Ira Zierdt, MAI know what it’s like to live overseas and be far from home. I also know what it means to make a home in a country where you were not born and which culture may at times, puzzle you. I also know what it means to prosper and thrive in a culture of your own or a foreign culture when you are surrounded by people who love you and care about you. I am who I am today and where I am at today because of loving, kind, generous and wise people, who listened to my story and were willing to be my support when I needed it.
I believe in the healing power of relationships. I trust that therapeutic relationships can bring clarity, remedy and growth into one’s life. Most of us can say that almost any issue can be bearable when we have the right people by our side.
I understand that despite cultural differences, we all have common struggles no matter where we come from. We all want to belong, to feel loved and cared about, live happy lives, have meaningful jobs and raise healthy children. And most of us, at some point in our lives, look around and realize we no longer feel like we belong, we do not feel loved, feel miserable at our jobs, struggle with raising children and do not feel like life is pleasurable any more. When we feel most disconnected, we actually need to re-connect the most. I know that therapy can be a safe place to open old wounds or just freshly acquired ones, therapy is also a profitable investment into one’s emotional, physical, and relational wellness.
I bring common sense, humor, and authenticity when working with clients. I am a quite direct therapist, yet I am always respectful and empathetic. Most of my work deals with the effects of trauma in people's lives, its behavioral manifestations and impact on relationships with others. When people struggle with relational or personal issues, they feel shame, fear, hurt, mistrust, and disconnection from themselves and people close to them. I work with clients whose issues vary from seemingly simple to highly complex cases. I work with individuals and couples who struggle with different relational and sexual issues taking into consideration culture, religion, and sexual preferences, as well as, personal and sexual history.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Social Pedagogy and School Counseling from L’viv University after Ivan Franko, School of Pedagogy (L’viv, Ukraine) in 2008. I received Masters of Science in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota in December 2011. In May 2017, I received Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Bethel University. I enjoyed every challenge of my education and I view my profession as a privilege. I count it an honor to be a part in renewing people’s sense of well-being in the emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual aspects of their lives. Currently, I am working towards my counseling licensure in the state of Minnesota.
