Ephraim Akiva

Ephraim is the director of Afiya, Massachusetts' first peer respite, and is an Intentional Peer Support and Hearing Voices trainer. He comes from a background of ancestral trauma, abuse, loss and rejection by his family of origin. Since early childhood, Ephraim has had strong religious and spiritual experiences that have, at times, looked a lot like what is often defined as a “crisis”.

Ephraim has long dreamed of a community (and larger world) where queer and trans folks are not only able to survive and thrive but to truly connect with their capacity for queer and trans joy. As the director of Afiya Peer Respite and the co-founder of the Wildflower Alliance's LGBTQIA+ peer to peer support group, he is manifesting the nation's first LGBTQIA+ peer respite.