ODESSA AVIANNA PEREZ, MA, LMFT

Odessa is a trauma-informed somatic psychotherapist (LMFT) and social justice educator with an MA in Somatic Psychology from CIIS and over 2 decades of dance and contact improv experience. 

She helps both singles and partnered people have more easeful, connected and meaningful relationships through trauma-informed somatics, dance and movement and resilience-building self-care practices.

She also helps change-makers and new-paradigm vision-holders implement inclusive, equitable and diversity-affirming practices in their communities and programs, and deepen their sense of belonging and purpose though somatics, community-based inquiry, and emergent, round-table, collective process.

She is part of the Healers Collective for the Decolonizing Wealth Project, and co-leads the Inclusion and Belonging directives for SoulPlay festivals.

She has been practicing and teaching Contact Improvisation as a form of self inquiry and relationship alchemy for over ten years. She also has a background in community and grassroots organizing in central New Jersey around education rights and diverse local representation.

Odessa is a cis gender, able-bodied, biracial white-presenting latina.  She is deeply curious about the intersection of personal and collective trauma, collective nervous system states and expression, and how we can use somatics to integrate our trauma for better relationship, community and planet.  She facilitates workshops and retreats using somatics and movement as the platform through which to explore connection, consent, boundaries, conflict resolution, interdependence and inclusion. In her psychotherapeutic private practice, she weaves somatics, interpersonal neurobiology, polyvagal theory, attachment work, and social and racial justice frameworks. 

  • MA in Counseling Psychology, Somatics - CIIS (2019)

  • BA in Dance, Sociology, and Theater Arts - Rutgers University (2007)

  • Certified Massage Practitioner - CAMTC (2013)

  • ThetaHealing Practitioner and Instructor - THInK (2011, 2016)

  • PACT - Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy - level 1 (2022)

  • Embodied Social Justice Certificate (2022)

EDUCATION & TRAINING