How We Work – FAQs

We use a secure HIPAA-compliant video platform (similar to Zoom). Once you’re scheduled, you’ll receive a link for each appointment.

Yes, you can absolutely do somatic thearpy online. We are committed to using mind-body and somatic approaches in all our work. You might be surprised at how creative we can get.

Our standard sessions are 60 minutes. Extended sessions range from 75 min – 3 hours.

Therapy intensives range from a half day to several days; we plan intensives with each client to meet their individual needs.

Somatic therapy includes the body and nervous system, and it can also include movement, creativity, and the imagination. The mind-body connection means that the brain and body are always in conversation with each other. Our bodies play a big role in how we experience life, how we process memory, and how we develop coping skills and resources.

When we include the body in therapy, we get access to levels of experience that thinking and talking alone can’t always reach. Working with the whole person is often where real and lasting change happens.

Sensorimotor Psychotherarpy and Somatic Experiencing are two of the most widely used somatic approaches in psychothearpy.

Being an integrative practice means we blend methods in the way that best fits you. The goal is to help you feel more integrated and whole as a person. We collaborate with you to find the best approaches to support your process of healing, change, and growth. 

Our primary method is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, one of the most well-developed approaches to working with trauma, the nervous system, and interpersonal healing. We also incorporate Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, dance/movement psychotherapy, polyvagal-informed therapy, mindfulness, parts-based work, and the creative and expressive arts.

We use movement in many different ways. It might be as simple as noticing tension in your shoulders, trying a small gesture to explore a feeling, or shifting your posture and seeing what changes.

With some clients, we use larger movement to express emotion or explore therapy themes. We also encourage clients to make use of their own movement backgrounds such as dance, yoga, or tai chi and find ways to use them to suppor the process.

We always work at your pace and comfort level. Some clients use movement a lot in their work; others barely at all.

Our goal is to dive right into therapy with you from the very first session. We handle most intake paperwork through your client portal before your first session so we don’t have to do much in in the way of administrative stuff.

When you arrive (in-person or online), we will cover some basics about working together and review some of your intake paperwork. Then, we’ll focus on  getting to know one another and explore what brings you to therapy and what your goals and hopes are.

For clients doing therapy intensives the process is a little different. Learn more about intensives. 

This might be the question we get asked most often. You might already guess that there is no such thing as a typical session. That’s part of what makes this work interesting and transformative. We work with you to create the flow of sessions, we trust our instincts, and we draw on our skills and knowledge to creatively approach the process of making change happen.

Sessions look different depending on what you’re working on, where you are in the process, and what you need that day. Some sessions involve a lot of talking and reflection. Others are more body-centered, creative, or experiential. We might include a little body awareness or work with small gestures, or use more expansive movement or creative expression. We also offer walk-and-talk and outdoor sessions that may incorporate somatic and creative approaches as well.

What matters most to us is that you co-create the work we do together. We work with attention to your needs for pacing, comfort, challenge, and what feels interesting and compelling to you.

That’s completely fine. Some of our clients mostly sit and talk. We see talking as a very important part of the therapy process, even when we use other approaches. It helps us to make sense of the work we’re doing and integrate the change.

What’s different when doing “talk therapy” with us, is that we’re still using a mind-body framework. We’re paying attention to what’s happening in the body, the nervous system, the emotional state, and the stories and patterns undernead the words.

Five minutes or a lifetime. There are many benefits you can begin to experience right away, even when therapy is brand-new. It can also take time to integrate the work and make larger shifts in your life.

Therapy results depend on so many factors — the reasons you are coming to therapy, how long you have been dealing with a particular issue or problem, what kinds of resources and supports you already have, and how much you put into it.

If you think of therapy like gardening, the process includes planting seeds, giving them what they need to flourish, and tending to them once they have grown.

Our goal is to help you take something useful away from every session and cultivate your own change and growth over time.

How long you stay in therapy is up to you. We collaborate with you to assess your goals, your progress and what feels right for you throughout your experience in working with us. Most clients we work with participate in long-term therapy.

The first step is a free 30-minute phone consultation — a chance to talk about what you’re looking for, ask questions, and get a sense of whether we’re a good fit. Request a consultation here.