Meet Aiya Staller | Founder & Supervisor at True Essence Therapy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aiya Staller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aiya, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a sensitive, creative, inquisitive queer human who is acutely aware of both the suffering and beauty around us, I feel called to use my skills & abilities to support others and inspire them to step into their own healthy creative power. I believe that when more people feel empowered to engage with their gifts & strengths in communities, our world becomes more diverse, welcoming, attuned, and beautiful. Better for everyone. The foundations of True Essence Therapy were founded through my private somatic art therapy practice in 2017, and after years of serving in various mental health communities & engaged heart-centered activist groups. I continue to love working individually with diverse adult clients, but I felt called to create something that could support both LGBTQ+ clinicians and LGBTQ+ clients in particular. Queer folks often struggle with belonging, receiving attuned care, and navigating the impact of cultural biases, misinformation, and, at times, violence. I began to envision an LGBTQ+-centered practice offering a queer-informed, non-pathologizing model of healing, growth, and expansion—a space that celebrates uniqueness, affirms gifts, and helps all people access their innate drives towards health & wholeness.

I also deeply value mentorship, community-based connection, and supporting therapists in developing their professional identities. I saw a need for high-quality, accessible trauma-informed therapeutic care that is both LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent-affirming, serving clinicians as well as clients. With this in mind, I imagined a team-based practice where therapists could offer creative, experiential modalities to clients while receiving robust relational support, supervision, and training themselves. I envisioned a way of working that is life-affirming, human-centered, and nourishing for everyone involved.

After allowing these dreams to take shape, I began working with a creative somatic business coach to design an aligned and sustainable practice. Last spring, True Essence Therapy group opened our doors. We now have a team of three incredible therapists offering somatic, art, contemplative, and nature-informed therapies. While we are a queer-informed practice, we welcome all adult clients. Many of our cisgender and heterosexual clients have shared that they, too, benefit from our deeply person-centered approach. We don’t try to fit anyone into a box; rather, we help people connect with their own alignment and health, and step into their unique, vibrant selves in the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My path into this work began after a deeply personal and life-changing traumatic event, which ultimately shaped my commitment to helping others heal and feel supported. Even as a young child, I cared deeply about the experiences of others and wanted to reduce the suffering present in those I loved. During undergrad, I began working in the mental health field at 19 through Community Works’ sexual assault victim services as a way to engage this desire to be of support to others who had been through challenging circumstances. I volunteered to meet with survivors of sexual assault individually and during hospital exams. I found it profoundly healing and powerful to accompany someone in moments that can feel terrifying or isolating. Even when the difficult or traumatic experience is still unfolding—or has already happened—having someone walk beside you can make a tremendous difference. Trauma research shows that relational support during a traumatic event can significantly reduce its long-term impact on the nervous system. I was grateful to offer that presence to the people I met. As a therapist now, I continue to honor the immense power of relational presence in shaping a person’s life path.

Around this time, I also traveled to Nicaragua as part of an anthropology course with two professors who had served there in the Peace Corps & were deeply impacted by the Contra War. I learned about the violence and injustices that occurred during that time, and I became deeply moved by the importance of equitable humane relationships on a global scale. I returned full of grief and anger about these injustices, emotions I later learned to channel into creative outlets for healthy change. I also came out as queer after several years of questioning my identity, and began volunteering at my campus queer resource center and with an art therapist who ran LGBTQ+ youth support and social groups. They inspired me to pursue art therapy as a career, though it took me a few years to make the leap.

Before moving to Colorado, I was just barely making ends meet—working at a juice and coffee co-op, volunteering on weekends, and breaking even on bills each month. I longed to attend Naropa University but worried about the financial burden. More than that, I felt a deep inner knowing that this was the path I needed to follow. I trusted that and made the leap. I remain profoundly grateful for the relationships and experiences I had at Naropa.

After working in the field—across community mental health, addiction treatment, international work in Cambodia, and private practice—I began visioning what would become True Essence Therapy.

For me, True Essence Therapy feels like its own kind of “coming out” process. It has required me to reveal myself more fully to my community, align deeply with the values of the practice, learn healthy leadership, clear my own blocks and fears, develop a right relationship with personal power, and cultivate a collaborative team environment. This is a heart-centered, mission-driven practice that prioritizes the health and well-being of everyone involved. True Essence Therapy is a space for healing, incubation, expansion, play, creative growth, and community. My hope is that everyone who works with us will be able to bring their gifts back into their wider communities.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I aboslutely love the mountains and getting outside here. Lately, that’s meant hiking the Isabelle Glacier Trail, then heading to Nederland for Crosscut pizza and a an occasional ride on the Carousel of Happiness—a fan favorite whenever I have visitors from out of state. Other go-tos include the Jamestown Mercantile, mountain views at Acreage Cider, and the Dushanbe Tea House. Closer to home, I enjoy a stop at the Lafayette Farmers Market, The Little Herbal Apothecary, and Thalkens for a relaxing day trip. I also love exploring open space trails around my neighborhood, savoring good coffee, and leaving room for plenty of rest & recovery. Occasionally, I’ll head into Denver for an art museum visit or a dance performance.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m incredibly grateful for mentors, including: Jessica Whitesel- Art Therapist, Michael Franklin-Art Therapist/Professor, Merryl Rothaus- Art Therapist, Leah D’Abate- Somatic Therapist, Laia Jorba- Somatic Therapist/Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Instructor, Delaine Due- Art Therapist, Jessika Siorai- Acupuncturist & Meditation Teacher, Daniel Blausey- Art Therapist, all of my clients through the years, the True Essence Team (Raymond Tapia, Eve Penberthy, Kelsey Middleton), and everyone who has supported me as a human.

Website: trueessencetherapy.com

Instagram: @true.essence.therapy

Facebook: True Essence Therapy

Image Credits
Kate Ivy Photography