression, grief, anxiety and anger management. He is also interested in the connection between mental and physical health, with an emphasis on martial arts, spirituality and mental health.
Daniel “Sean” Hannon
Sean is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Clinical Fellow in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor Candidate. Sean is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a trauma-focused therapy process that has applications for anxiety, self-esteem, grief and other clinical concerns. Sean is Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed, sensitive to culture and context, and well-versed in systemic family therapies. Sean has experience working with individuals, couples and families facing varied challenges. In pursuit of a second career, Sean completed a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 2014. He enthusiastically chose this field as he found the work important and the study of it fascinating. In 1999, he completed a Master of Arts in Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin, which led to his first career in the technology industry working with computer chips. Sean worked at River City Advocacy from 2013 to 2018, co-creating the counseling program at River City Advocacy from the ground up. In 2018, Sean decided to take the role of stay-at-home dad with his newborn son, a deeply enriching experience. In 2020, Sean went back to work as the executive director at another non-profit mental health facility. By 2021, Sean could not wait to come back to River City Advocacy and continue to grow with the organization.