EXPRESS YOURSELF THERAPY
Individual, Couples/Polycules & Family Therapy
MAX RUIN, MHC intern
(they/them)
Therapist in Training
Rooted in a DIY, harm reduction, community care ethos, I believe every person is the expert on their own experiences. I think doing work to understand ourselves, to slow down and sit with our feelings, thoughts, and patterns, and share our inner landscapes with other people is a radical and brave act.
My identities as a trans, neurodivergent, disabled, anti-zionist jew(ish) queer inform my interest in healing and therapeutic practices. I strive to operate from an anti-racist, anti-carceral, anti-capitalist, disability justice informed framework. I am kink positive, body positive, support sex workers, practice non-monogamy, and am adamantly opposed to all forms of prisons, policing, and borders.
As a white therapist, I am committed to actively engaging in ongoing education around race, gender, ability, citizenship status, class, and all forms of systemic oppression and violence. I place a lot of importance on my ability to show up fully for clients without them having to educate me. In sessions, I hope we can co-create a space that fosters trust, hope, honesty, and care. Above all, I do not want anyone to feel like they are alone, that they are too much or not enough, or that they need to suffer in silence.
I have worked in the mental health field for over a decade. My background is in crisis care work (working with survivors of sexual, interpersonal, and domestic violence; crisis hotlines; suicide support teams), healing through nature connection, substance dependence, gender expansive education, creative writing and art, and herbalism. I have also worked with folks with mood disturbances; who experience things outside of consensus reality including hearing voices and seeing visions; who are neurodivergent, autistic, and have ADHD; asylum seekers and refugees; people without US citizenship; people whose survival depends on criminalized activity; people who experience anxiety and depression; folks who are exploring their gender and sexual identity, and many other realities and experiences.
I am currently studying to get my Masters in Mental Health Counseling at CUNY Brooklyn, and am a certified peer support specialist, harm reduction specialist, and am certified in trauma informed somatic work. I am excited to work with queer and trans people of any and all backgrounds.
If you are curious about working together, please email at intake@expressyourselftherapynyc.com to set up a consultation.