About the artist

Crystal Araiza, M.A (she/they)

is an artist, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, and single mother based in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. Her work bridges the personal and the collective, drawing from lived experiences of grief, healing, and motherhood.

With a background in psychology, addiction recovery, and community-based mental health, Crystal creates pieces that speak to the unseen — the liminal, emotional, and spiritual layers of life. Her art often explores themes of transformation, sacred masculinity, ancestral wounds, and the quiet resilience of those navigating systemic and intimate grief.

The Tender Rite is her first public installation.

My Work and Education:

  • Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #140407) at Be Well Marriage and Family Therapy and at Hearts & Lives in Crestline, CA.

  • Supervised by Nicole Goolsby MA, LMFT, CEDS, EMDR #98829 and Rachel Padilla, LMFT #93006

  • Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Provider in training at the Integrative Psychiatric Institute

  • Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles

  • Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley (studied anthropology, public policy)

  • Associate of Science from Saddleback College in Alcohol and Drug Studies

  • Associate of Arts from Saddleback College in Psychology