Ivan Ayala, LMFT, LICSW

Ivan Ayala is a Minnesota-based licensed therapist who brings 13 years of clinical experience supporting individuals, couples, and families through a wide range of life challenges. He holds LMFT and LICSW credentials - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker - and has worked extensively with concerns such as depression, anxiety, relationship and parenting difficulties, career transitions, LGBT+ matters, addiction and chemical dependency, grief and loss, and survivors of abuse.

His therapeutic style is warm and relational, grounded in compassion and respect for each person’s story. Ivan combines several evidence-informed methods, including cognitive-behavioral techniques, acceptance and commitment work, solution-focused strategies, narrative and humanistic perspectives, and psychodynamic ideas, to create a flexible approach tailored to each client. Treatment plans and conversational goals are shaped collaboratively to meet a person’s specific needs and circumstances.

Ivan frames therapy as a process that requires courage and commitment, and he aims to support and empower clients as they take steps toward greater fulfillment. He welcomes the opportunity to work with people ready to make change and to help them find practical ways forward.

Approaches and Online Care with a Relational Focus

Ivan integrates several practical approaches into online therapy to address a variety of concerns. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT - helps people clarify what matters most to them and build actions aligned with their values, which can be useful for stress, anxiety, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and relational conflict. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a warm, nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship where the therapist listens deeply and supports a person’s own capacity for growth, often helping with self-esteem, identity, and relationship issues.

Finding the right approach is part of the work, and Ivan treats that as a collaborative process. He will help clients explore which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and adjust strategies over time so the therapy stays practical and relevant.

Online therapy with Ivan is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, providing flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, fit sessions into busy lives, and access support from wherever a client happens to be.