Founder Interview With Van Ethan Levy
Photo Credit: Jenise Nguyen
Van Ethan Levy (they/elle) is a dually Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor dedicated to creating accessible mental health resources. With a focus on trans and non binary identities, disability justice, and harm reduction, they’ve developed a range of community resource tools, including the interactive book Exploring My Identity(ies), a documentary called Do Something: Trans & Non Binary Identities, and the No More GateKeeping app. They also organize the annual Do Something: Identity(ies) conference.
During the interview, Van shares their professional journey from their own experiences with systemic barriers to becoming an advocate within the therapy space and beyond. They discuss the challenges they've faced while providing vital services to their community. They also offer advice for future LGBTQ+ service providers and insights into the importance of creating accessible and affirming spaces. Let's dive into their story!
Can you walk us through your professional journey and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a dually Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. I received a Master’s from Antioch University in Los Angeles, California and completed a traineeship at The LGBTQ Center Long Beach.
I believe in serving my community and creating accessibility while engaging in restorative, healing, and social justice. I carry different identities: autistic, queer, trans, non binary, first-generation immigrant, Latinx, Jewish, Egyptian, and disabled. I’m also a Spanish speaker. My background informs the many life-saving resources I’ve created to help my community. While I’m privileged in certain ways, such as going to graduate school, I’ve also been pushed out of workplaces while advocating for social change. Experiencing exclusion and backlash firsthand, while advocating for justice, helped me understand the importance of community resources that fill the gaps institutions have for marginalized people.
Expanding upon my personal experience and passion for fostering inclusive spaces, I also provide training on different topics, including but not limited to supporting trans and non binary identities, LGBQPIA2S+ folx, disability justice, neurodiversity, harm reduction, navigating death by despair, plus more.
What inspired you to offer the services you provide?
Several pivotal moments inspired me. I spent my adolescence and formative years in conversion camps, being shipped all over the United States to "cure" me of being queer, trans, non binary, autistic, and disabled. This experience made me tired of the constant perpetuation of violence, systematic oppression, and performative allyship, all while trying to be understood within a white supremacist reality.
I was expelled from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, highlighting the systemic barriers within mental health education. As I mentioned before, I attended Antioch University and completed a traineeship at The LGBTQ Center Long Beach. These experiences in higher education helped me confront my own privileges and the harm I inadvertently perpetuated. I realized that even unintentional harm has a significant impact, and we must acknowledge this while fighting injustice.
Moving to San Diego and becoming the first clinician for a trans non binary program emphasized the dire need for inclusivity and understanding in mental health spaces. Witnessing discrimination and violence against my community fueled my determination to break down barriers and make mental health support accessible and affirming for the LGBTQ+ community and individuals seeking affirming care.
Photo Credit: Jenise Nguyen
What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your journey as a service provider, and what did you do to overcome this?
A significant challenge I have faced is navigating the oppressive realities of capitalism, while also wondering if I can maintain funding to be able to sustain what I do. Under capitalism, people can leverage their power either against or in support of me. For instance, I faced significant backlash from an organization after advocating for reparative justice, which jeopardized my livelihood and professional credibility. If I lose my license, I lose my credibility and everything I have worked so hard for. I won't be able to write recommendation letters, supervise pre-licensed therapists and trainees, or help people access this career without my license.
Additionally, I never refuse anyone any of my services, even if they can't pay. Whether it's the book, the documentary, the app, or therapy training, I always offer a sliding scale all the way to no fee. Most of the time, people who want and need these services communicate that they can't afford it, so the majority of my work and effort goes to folx for free. While I'm glad people have access to these services, I'm also constantly putting out a lot more than I'm getting in. This makes my own livelihood very stressful when I'm not able to make ends meet every month, which is definitely a real barrier.
If you could give one piece of advice to future LGBTQ+ service providers within your field, what would it be?
We are the experts of our reality, no one will ever know us more than we know ourselves. With that, we need to leverage our privilege, challenge our egos, and make space for all members of our community.
Prioritize accessibility, equitability, inclusivity, and restorative/healing justice in every aspect of your practice. Implement sliding scale fees and offer a diverse range of resources.
Do you have any tips for therapists interested in offering sliding scale pricing but aren’t sure how to start?
First, it's important to assess our needs versus wants from a financial standpoint. Rather than approaching it systematically, I focus on where I can give without significant cost. For example, sharing recorded trainings doesn’t cost very much money or effort. Conversely, providing free books incurs costs for both the book and shipping. So I try to find a balance between expanding access while also making sure my own needs are met.
Consider the impact on your quality of life if you sacrifice a small indulgence to create more access. Additionally, privilege plays a significant role. Those who can afford to eat regularly may worry less than those living paycheck to paycheck. Our socialization and learned behaviors also influence our approach to giving. For marginalized individuals, the desire to connect and help may stem from trauma or societal expectations rather than natural inclination.
Offering sliding scale pricing involves balancing accessibility with personal financial considerations, acknowledging privilege, and understanding the impact of trauma and societal conditioning on our giving habits.
How does being openly queer inspire or impact your business?
Being openly queer is not just a personal aspect of my identity as I have so many excluded, erased, and pushed out identities. Being openly and authentically myself is a foundational cornerstone of my business philosophy and practice. As a queer individual, I intimately understand the importance of creating safer and affirming spaces for the LGBTQ+ community and individuals seeking affirming care.
What brands or services by LGBTQ+ founders are your go-to's and why?
Kieran Mcmonagle, behind Red Cape Therapy, is an amazing human who goes above and beyond to bring joy into the room.
Jasmin of ESY Creative is full of life and just a wonderful human, always ready to go above and beyond to help with marketing efforts.
RC of Dark Matter Designs is another awesome human who is heart-centered and dedicated to helping support your web design needs.
Who is your favorite LGBTQ+ celebrity and why?
Ashlee Marie Preston is a gentle and powerful person dedicated to addressing realities and holding folx accountable to pave the way for our community. Additionally, Amita Swadin and Jaiden Fields are two more powerful and deeply kind humans who focus on ending sexual violence and creating a safer world for QTBIPOC youth.
Can you share one fun fact about yourself?
Despite my fear, I love sharks. Their faces remind me of little puppies once you look past their intimidating teeth. There's a saying I appreciate: “It's not the sharks, it's the water.” It reflects how unfairly demonized sharks are, much like marginalized groups. Our teeth are sharp because they're sharpened, not because we intend harm.