About Ivan
Ivan Ayala is a Minnesota-based therapist who uses a people-first approach to help with stress, anxiety, relationships, and life transitions. He holds licenses as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. Ivan speaks English and Spanish and brings 13 years of clinical experience to his work.
He favors approaches that focus on values and present-moment choices, while also using tools that change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
How Ivan works
Sessions are conversational and practical; Ivan listens, asks questions, and offers exercises to try between meetings. He aims for clear goals and steps clients can take right away. Common concerns he addresses include depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, sleep problems, parenting strains, and self-esteem.
He also helps people facing career shifts, coping with life changes, relationship troubles, and challenges linked to ADHD. Additional areas of focus include blended family matters, codependency, communication breakdowns, divorce and separation, and fatherhood issues. Ivan’s style is warm and relational.
He prioritizes understanding each person’s story and tailoring conversations to fit their needs. Motivational interviewing and narrative techniques are used when helpful to build momentum and reframe difficult experiences. Sessions are offered in-person in Minnesota and online for international clients in English and Spanish.
He works with standard appointment formats like video and phone, plus messaging options for ongoing connection.
Ivan lists 8 ways of working on the entry:
What Ivan works with
The areas below are the ones Ivan selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Registers | LMFT, LICSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 13 |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Minnesota |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How his approaches translate to online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people name their values and take small steps toward them, even when difficult thoughts or feelings show up. This approach is useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions where values-based action matters. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning; it works well for anxiety, sleep problems, and mood changes. Client-Centered Therapy centers the conversation on the person’s experience, offering empathy and support so clients can find their own solutions and build confidence.Picking the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. That might mean combining ACT with CBT exercises, or using motivational interviewing techniques to build readiness for change.
Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and comfort levels. Video is helpful for full conversations and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in fits a work break. Messaging or live chat can keep momentum between appointments or offer quick reflections without scheduling a call.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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