To schedule an appointment (virtual and in-person) please contact me at AlyciaNovotny@gmail.com or by phone at 612-643-0385.
Fee for service: $160- 50 min session
“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. That’s what it’s all finally about.”
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.”
-Joseph Campbell
Living a human life is a heroically weird journey and experiencing it with all of its challenges and joys can be overwhelming. With compassionate, knowledgeable care, it can also be enlightening and a catalyst for positive changes and peaceful living. I value people’s stories and strengths while holding space for the places that are struggling.
While I knew since I was a child that I wanted to be a therapist, it took me many years to get here on the meandering path I chose. During most of my adult life I worked primarily in the book industry, both in retail (even working for a while at Borders in Oxford, England) and in publishing New Age books. I loved working with such interesting subjects and people across the country and I am very comfortable working with people who have non-traditional spiritualties and practices.
Early in my college career I discovered a passion for studying the psychology of death and dying and I began volunteering as a hospice care companion. Since 2009, I’ve had the great honor of working with people and their families who were facing grief and the end of life. In 2019, I became a certified End of Life Doula with the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) after being a doula to a dear friend for the last nine months of his life.
I graduated from St. Mary’s University in 2017 with an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy. My primary focus the final year of my studies was shame and addiction in family systems as I interned with the family program at the Hazelden Betty Ford residential treatment facility for young people aged 12-25. I loved seeing the hope and transformations that occurred with their hard work and dedication to recovery.
Special areas of concern I can be helpful with are LGBTQIA+ support, family and relationship issues (including Polyamorous & non-traditional relationships), depression, anxiety, trauma, addictions, women’s concerns, ADHD, grief and loss, and transitions/adjustments. I have always been interested in learning about human cultures and the social constructs that create marginalization in Indigenous and communities of color.
Professionally, I would like to continue my education in Narrative therapy, AIR Network, and attachment trauma therapies. In the future, I hope to become trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy because I believe there is a great deal of evidence emerging in this field that can help heal trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction, and end-of-life fears.
Personally, the first thing most people will notice is that I am mostly bald! I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata (patchy hair loss) 25 years ago and after years of trying to “fix” it, I decided to embrace it and show up as myself.
My interests include anything crafty including quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and beading. During the summer months, I may even paint by the light of the full moon outside while listening to my favorite music. I have been a student of astrology and tarot since I was an adolescent and I find them to be useful tools for learning about myself and others.
I live with my nesting partner/spouse and we adore our two Scottish Terriers, Prince & Bella Luna, and our sweet cat, Holiday. A lifelong dream of mine has been to live in a restored prairie church and to volunteer with an organization that helps rehabilitate injured bats.
I am under clinical supervision of Kelly Haase, LMFT.