Aries Jo (they/them)
MFA, Mental Health Coach and Peer, Lived Experience Counselor
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As a pansexual, polyamorous, genderqueer, kinky, sex positive, death care professional I’ve had a whole life of challenging and confusing experiences to understand and move through (and it’s a continuous process!). As someone who has also experienced family of origin trauma, LGBTQIA+ identity and family issues, stigmatized death of loved ones, and disenfranchised grief, I also understand just how dark and overwhelming life can feel when we think we are alone. However, working with therapists, peers, and deathcare colleagues has taught me that moving through grief with intention and plenty of community support can be a path to growth.
As a peer mentor, I am committed to offering what I have learned from both my life experiences and professional training to help you feel less alone in your own journey. My most valued feature as a peer mentor is my ability to hold a space for listening that is free of judgment. I care deeply about helping folx from all walks of life find a safe space in which to be seen, heard, held and supported. My goal is to meet you exactly where you are in your unique emotional journey. Things are rarely perfectly linear and together we can learn to hold space for every twist and turn on your path to healing. A strong support system is vital to emotional wellbeing, and I am excited to be a part of that for you.
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I want the folx I work with to feel safe and relaxed enough to be able to share without fear of judgment. When dealing with stigmatized death, disenfranchised grief and personal identity issues, it’s common to feel guilt and shame. I want you to know that I have personally experienced difficult things, and can truly empathize with where you are coming from.
I counter typical mental health culture as a queer, kinky, post-professional, anti-capitalist, sex positive person. Our sessions will center consent, respect, and critical thinking about the issues at hand, while leaving space for play, light heartedness, and exploration within a safe space. I can be irreverent (hello swear words!) and believe that finding humor is an important way to provide levity in situations that otherwise can seem overwhelming. I believe that no experience is without value if something can be learned from it. When we feel safe enough to laugh and play, we can also feel safe enough to confront challenging emotions.
I am also a formally trained visual artist, dancer and poet. I’ve had extremely positive experiences in both art and movement therapy, and I will draw on these techniques to help create spaces for play and expansion, freeing up more space for open communication and cultivating relaxation, physical ease, and comfort.
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I have consistently found nourishment in community. Having the support of the people in my life who have become my chosen family has been a huge milestone in my emotional and mental wellbeing. I’ve worked on my own relationship issues in therapy for over 5 years, and have been able to overcome codependency issues, self-worth issues, and issues caused by my anxiety and anxious attachment style. All of these aspects of myself, and my work to better understand and overcome the challenges they’ve presented in my life, are folded into my peer work. I have a wealth of personal experiences to draw from, helping me be able to better understand what mentees are going through.
My worldview is very queer-informed. I grew up in a very restricted, sheltered environment that made me feel shame and guilt about who I was and what I felt. Learning to love who I am, and finding the community that I needed to feel safe fully embodying my whole queer and kinky self has taught me that every person deserves a space in which to feel totally un-judged. I’ve learned that the more I love myself, the easier it is to move through my grief and other challenges with intention and patience. The work that it takes to figure out exactly who we are and what we desire is vital to wellbeing. When it comes to grief and loss, the most important step for me was letting go of guilt and self-blame. Difficult, sad, overwhelming things happen, and while they are hard to deal with, they don’t have to be the end of the world. It took me years to believe this, but finally accepting that fact set me free.
$65 session fee
Peer Counseling, Relationship Coaching, and Mental Health Coaching
Some of my favorite issues to work with:
● Grief Support
● LGBTQ2IA+ Identities and Issues
● Polyamorous Relationships
● Anxiety
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I am a death care professional and certified celebrant, and have an informed perspective on death, dying, and bereavement. I also have personal experience with disenfranchised grief, loss of loved ones to stigmatized deaths, and working to heal from these intense experiences. I can offer listening, support, and advice for moving through grief and loss with intention and patience from my own life experiences.
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I am a pansexual, genderqueer, kink-positive, and sex-positive individual. I come from an incredibly conservative family and have dealt with struggles around my identity in my familial relationships. Ultimately I have decided to prioritize fully embodying my whole self, which has required learning healthy boundaries in my life. Self-discovery can be difficult work, and creating a safe space in which to do that work can be challenging. Having other queer folx in my life that understand these dynamics and challenges has been vital, and I offer that support to others.
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It took 5 years in a heteronormative monogamous marriage for me to find the courage to admit that I was deeply unhappy. Since my divorce I have been on a journey of relationship work that has ultimately led to a deeply fulfilling life of polyamory. I’ve tried many different poly relationship structures, and have learned what communication styles and relationships work best for me. I’m excited to help other people explore the world of ethical non-monogamy in safe, respectful, and healthy ways.
