Beyah Jay Smith (she/her)

My Approach to Helping

I love to engage in the process with others who are figuring out who they are and how to express themselves in a world that appears to have a limited capacity for tolerating difference. I do my best to sit with curiosity and empathetic witnessing of the emotional spectrum with radical acceptance and mindfulness, which is…a mouth full. What that looks like in the (zoom) room are a combination of talking and body awareness. I have found that there is only so much that talking can accomplish; at some point, thinking becomes a trap. I have experience and enjoy working with individuals across the age spectrum- from preteens figuring out their gender identity and how it fits into the family dynamic to older adults that are interested in discovering old patterns and are working on how to change them.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I grew up male in a patriarchal, cis- and hetero-normative American culture, and being aware of my intersectionality of privileges and trauma is something I strive for in helping relationship to others. I believe and experience that trauma and shame are baked into our culture, especially so for individuals who don’t conform to the cis, hetero, and patriarchal norms that are assigned. Instead of being dominated and restrained by this invisible double punch of trauma and shame, we can choose to make space for processing (feeling) and expressing (also feeling) our wounded selves. I have a passion for connecting with and supporting individuals who do things differently than what is prescribed by others in their sexuality, gender, artistic expression, communication, or relationships. In my free time, I frequently spend time in my sewing studio, making music, connecting with friends, having kink-positive play, and dancing.