Creating a healthier nervous system is always possible
Together we can support your body to reorient and feel a deeper sense of safety and ease
Ongoing toxic stress and overwhelming events can shake up our sense of safety in the world, in relationships, and in ourselves. The good news is that our nervous systems have evolved to lean towards healing and balance, especially when we are given the tools to rewire our nervous system’s patterns. In somatic therapy, we slow down in order to listen to your nervous system’s patterns - and your nervous system has a valuable story to tell.
At a Glance
Blue Cross PPO insurance accepted
Self pay at $140 - $200 for 55 min session
In person availability in Chicago and virtual appointments for Illinois residents
Specialties
Recovery from trauma - especially developmental & relational trauma, religious trauma, birth trauma, and falls/crashes - via Somatic Experiencing® sessions
Somatic support for chronic pain (muscular pain, IBS, migraines, etc.)
Supporting the body to find a deeper sense of ease and safety via Somatic Experiencing® sessions
Psycho-education about the nervous system, safety responses, trauma physiology, and healing physiology
Breaking fawning & people-pleasing patterns
Navigating polyamory, nonmonogamy
Exploring gender, sexuality, & alternative relationship structures
Navigating neurodivergence - especially ADHD & Autism
Values
Abolitionist
Sex-positive and pleasure-centered
Sex work-affirming
Pro-Choice
Asexual & Aromantic-affirming
Feminist & Intersectional
Anti-imperialism, anti-militarism
Anti-Fatphobic (Health at Every Size)
Harm reduction
About Me
I support clients with building a greater capacity for emotional regulation and radical self-love by exploring your nervous system’s patterns and helping your system to safely and slowly release a build up of stress chemistry.
My approach is gentle and intentionally paced. In our sessions together, we make space for the parts of you that feel awe and joy just as much as the parts that feel pain and loneliness. There is room to feel it all: rage, playfulness, grief, and hope.
As a white, queer person, I am committed to challenging ableism, capitalism, and internalized white supremacy - both in my own life and in my work with clients.
I have eleven years of social work experience. In addition to being a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and somatic psychotherapist, I have professional experience as a school social worker and a birth doula.
On a more personal note, I’m a clothing swap fanatic and love finding clothing swaps all across Chicago! I love spending time in my garden growing veggies, flowers and native fruit trees. My new interest is trying different circus classes. In my free time, I like to host outdoor tea parties and highly curated dinner parties for my friends and loved ones.
Are we a good fit?
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You’ve explored talk therapy for trauma and haven’t seen results you want
You feel on edge frequently and want relief for a nervous system that is overworking
You experience exhaustion, fatigue, or brain fog
You want to experience a felt sense of safety in your body
You want to deepen your sense of self and your preferences
You experience chronic pain that you think could be psychosomatic
You’ve been affected by religious trauma/purity culture
You are or think you might be neurodivergent (especially ADHD or Autistic)
You want a therapist who understands covid precautions, abolitionism, anti-capitalism
You want support to prepare for a surgery, anesthesia, or childbirth
You need a letter to receive a gender-affirming surgery, support to create a post-surgery care plan, etc.
Please note that individual therapy is not an adequate replacement for higher levels of care such as an outpatient or in-patient program, if those are needed.
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You want homework/worksheets
You would prefer CBT, DBT, or another type of cognitive therapy
The thought of noticing sensations in your body doesn’t interest you or seems petrifying
You are not interesting in trying any somatic work
You want help dieting or loosing weight
Please also note that individual therapy is not an adequate replacement for higher levels of care such as an outpatient or in-patient program, if those are needed.
FAQ
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On our video call, I will ask you some questions to give me a better sense of who you are and what you’re wanting support with.
I will then share about myself, my style of therapy, and answer any questions you may have.
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I generally spend the first 3-4 somatic sessions explaining the physiology of trauma, how the nervous system works, and the mechanics of physical and emotional healing. I will answer any questions you have. When you feel ready, I will then invite you to try a variety of gentle and brief somatic tracking activities to reorient your brain to become better at noticing and deeping a felt sense of safety. Afterwards, I invite you to verbally process the activities and offer feedback so that I can better tailor the activities to your unique needs. Together, we can start to track patterns in your nervous system and support your body to metabolize and release a build up of stress chemistry.
