Myka Hanson

A little bit about Myka

As a high school English teacher for more than fifteen years, Myka worked with every type of student from those who were identified as at-risk, gifted and talented, and everywhere in between. Her classroom philosophy was to be the hour of the day where teens felt accepted, allowed to be themselves, and safe. She has carried that philosophy into founding Teen Forward and believes that adolescence does not need to be a struggle but can be an ultimately enjoyable experience remembered fondly as an adult.

Myka holds a bachelor’s degree in English/secondary education from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, master’s degrees in special education (University of Minnesota) and depth psychology (Pacifica Graduate Institute), and a Ph.D. in depth psychology and somatic studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Myka lives in Minnesota with her husband, a middle-school band teacher; her two teenage step-daughters; and their three dogs Goldie, Elwood, and Diego. When she’s not hard at work with Teen Forward, Myka enjoys painting and drawing, cooking, reading, camping, and watching The X-Files.

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A little bit about Myka’s work

TEEN FORWARD

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.

TEACHING

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.

SOMATIC STUDIES

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.

DREAM WORK

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.