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Somatic

Moving from thinking into processing sensations and emotions in the body can be transformative when we learn to hold ourselves in safety and love.Somatic theories inform all of my practice and can help:

RELATIONAL

Relationships of all kinds are at the core of every session. I aim to help you find understanding, ease and connection with others through the guided, compassionate support of the therapeutic relationship.The therapeutic relationship can:

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For Clients

For Professionals

Treating

Marriage & Family Therapist
Lic. #97171

I’ve been offering therapeutic services since 2010, and working in the healing arts since 2001. From the age of 20, two core beliefs have guided me:First- No one is free until all of us are free. To me, freedom is health. I love supporting and witnessing others as they grow into greater authenticity and peace.Second- I’ve always embodied the saying, “healer, heal thyself.” Staying committed to my own growth and evolution as a person keeps me inspired and empathetic to your journey.Click below to learn more about my background, training, and how I stay balanced while remaining in tune with the rawness of life .

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IN THE FIELD

Since 2010 I have been practicing psychotherapy in community clinics, public schools, and restorative justice programs.From 2015-2020, I served as Executive Director and then Clinical Director at SOS Community Counseling - which was a nonprofit training facility offering free and low-fee services in Sonoma County.In 2020, after stepping down from leadership, I continued with SOS as a part-time Clinical Supervisor as I built my private practice business, which I now operate full-time in Oakland, California and online.

IN THE CLASSROOM

My path into the helping professions began in my early adulthood, initially through collaborations with peers, community advocates, and therapist, which led to youth programs that wove together art, activism, yoga, and therapy.Teaching yoga in 2001, sparked my lifelong study in somatic based therapy in California and abroad.At UC Berkeley, I designed my own concentration in Integrative Psychology. I brought together coursework from various departments and wrote an honors thesis tying together psychology, holistic health, culture, and community. I went on to earn a master’s degree in Counseling at Sonoma State University, working in the on-campus Community Counseling Clinic.Since licensure, I've focused my training on somatic approaches, parts work, and integrating alternative healing modalities into traditional western psychology.

IN MY HEART

A dancer in my youth, I found my way to yoga soon after high school. The yoga tradition opened my mind to health and healing through mindfulness, body awareness, and consciousness expansion.In 2002 I was introduced to a Dutch healing modality, that integrates mind, body and spirit, which has deeply influenced my path. After years of personal study and participation, I began formal training in 2018 to become a psychomotor therapist. I was fortunate enough to train directly with the founder, Dr. Niek Brouw, in Holland until his passing in 2024. I continue to train with the Vitaal clinic in The Hague.Many elements of this model inform my psychotherapy practice today, as the theory and selected somatic interventions compliment and ground my work as an LMFT. I offer the full scope of body-based treatment through my separate psychomotor practice, as well.Over the years, through dance, yoga and various somatic practices, I've had many of my own emotional and psychological breakthroughs. I became curious about how these approaches could support deeper healing and have felt very fortunate to find a career where I can continue my own education, while supporting others as they access their own innate healing possibilities!

An Integrative Approach

FRAME WORK

THERAPEUTIC STYLES

RELATIONAL THERAPY

In the therapy room, your relationships are supported in two ways: First, you have space to explore the interpersonal dynamics in your life, and second, you can do so through the therapeutic relationship.Self-understanding and self-compassion fosters the same for those we love and interact with. Friction often occurs when our un-explored or under-developed potentials are activated in relationship, and we react from a scared or protective place.Through counseling I help individuals, partners and family members, learn how to navigate those reactive, defensive or immature parts, together. Cultivating mutual understanding and developing skills can help you move through friction with a little more grace and success.

WHO

I work with couples, those in poly and ENM partnerships, families, and adult family members. I also work with individuals wanting to sort out their end of all kinds of relationships.

CORE VALUES

Building Safety
I aim to help you find balance between safety through healthy attachment, with the freedom to be unique individuals through autonomy, within the relationship.Taking Responsibility
I encourage each person to self reflect on their role in challenging dynamics, even when unintended or reflexive.Practicing Skills
Self-awareness through self-reflection, self-soothing and regulating practices, and communicating with integrity all help with conflict resolution and avoiding repeated patterns.

Supporting

Practices may include:

Each is designed to help you feel more at home in yourself—releasing tension, awakening vitality, regulating your nervous system, and fostering a sense of rooted safety in your body.In sessions I may ask you to notice the sensations and feelings in your body as we explore topics you wish you uncover, process, and resolve.For those intersted, I offer targeted stretches to support the changes you wish you make, from the inside out.

Groups & Classes

Somatic Stretch Groups - a place to practice somatic exercises that help deepen your connection with your inner world while releasing patterns of tension built up over your lifetime.Somatic groups are educational and experiential in nature and not psychotherapy.

Practice somatic stretches in a calm, inclusive setting.

Take 90 minutes of your day to turn inward and reconnect with your body. Each session includes targeted stretches designed to relax or awaken different physical and emotional systems and develop your self-perception.Stretches are non-rigorous and accessible for most bodies.
In-person and online access available.

GROUND + RESTORE

Somatic Practices for the Holiday Season
Take a pause from the rush. Reconnect with your body and find steadiness through gentle, guided movement and self-attunement.This 90-minute somatic class is designed to ease stress and support emotional balance as you move into the holidays.

DETAILS

Fridays in 2025
November 21 & December 19
1:00–2:30 PM
Nest Yoga, Piedmont, Oakland & Online

Sliding scale $0–$70 (suggested $35).
Pay what you can. Paying more supports access for others.
No one turned away for lack of funds.No experience needed - come dressed to stretch.Pre-registration required by December 17th.

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Psychomotor Therapy

Developmental Motor Exercises for Human Balance
This group is based primarily on the Psychomotor theory and exercises created by Dr. Niek Brouw of the Netherlands. It is a developmental and movement-based system that supports stability, rebalancing and greater ease and efficiency of mind, soul, and spirit through the body.*Groups are experiential and educational in nature, and not psychotherapy.

What to expect

Overview

In each group, I lead a series of stretches designed to release tensions and restore the natural functioning of the muscle chains connected to our core human capacities: Mind, Soul, and Spirit -commonly described as thinking, feeling, and acting or energizing. When the “instrument” of your body is tuned, your unique nature can shine through, as the creator of this method always said.Throughout the year, we naturally emphasize some functions more than others. During the Fall, for example, many of us operate heavily in the Mind and Spirit- hustling, being productive, wrapping up projects, and preparing for the holidays. As we approach the Winter solstice, the body naturally wants to shift toward Soul activities: slowing down, digesting the year’s experiences, and dreaming of what may come next.In this class, we work with the specific muscle chains that tend to be overused in the busy season, and “wake up” the chains that support turning inward, processing, and feeling. This helps restore a more embodied balance across Mind, Soul, and Spirit.Each class begins with a brief introduction to the muscle chains we’ll be activating and releasing for that session. We’ll then spend most of our time practicing the stretches, with moments for integration woven throughout. This class will close with a short journaling prompt to take with you.

Somatic Therapy Consultation Group

Accepting new members!

Consultation Group for Bay Area based Somatic Therapists.We meet on the 2nd Friday of each month from 9:30am-11:00am, at my Oakland office on Piedmont Avenue.The group is a collective leadership style, focusing on brief check-in's and prioritizing case consultation and business support needs.No cost - it's a mutually beneficial, supportive and generative group.

If you're interested in learning more or if you'd like to join the group, please send your questions or a little about you by clicking the "Get Started" link below.Hope to connect soon!

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