A Holistic Counselor, Healing Arts Practitioner, and Storyteller dedicated to bridging our ancestral ways of knowing with contemporary therapeutic modalities for individual and community well-being.  

After obtaining a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Bastyr University in 2018, I returned home to O’ahu to give back to the ʻāina and communities that have shaped me. 

My diverse professional background included roles such as an Early Head Start Teacher, Parent and Child Educator, Coordinator for families in transitional housing, and a practicing Mental Health Therapist working across the lifespan, from keiki to kūpuna. Through these lived experiences, however, I observed the shortcomings of western perspective within the domains of health, therapy, and education; recognize that not all systems of care are created for the unique needs of diverse and indigenous populations. 

Hence, becoming a steward in forging a pathway for the collective healing and mending of our modern-day issues that is ‘whole-listic’ (whole people, whole communities) all while rooted in the spirit of Aloha ‘Āina. As such, Anastasha Maria Healing Arts embodies this approach to well-being by integrating cross-cultural practices, energy psychology, mindfulness techniques, and narrative theory – a therapeutic approach to storytelling. In addition, this work explores the realms of expressive arts such as arting, visualization, sound, movement, breathwork, and depth of reflection to delve into the stories we hold about ourselves and others. 

My vocational journey thus far has involved collaborating with community partners and businesses including, Ka’ala Cultural Learning Center, PALS and PLACES, Purple Mai’a Foundation, Taki Fit, Wisdom Circles Oceania, Compassionate Ko’olaupoko, Luluku Farms, and Kōkua Kalihi Valley. Each partnership has allowed me to facilitate and develop transformative programming emphasizing the interconnectedness of our mind, body, and spirit. 

Upon each endeavor, the cornerstone of my gifts and contribution centers on co-creating containers of healing by being a compassionate guide to empower all of us in becoming active authors of our lives and foster stories of Aloha for ourselves, our families, and the greater collective.