Avery Klotsche LCSW, LICSW, LMT, CST
(he/him; they/them) is a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist holding clinical social work licensure in four Northeastern states and providing remote psycho- and sex therapy. Avery is also licensed to practice massage therapy in Massachusetts.
Education:
-New York University, Master of Social Work (MSW)
-University of Michigan, Post-Master’s Dual Certificate in Sex Therapy and Sex Education
-Arizona State University, English with concentration in Creative Writing (BA), and LGBTQ Studies (Certificate)
-The Massage School of Hadley, MA, 650 hour Massage Therapist Certification
Professional Memberships:
-National Association of Social Workers
-American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists
-World Professional Association of Transgender Health
-Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals
Bio:
Avery grew up in Long Island, New York in a single-parent, working class household. As a child, they were inquisitive, sensitive, and imaginative. In grade school, they dreamt of growing up to be a nurse and a veterinarian. They developed passions for writing, music, and drama, but were equally compelled by creative people and human rights. By high school, it became apparent that they were more oriented towards the subjective than to hard sciences. Maturing into adulthood, they found meaning in jobs that focused on healing, personal development, and education.
As a young adult, Avery worked as a peer educator at a community LGBTQ center, and as a veterinary technician and adoption counselor at a non-profit animal rescue before embarking on a sixteen year career in higher education administration. An adaptive and lifelong learner with a passion for problem-solving, they pursued social work in recognition of the many factors that hinder and empower us, as well as each person’s unique strengths, experiences, and motivations.
As an early career social worker, they enrolled in a post-Master’s program focusing on Sex Therapy and Sex Education. Both a nod to their earlier work as a peer educator and their lived experience as a member of a sexually marginalized community, Avery felt that this was a natural next step in their professional journey. After meeting the educational and clinical training requirements, they were accepted by AASECT for certification as a sex therapist.
Avery’s interest in massage therapy followed an experience in their own healing where talk therapy was ineffective, but cranio-sacral massage therapy helped immensely. While they are only able to offer bodywork in the state of Massachusetts, their training as a massage therapist often becomes relevant in helping clients understand the ways in which our bodies and minds work in tandem, housing both traumatic memories and adaptive responses.
Avery is licensed to practice as a clinical social worker and sex therapist in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. In addition to their degrees and certifications, they have pursued training in trauma-informed psychotherapy, behavioral therapies, grief therapy, and somatic experiencing. Their approach to treatment is trauma-informed, relational, curious, and conversational.
Avery currently resides in Western Massachusetts. For self-care, he enjoys gardening, reading, writing, culinary experimentation, and amateur home renovation. As part of their commitment to social justice and equality, Avery regularly volunteers their free time to charitable causes and donates a percentage of annual earnings to further social justice and environmental initiatives.