Ezak Marquez, LPCC

My name is Ezak and my pronouns are they/them/theirs. I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Gender Specialist at Magic Within Therapy. I show up as a queer, nonbinary, Puerto Rican/Mexican therapist who leads with humor, heart, and a deep commitment to justice. In our work together, we’ll name the bullshit—capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, transphobia… all of it—while also making space for softness, laughter, and the magic of being fully yourself.

I specialize in working with the LGBTQ community, with a focus on transgender and nonbinary folks, to address issues including gender dysphoria, identity exploration, anxiety, and depression. I draw from a person-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed lens. I don’t see you as a diagnosis; I see you as a whole person with wisdom, history and resilience.

I work with adolescents and adults, holding space for both exploration and action. Whether you’re just beginning your journey of self-discovery or deep in the work of unlearning oppressive narratives, you don’t have to do it alone. Together, we’ll co-create a space that feels safe to bring your full self—with all your complexities, contradictions, and brilliance.

“Sometimes a breakdown can be the beginning of a kind of breakthrough, a way of living in advance through a trauma that prepares you for a future of radical transformation.”
— Cherrie Moraga

How I Work

  • Person-centered & strengths-based

    You are the expert of your own life. Therapy is collaborative, tailored to your needs, and built around your goals. We highlight your resilience and inner resources rather than focusing only on “problems.”

  • Multicultural & trauma-informed

    I bring awareness of how culture, systemic oppression, and trauma shape our lives, and I hold space with compassion, care, and respect for your lived experience.

  • Social justice & intersectional framework

    My practice is deeply rooted in a social justice and intersectional framework, recognizing and addressing the profound impact of systemic oppression on mental health, especially within BIPOC communities.

  • Collaborative, affirming, humanistic

    You and I form a team that is rooting for you! Together, we will build safety and connection so you feel seen and understood as you are, while investigating the experiences and systems that have shaped you.

Guiding Values

Transparency

I value being transparent about the therapy process, power dynamics, and clinical decisions. I aim to demystify therapy so you understand what’s happening and why—no hidden agendas, no “expert-only” knowledge.

Social Justice

In my work, social justice is not an add-on or a political stance separate from therapy. It is a clinical framework that informs how I listen, how I respond, and how I understand distress. I practice from an anti-carceral perspective, meaning I do not view therapy as a space for surveillance, punishment, or control, and I do not collaborate with systems that criminalize distress, identity, or survival.

Community

Healing does not happen in isolation. I value collective care, mutual aid, and community connection as essential components of well-being. Therapy is not about teaching you to endure harm alone; it’s about strengthening your capacity to be supported and to support others.

Understanding, Not Labeling

Distress is often a reasonable response to chronic stress, trauma, and systemic oppression. I approach therapy with curiosity rather than diagnosis-first thinking, and I aim to understand symptoms as forms of communication, not
as defects.