Helping People Find Therapists & Advocating for Ethical and Healthy Therapy & Marriage Counseling Practices

My Approach to Helping

Kinections, the name of my practice, means connecting to self and others through dance and movement. As a dance/movement therapist and the creator of LivingDance~LivingMusic, I believe that dance is inherently healing and that, as an old African proverb says, if you can walk you can dance. Dance, the vital link to connection and well-being, does not refer to performance. It refers to the interaction between form an aspect of dance and movement that cuts across all forms of dance and to which most of us had access before we went to school and content (expression). Basic elements include breath, muscle connectivity, pulse, and shape, the kinesthetic sense of the body boundary. While all the elements relate to emotions, each does so in its own way. Breath, a direct link to our emotions, communicates levels of comfort and discomfort in relation to the environment and interpersonal relationships. Although changes in muscle connectivity also communicate levels of tension and freedom, they do so in relation to one's self, e.g., drives, defense mechanisms, learning styles, and ego strengths. Pulse is the umbrella term for steady beat and rhythm. The former relates to an hypothesized link to locus of control and feelings of effectiveness; the later to expression and group cohesion. Shape becomes the link to identity development, boundaries, and self-confidence.

Where we start depends on your concerns, goals, concept of change, and on the nonverbal messages that emerge as we interact with one another. I may facilitate your process by teaching you something new, dance with you, become the audience, or even choreograph, but you are the director, the person who has the freedom to make decisions that affect your process. (e.g., how fast we work, the level of intensity, etc.). I attune to you both verbally and non-verbally and provide dance/movement experiences that leave kinesthetic traces in your body-mind affective and cognitive memories that can improve or change the way you relate to yourself and others. These concepts along with my relational premium on empowering you and transforming disconnects into connection lay the foundation for my work as dance/movement therapist, mental health counselor, and facilitator of LivingDance~LivingMusic.

LivingDance~LivingMusic grew out of my work with people who have eating disorders. Over time I discovered that people across the mental health spectrum from people with severe challenges to people eager to reach their highest potential benefited from it. At one time, I had to depend on my intuition and observations to support my goals and methods, but now current research in neurobiology demonstrates scientifically that bringing the body, movement, novelty, and creative processes into therapy generates the expression of genes and proteins that relate to well-being.

 

More Info About My Practice

I work individually and in groups. Men and women who want to join a time limited group and have not worked with me have initial interviews before joining to see if the group is a good fit. Anyone interested in joining an ongoing group must have at least four individual sessions before doing so. Currently, I am developing a group for adult men and women wishing to break through creative or relational blocks and a group for mothers and their teen-age daughters.

I will be running a week-long LivingDance~LivingMusic retreat in Corfu, Greece, July 3-10, 2010. You can read about it on the Kinections web site

Services I Provide

• Individual Therapy & Counseling
• Marriage, Couples, or Relationship Counseling
• Group Therapy
• Consultation
• Clinical Supervision
• Residential Treatment or Hospitilization
• Other

Ages I Work With

• Teens
• Adults
• Elders

Languages I Speak

• English

Groups I Work With

Eating disorders, body image distortions, pre-occupation with weight and appearance, adolescent girls 15 + with depression and other concerns, mood disorders including bipolar disorders, ages 15 +

Therapy Approaches I Use

• Authentic Movement
• Body Psychotherapy
• Body-Mind Psychotherapy
• Breathwork
• Client-Directed Outcome-Informed Therapy
• Creative Art Therapy
• Dance / Movement Therapy
• Existential Psychotherapy
• Feminist Therapy
• Interpersonal Neurobiology
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy
• Mindfulness Based Approaches
• Person Centered / Rogerian
• Relational Psychotherapy

Concerns & Issues I Help With

• Identity Issues
• Attachment
• Reproduction
• Abuse: Emotional, Physical, or Sexual
• Trauma
• Occupational & Academic Issues
• Addictions & Compulsions
• Life Changes
• Health & Body
• Emotion Management
• Social Skills & Problems
• Anxiety, Fear, & Stress
• Depression & Mood
• Family Problems
• Childhood & Adolescence
• Relationships & Marriage
• Self-Esteem & Confidence
• Sexuality