Art Therapy (EXA)

There is a vast, inner world of symbolic imagery that lies beneath our conscious mind. This unconscious imagery helps us to organize our complex experiences, sensations, and impulses. When we connect to this imagery through creativity, we can understand ourselves more deeply, and even begin to rewire unconscious programming.

*You don’t have to “be an artist” or “be good at art” to engage with Expressive Arts Therapies. The value of EXA is more about the act of being creative and how it affects your brain functioning, consciousness, self-awareness, and capacity to make new neural pathways, beliefs and thought patterns… It is less about skill-level and conventional aesthetics and more about the heart and soul you give to the process.

Self-Harm/ Self-Injurious Behaviors (SIB) & Suicidal Thoughts

Self-harm/self-injurious behaviors (SIB) and suicidal thoughts can manifest in survivors of Trauma as a way to cope with emotional pain (cutting, burning, hair pulling, scarification, etc.). I view SIB as a maladaptive form of self regulation that may represent a person’s attempt to modulate overwhelming emotions and symptoms of PTSD. I help clients commit to safety, understand the physiology of their symptoms, learn self-regulation skills, heal emotional wounds, and re-invest in Life.

Anger Issues

Anger can be so tricky to deal with. Society conditions us to fear and judge anger in ourselves and each other, but the truth is; Anger is a fundamental, human, primal, physiologic response to things that threaten our emotional and physical safety. Anger is hurt's bodyguard. It's there to protect us and it is worthy of compassion, honor and validation. I work with clients to help them understand their anger, release shame about anger, learn about the autonomic nervous system, express anger into safe and healthy outlets, practice non-violence, and earn skills to effectively manage anger in everyday life.

Spirituality and Soul Work

Our ancient ancestors used art, dance, music, and ritual to connect with the spirit realms. They invoked healing, power, guidance, protection, fortune and wisdom through creativity and Nature. When we build relationships with creative energy, Nature, and the spiritual world around us, we can create a powerful, healing resource for ourselves and each other. I help clients to explore their spirituality through a full spectrum of creative mediums and ancestral rituals and traditions.

Somatic Therapy, Trauma & PTSD

Somatic Therapy incorporates body-based practices, Neuroscience, and Psychobiology into traditional Talk Therapy. This Holistic approach is particularly beneficial to Trauma Survivors struggling with symptoms of PTSD. Trauma impacts the Nervous System and brain functioning which often leaves traumatic experiences and trauma memories unprocessed in the body and unconscious mind, as Bessel van der Kolk famously stated, “The Body Keeps The Score.” This can lead to symptoms of PTSD (re-experiencing, flashbacks, angry outbursts, hyper vigilance, insomnia, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, dissociation, shame, and a fractured sense of Self) and requires understanding and focused attention to the mind-body connection during treatment and recovery.

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)

DMT explores the link between embodiment, consciousness, and healing; a particularly beneficial treatment modality for Trauma Survivors whose bodies have faced betrayal and crave a return to safety, regulation, and self-love. Dance it out!

Abuse Recovery

I help survivors of abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, domestic violence, narcissistic abuse, child abuse etc.) understand the nuanced dynamics of toxic relationships. I offer psycho-education with crucial insights and tools that help survivors sustain safety and freedom in their relationships. I hold empathic space for them to process their wounding, pick up the pieces of their broken heart, and move towards a future with healthy relationships.

Depression

Depression can grip our lives in the most debilitating ways. We feel stuck, pained, hopeless, exhausted, isolated, burnt out, and disinvested in life. These are signs of a dysregulated nervous system… and often unresolved trauma. I support clients who wish to move through their depression with body-based approaches, and creative explorations that uncover unconscious programming, revive the soul, and foster hope in the future.

Equine Assisted Therapy (Therapy Horses)

Equine Assisted Therapy incorporates the mighty, empathic, and spiritual presence of horses into psychotherapy. Horses outwardly mirror what we feel inside in a way that is nonjudgmental, sensitive, and pure. They bond with us nonverbally in a special relationship that leaves many feeling profoundly seen and understood. People with attachment wounding, who’ve been traumatized in relationships with humans, can often rediscover how to feel safe in relationships by working with the therapy horses.

Sexual Trauma

Sexuality is intrinsically connected to our heart, spirit, and body. When this is violated by violence and abuse, survivors face wounding that cuts right to the core. Survivors may struggle deeply with shame, rage, grief, fear, injustice, relationships, sexual functioning, and symptoms of PTSD. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse and sexual assault often fear stigmatization and are reluctant to talk about past abuse experiences and sexual trauma with healthcare providers and even family, leaving them isolated to carry the burden of trauma and PTSD alone. I am passionate about holding safe space for people to heal sexual trauma. You are not alone.