isa ekeze (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC) who has earned her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Naropa University with a concentration in Somatic Counseling (May 2024). She is a humanistic and experiential body psychotherapist who has experience in working with survivors of domestic violence, attachment, depression, grief and loss, addressing wounds of colonization, cultural identity exploration, interracial and multicultural family systems, and gender and sexuality. Her work is largely informed by embodied ancestral knowledge. LGBT+, neurodiversity, the interconnection of body, mind and spirit and change as occurring through the body. 

 

isa is interested in the ways in which historically excluded groups and communities already practice well-being in the margins and embody skills for staying safe. She embraces a holistic healing perspective which honors the many ways people heal and grow. isa is committed to unlearning colonial and carceral practices embedded in the field of psychotherapy and focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of embodied experience, paying close attention to how our physical bodies interact with broader societal contexts. 

 

As a body psychotherapist she views the therapeutic process as cyclical, bi-directional (healing can be reciprocal) and political. She views each client as having their own (body) intelligence and bringing their own unique narrative to the healing journey. She believes in the transformative power of the therapeutic relationship and approaches therapy from a relationship centered perspective as a way of honoring the alive and dynamic dance between therapist and client. isa focuses on curiosity and creating a collaborative and client-directive environment where clients can show up as they are, attend to their body, explore challenges, and participate in their own inner process.

 

Some of her first teachers were her own experiences of depression and grief; discovering that for her depression was the healing rather than the thing she needed to heal from. isa is a biracial second generation Nigerian American, a former athlete and a writer, currently very interested in exploring the overlaps between Afrofuturism and somatic. She enjoys being in her body in nature by hiking, trail running and swimming. Isa also enjoys discovering ways of connection with her Nigerian ancestors through imagination. She is inspired by love, collective healing, community building and organizing, storytelling, and transformation that honors both the individual and the collective.