Therapist Profile

My Approach to Helping

Holistic Psychotherapy for the Body, Mind and Spirit! ...because sometimes words are not enough.

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want." -Lao Tzu

Reaching out for help is not easy for most of us. I feel it is vital that from the first moment of contact, my job is to make the people I work with feel safe, heard and accepted. There is nothing worse than feeling judged, shamed and alone with your problems.

In my practice, I combine ancient mindfulness techniques, the latest research on the body/mind connection, neuropsychology, along with good old compassion and humor to form a powerful therapy that is transformative and holistic.

While I believe that what we do as therapists, the interventions we use, are important, what is more important to me is how human we are. In my experinece, people want to feel accepted and understood. This only happens when the therapist is clear, experienced, and has the capacity for deep empathy and compassion.

More Info About My Practice

What is Somatic Psychology? Somatic Psychology (body mind psychotherapy, body-oriented psychotherapy, etc.) is a holistic form of therapy that respects and utilizes the powerful connection between body, mind and spirit. How we are in this world, how we relate to ourselves and others, is not just purely about the mind or our thoughts, but is also deeply rooted in our bodies and our spirits. Somatic Psychology has a long and rich history and is primarily derived from the theories and practices of Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalyst and student of Sigmund Freud. Since that time, it has been influenced by existential, humanistic and gestalt psychology, dance, movement and art therapy, family and systems theory, biology, neurology, and Far Eastern philosophy and spirituality. Individuals seek this form of treatment for similar reasons they might look to more traditional talk therapy, to address stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and sexuality issues, grief and loss, addictions, trauma including abuse recovery, as well as more purely medical reasons including pain, headaches, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Somatic Psychotherapy includes many different techniques that can be utilized depending on the specific needs of each client. Such interventions can include developing mindfulness and awareness of ones physical presence using relaxation and meditative techniques; movement in order to promote a deeper physical awareness and to expand ones capacity to feel and express emotions; breathing techniques to increase awareness of and improve functioning of the breath.