Dr. Javier (Javi) Villanueva was born in Houston, Texas where his family lived briefly while his father was on a short assignment with the IRS; but his roots are in San Antonio, and this is where he has chosen to return.

Dr. Villanueva grew up in San Antonio's north side, attended high school at Winston Churchill High School, and after graduation attended Incarnate Word College (now Incarnate Word University) on a music scholarship.  As many young students do, he changed majors to English, and briefly left school before returning to Trinity University where he pursued and received his baccalaureate degree in psychology in 1991.

This change was prompted by a job posting that Dr. Villanueva encountered for a residential treatment center for youth, focusing on experiential programming.  This was to serve as his initial exposure to the world of experientially based therapies, and while at Trinity University he received early exposure to providing experiential therapies in a local residential hospital during a summer practicum placement.

Nearing completion of his bachelor's degree, Dr. Villanueva considered and decided to pursue his Ph.D., and after being accepted to The University of Texas at Austin's Counseling Psychology program, he and his young family moved to Austin.

Although studies made for limited time, Dr. Villanueva's interests in music continued to flourish, including his discovery of the didjeridoo, a native Australian percussive drone instrument.

Dr. Villanueva decided to pursue life in the Rocky Mountains, near to extended family, and after completing his educational requirements in Austin for the doctoral degree, was granted internship at Denver General Hospital (now Denver Health and Hospitals) where he completed a required year of internship.  He pursued an emphasis in adolescent issues, and did a six-month rotation on the inpatient psychiatric unit, coordinating psychological assessment and treatment for children and their families in acute crisis.  Upon completing internship, Dr. Villanueva continued to work with adolescents at the residential level with a primary emphasis on experientially based therapies, and completed his dissertation, also focused on children at the elementary level.  After completing degree requirements and receiving his Ph.D. in May of 2000, he pursued and received licensure as a psychologist in Colorado.  After receiving licensure, he worked for a time in a community mental-health clinic in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.

At about that time, home was calling, and Dr. Villanueva and his family decided to return to Texas.  So, getting everything in order for the move, including pursuit of licensure in Texas, Dr. Villanueva and his family returned to San Antonio in 2002.

Since that time, Dr. Villanueva has continued with a broad range of valuable training and experience, including his work with senior citizens, people experiencing insomnia, and the development of chronic pain programs in two local pain clinics.  He has incorporated all of this development and experience into his private practice, which he has been building since 2002.

Dr. Villanueva is thankful that his hometown has been gracious to his efforts, allowing him to share his knowledge and experience, and help make the world a little bit better with his efforts.

Dr. Villanueva is a recent member of The Optimist Club of San Antonio, and this group fits his perspective well.