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It wasn’t until I started my therapy journey in 2015 that I realized that not every person is filled with worry, stress, and dread all day every day. Since then, I’ve worked with my therapists to learn effective coping strategies and techniques that have transformed my anxiety into an aspect of my personality that I can manage. I can offer these strategies and experiences to others feeling the weight of anxiety.
Aries Jo is a first-generation deathcare professional with over two years of experience creating forward-thinking content for the funeral profession. They produce and host the Deathcare Decoded podcast and write regularly for industry blogs including Connecting Directors, The Funeral Leader, the National Funeral Directors Association's blog, the Cremation Logs Blog, and Funeral Director Daily, among other publications.
Aries earned their BFA in Sculpture with minor degrees in Art History and Creative writing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2011. They went on to receive their MFA degree in Visual Art from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2014. They have also completed a year of graduate level education courses at Lipscomb University. Aries is a Certified Celebrant through InSight Institute in 2022 and is currently pursuing a Thanatology Certification through the Association for Death Education and Counseling.
Aries produces and hosts the Deathcare Decoded podcast, which has nearly 100 episodes, and has a mission of bringing forward-thinking education to deathcare professionals.
Aries has been invited to give continuing education lectures to funeral professionals at funeral industry conferences across the US, including the National Funeral Directors Association Conference, the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Conference, Washington State Funeral Directors Association Conference, The National Selected Independent Conference, and others.
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Certified Celebrant, 2022
The InSight Institute
Thanatology Certification-Forthcoming
Association of Death Education and Counseling
MFA, Studio Art, 2014, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), Philadelphia, PA
BFA, Sculpture and Minor degree, Art History, 2011, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, Graduated Summa Cum Laude, with University Honors
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Director of Outreach and Education; Culture and Content Manager; Culture Manager; Lab Technician: Parting Stone
Deathcare Lectures:
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Annual Conference (Scheduled/Confirmed) “The Value of Contemporary Cremation Rituals” —October 2022
Selected Independent National Conference “Creating Meaningful Rituals for Cremation Families”- September 2022
Washington State Funeral Directors Association Annual Conference (Scheduled/Confirmed) “The Future of Deathcare: Excess Death and the Covid-19 Pandemic” —August 2022
Kates Boylston Publications Education Webinar “The Value of Contemporary Cremation Rituals”
Texas State Funeral Directors Association Annual Conference (Scheduled/Confirmed) “Building Contemporary Cremation Rituals” —June 2022
Ohio Funeral Directors Association Annual Conference (Scheduled/Confirmed) “Three Cremation Trends and the Eco Impact of Disposition” —May 2022
Social Work, Hospice, and Palliative Care Network Annual Conference “Solidified Remains and the Value of Ritual Building” — April 2022
Selected Independent Round Table Webinars “Three Cremation Trends: How to Prepare” — November 2021
New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Annual Convention “What Deathcare Can Learn from the Covid-19 Pandemic and Excess Death”— Sept. 2021
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Quiver and Tempt Society:
Co-Director of Troupe since July 2022
Founding Member since January 2022
Director, producer, emcee and performer for ABORT THE COURT: A Queer Burlesque Show for Abortion Access (August 2022)
Producer and performer for When Stars Aline: Pride 2022 (June 2022)
Director, producer, emcee, and performer for ICONS! (May 2022
Producer and performer for Something to Get You in the Mood (February 2022)
Performer for Surprise! It’s a Genderqueer Reveal Party! (January 2022)
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Barre Amped! Teacher Certification 2016-Present
Grace and Grit Method Certified Teacher 2019-2021
Buti Yoga Teacher Certification 2019-2021
BarreAmped Bounce Level 1 and Level 2 Instructor Certification 2017-Present
YogaFit Level 1 Instructor Certification, Since 2017
YogaFit Yoga for the Chakras Certification, Since 2017 (Includes training in crystal therapies and essential oils.)
Barre Above Fitness Teacher Certification, 2016-Present
YMCA CPR & First Aid Certified, 2016
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Adjunct Faculty: Tennessee State University July 2018- August 2018 Ceramics I, Ceramics II
Adjunct Faculty: Belmont University August 2016- August 2018 Sculpture I, Surface &Form (Advanced 3D Media), 3D Design, Art Appreciation
Adjunct Faculty, Austin Peay State University August 2016-August 2018 2D Design, 3D Design, Studio Foundations 1 & 2, Sculpture, Art Appreciation
Adjunct Faculty, Nashville State Community College January 2016- January 2018 Art Appreciation
Continuing Education Instructor, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts June-August 2015 Mold Making/Sculpture
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art August 2013- May 2014 Plaster & Mold Making
Assistant Instructor, PAFA High School After School Program August -December 2013 Figure Drawing
Artist Residencies:
Arté Sumapaz Artist in Residence, Cundinamarca, Colombia September 2021
Casa Na Ilha Artist Residency, Ilhabela Brazil June 2018
