Hey, my name is Iven! I am a counselor and Expressive Art Therapist. I work with alternative forms of therapy such as music, play, and art making to foster positive mental health and self care – “TherARTy.”
I am passionate about working with people experiencing questions of meaning, identity, grief and loss because, when approach with the right mindset, they can present opportunities and even breakthroughs. The most valuable lessons I’ve learned are from working with dying people, interacting with children, talking to homeless people, resolving conflicts in relationships, traveling and using the arts to work through my pain and loss. I like to see life as a big university where you can easily get lost and stressed because of all the lessons to be learned. I believe that growth and self development often happen when you are out of your comfort zone, when you struggle.
I am a visual artist, teacher and multi instrumentalist. I study the positive effects of play, music and art making on people, observing the physical and emotional experiences we have and how they are related to our personal healing. Playing music for bereavement and in palliative settings for approximately two decades has shown me that I am able to create a healing space for people transforming emotional pain using art and music. This opportunity first came to me through losing my own parents in my twenties, which was my first step towards my career as a grief counselor.
I am passionate about teaching art and music and helping people who struggle with stress, grief and loss, anxiety disorders, feeling stuck, addiction, trauma, and relationship issues. My lived experiences exceed my academic experience as an Expressive Art Therapist and Counselor. It is these lived experiences that make me unique as a therapist.
Now, I am connecting the dots between: “TherARTy,” grief and bereavement support, plant medicines, psychedelic integration counseling, Compassionate Inquiry counseling, and helping people navigate life transitions and questions of meaning and identity through Medicine Art.
