Get to know IHI Associate Director Eve Blazo, LMSW, RYT-200

IHI Therapy Center has named Eve Blazo, LMSW, RYT-200, as its new associate director. Eve started her career at IHI in 2017 as an advanced clinical intern and, soon after, became a staff therapist. In 2019, Eve stepped up to the role of advanced clinical intern coordinator and became a member of the organization’s steering committee.

Read on to learn more about Eve, her mission as IHI’s new associate director, and her inspiration and motivation as a clinician working with folks in LGBTQ+ communities!

Q: What is one thing you'd like to see in IHI's future?

Blazo: “Moving into the role of associate director, I am committed to upholding IHI’s mission of providing affordable and accessible LGTBQ+-affirmative mental health care, as well as centering and advancing the aim of intersectional equity for the most marginalized in our community. As queer communities continue to navigate both local and global challenges, IHI can build conscious awareness of systemic inequities and apply this knowledge to our work clinically and professionally. 

A national leader in queer-competent culturally-responsive practice, IHI will continue to offer clinical trainings and education to support and inform our staff, interns, and professional cohort of the most contemporary and effective psychotherapeutic practices. I believe that equity and education are central to IHI’s future and long-term success as an organization.”

Q: What about IHI has drawn you to want to be a leader in the organization?

Blazo: “IHI’s staff, supervisors, and leadership have consistently modeled resilience, tenacity, and attunement to the needs of their clients and clinicians. As a leader, I plan to uphold these values as well as bolster organizational accountability, trust, and the empowerment of QTPOC clinicians.”

Q: Who and/or what has motivated or inspired your work as an LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapist?

Blazo: “Starting out as an intern, IHI’s training program offered a critical queer literacy missing from my prior education and therapeutic experiences. As a therapist, working with queer community has offered the possibility of both mirroring and mutual healing. My journey thus far has been enriched by these connections–personally and professionally.”