My name is Elena.

I am trained as a clinical social worker. I’ve been employed as a psychotherapist since 2011. I make art, host community groups and offer consultation to folks in need of dialogue.

I believe that grief, dreaming & creativity are powerful components of activism.

I believe that emotional literacy in communities can be a powerful healing agent.

I believe that dreams are pathways toward liberation and creativity.

I believe that groups are metabolic organisms that can be life & creativity-sustaining during times of compound crisis.

I’m a life-long student of neurodiversity, psychology, language, history, war, displacement, climate, science, oppression, power, philosophy, cultural entanglements & the natural world. Who we are and where we come from are questions of great interest to me.

I live & work on the unceded land of the Tonkawa, Jumanos, Comanche & Lipan Apache peoples - also known as central Texas. I identify as cisgender, LatinX, queer woman of color. My pronouns are she/her.

My relatives lived in Mexico (the Zacatecas & Aguas Calientes regions), Poland & other Western European countries before settling in North America in the early-20th & late-19th centuries respectively. I was born in Waco, Texas in 1983.

I love my three elderly dogs, reading, art, tv, music & sunsets. I love to collaborate.

I make art & write sometimes. I read a lot. {Reading list.} I share the things I make with the hope that they are useful to others. I serve as a relational convener and curiosity generator. Not knowing interests me more than knowing.

You are welcome to visit my Substack to read more about me and my vocational work. I conduct all meetings virtually. If you are interested in a virtual group or individual consultation, feel free to contact me.

-Elena Solano, feelingndealing@gmail.com