I am a licensed Professional Counselor and licensed Massage Therapist and teach in both professions. My approach to body-oriented Integrative Therapy is a result of years of education and personal study in human development, trauma phenomena, group process, Myofascial therapy, Rhythmical Massage, spiritual practices, and movement as a basis for in-depth psychotherapy and hands-on bodywork.

Along with a Masters Degree in Counseling, I completed extensive courses for treating trauma and developmental issues at the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (formerly Hakomi Somatics), and continue to study with the Institute. I also completed a four-year Psychosophy Seminar that works to join psychology and Anthroposophical medicine.

My work of integrating these therapies with somatic education and careful listening provides clients with a thorough, supportive, safe, and clinically effective form of therapeutic bodywork and in-depth psychotherapy. My intent is to help clients cultivate/strengthen personal and interpersonal resources so they can carefully and safely examine traumas or other personal issues, and to gradually digest overwhelming experiences. This can allow clients to be freer and more present to all that life provides.

Therapy

My goal as a therapist is to collaborate with people to discover ways their lives and relationships can work well, despite the inevitable calamities of family history and traumatic events. I do this with my understanding of human development, psychotherapy and therapeutic bodywork/massage.

In meeting for therapy, working to stay awake to experiences, your feelings, thoughts, physical sensations, and patterns of behavior evolve, arriving at new freedom and appreciation for being alive. It is possible to make life even more worth living as relationships and well-being improves.

Frustration arrives when life seems to drive things out of control. A therapeutic connection can be a necessity and gift, an ointment over wounds. I believe it takes a lot of practice to notice what is going on and to choose freely what may happen in the next moment. Finding support for what you need can help.

I will offer you support for your healthiest beliefs, your relationships, your work, your spirituality, your direction in life, your creativity. All this is the stuff of life's complexity. I can help you use your resources to stay present to your challenges and vulnerability. In this way your mind, your body and your soul get the care they need.

New 10-week group starting 5/13/09: Becoming Safely Embodied--Skills to Navigate a World of Leftover Trauma

Bodywork

I have come to trust the essential connection of body sensation and movement to the way we think, feel, and act. Massaging sore muscles heals injury, or restores vitality. This improves quality of life. Often bodywork grounds you when the residue of stress or trauma makes if difficult to focus. Often working with the body reveals a wound or the meaning of the past, and allows resolution to progress. I have been grateful for what clients have taught me about living in their bodies and healing their souls. This has prompted the joining of hands-on care with the experience of mindful reflection for therapy. For many it is the missing ingredient in their healing process.

Education

As an educator I believe that moments of learning can have significant impact on the direction of an individual or an organization. Good learning adds useful and often insightful information and helps develop skills. New experiences invigorate so the personal and the professional grow in a positive way. I have led classes, workshops or courses in many settings. Learning with those I teach is one of the rewards of the profession.