BODEN AZORA-MINDA, LMHC  (He/Him)

 

Boden is a licensed clinical mental health therapist, visual artist and storyteller.  He was born in rural Massachusetts, the first of two children, in 1960.  He was assigned female at birth and lived almost 30 years as an identifiable, culturally active lesbian.  At the age of 47, he came out as a transman and began his medical transition.  Boden’s personal experience of living fully in these two very different worlds has shaped his perspective of gender, sexuality and culture. 

Boden has worked 40 years in the mental health field, helping both adults and children to achieve mental wellness.   He has personally experienced the inequities and disparities within mental health systems and, based on his deep understanding of what it’s like to be LGBTQIA+, Boden is an empathetic advocate for change.

Boden candidly addresses:

• the importance of how an individual is perceived by others

• the impact of gender stereotypes

• the experience of being perceived as a cisgender male

• the challenge of identifying as masculine while working and living in predominantly female environments

• the complexity of fitting in for a transmasculine person occupying male environments.

Boden facilitates open discussions about gender, sexism and the covert social constructs that keep us from really being seen and living as our authentic selves.  His disarming honesty and plain-spoken approach, as well as his compassion for others, creates an environment that enables people to explore their understanding of gender stereotypes and affirms the inherent value of all beings.   

Boden approaches these topics in a warm and thoughtful manner, as well as with a sense of humor and an informed understanding of human nature. He knows that true freedom comes from really being seen.

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