Myka believes that an integrated mind, body, and spirit are the foundation of successful living. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, a middle school band teacher; her two step-daughters, Bella and Keira; and their three dogs: Goldie, Elwood, and Deigo. When she’s not working with Teen Forward, Myka loves to read, garden, watch X-Files, and be in nature.
In 2021 as the United States was beginning to re-open after the pandemic closure of 2020, Myka found herself in the position to finally be able to achieve her dream: working with teens without the constraints of a school curriculum. Working with teenagers has always been Myka’s passion. Her philosophy has always been to be a supportive, cheerleading, truth-teller to teens, mixing psychology, creativity, and child development to help teens and tweens ground into who they are and who they are developing to become.
As a high school English teacher for more than fifteen years, Myka worked primarily with 11th-12th grade students teaching not only curriculum but also life lessons around communication, argument, organization, critical thinking, stress management, and conflict resolution. She holds a master’s degree in Special Education with a focus in Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD). She is a currently licensed teacher who tutors students in a variety of subjects.
In the summer of 2015, Myka left her teaching career to explore a restlessness that had been developing for several years. She moved to Santa Barbara, CA, and enrolled in the Depth Psychology/Somatic Studies program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. A current doctoral candidate, Myka’s dissertation combines two of her passions: the horror writing of Stephen King and the archetypal psychology of James Hillman (based in Carl Jung).
Her work in somatic studies involves coaching individuals and groups to privilege the body in daily life.
Along with her work in somatic studies, Myka has extensive training in dream work and is certified in Dr. Stephen Aizenstat’s Dream Tending method. She runs dream tending groups and also works with individuals to identify and interact with dream images in order to understand their healing messages. She also helps with dream recall, ritual around dream, and offers specific writing/journaling techniques to work with dreams.