Over time, more in depth techniques can slowly be introduced. These techniques are designed to help the body complete the Stress Response Cycle, “update” the nervous system, and form new neural-pathways. These activities over time can decrease trauma physiology in the body, including emotional and physical pain.
Slowing down and tracking sensations in the body can often feel new for clients who are used to primarily focusing on their thoughts. We’re not just learning the language of thoughts but also the language of our nervous system - and your nervous system has a valuable story to tell.
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I suggest:
Wearing comfortable clothing
Bringing any comfort items (snacks, fidgets, a blanket, favorite drinks)
Coming well fed
Coming well rested (as much a possible)
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Some days you might just want to talk! Especially on days when we notice we have less capacity or chronic pain is more intense, it can be supportive to verbally process and not sense into the body. Please note that talk therapy is not my primary modality, however.
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If you are paying out of pocket, sliding scale sessions cost between $140 - $200 for 55 minute sessions.
If you are using Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO insurance, please call the number on the back of your insurance card to learn how much you will pay per session.
Professional Training
Masters of Social Work — Loyola University Chicago
Licensed Clinical Social Worker — IDFPR
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (Certification in-progress, Intermediate I Level Complete) — Somatic Experiencing International (3 year training program including supervised clinical practicum)
Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship — Colorado Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy
Psychotherapy Supervision Training — Intentional Supervision Designs
Birth Doula — To Labor
Postpartum Doula — CAPPA
Talking Circle Training — Community Justice for Youth Institute
200 Hour Yoga Certification — Breathe for Change
Learn More
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When an overwhelming experience or set of experiences disrupts your sense of safety and control, the physical and psychological effects of trauma can persist. Symptoms of trauma - such as anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, or numbness - can last weeks or years, if not attended to.
One of the most common symptoms of trauma is the disconnection between the mind and body. Some examples of this are when we have a distant relationship with our body’s natural alarm system and alarm bells can seem to quiet. This can look like not knowing when something is “too much” for us, such as not hearing ‘I’m hungry’ cues or ‘my bladder is full’ cues. Sometimes we have a hard time sensing when our boundaries are being pushed in a relationship or when we’re being mistreated by a boss. Other times, our body’s natural alarm system can seem too loud. Examples of this are when our nervous system sends out anxiety signals when we start to fall in love with a safe person or when we panic everytime we think about flying on an airplane. Disconnection between the mind and body is a survival strategy - a wise one! But over time, this can take a toll on our bodies and spirits.
An important step in the healing from trauma physiology is to bring the mind and body back into relationship with each other. Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a powerful modality that can support your journey towards feeling a deeper sense of safety, increased connection with yourself, and stronger ability to be in relationship with the present moment.
Somatic therapy can be helpful if you:
Have tried talk therapy for many years but still feel the same
Experience disorientation or disconnection from the world around you
Suffer from physical sensations of anxiety and/or hypervigilance
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It deepens our sense of joy and pleasure. Although it might seem like we experience emotions primarily in our head, we actually experience emotions in our bodies. Focusing on body sensations can help our bodies to feel more joy, pleasure, awe, curiosity, and energy. Noticing sensations can also help us to listen and tend to emotions such as shame, guilt, rage, and hopelessness.
Can deepen our trust in ourselves and improve our decision making skills.
It can relieve psychosomatic pain. Sensations in the body - especially those related to trauma - play a large role in our experience of the world and ourselves. Our bodies have all learned how to “brace for impact” to protect ourselves from emotional harm. Noticing sensations and allowing the body to naturally release tension can help reduce symptoms such as migraines and tight muscles.
It can help us to detect changes in our health earlier. Noticing subtle changes in our body can alert us to potential health issues before they become more serious.
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Of all the modalities I’ve been trained in, Somatic Experiencing is by far my favorite. Somatic Experiencing uses guided activities to help develop a stronger mind-body connection. SE uses specific techniques such as slowing down, orientation, somatic tracking, pendulation, and gentle movement activities. Somatic
SE involves learning a variety of tracking activities to reorient your brain to become better at noticing and deeping a felt sense of safety. Together, we can start to notice patterns in your nervous system and support your body to metabolize and release a build up of stress chemistry.
Over time, more in depth techniques can slowly be introduced. These techniques are designed to help the body complete the Stress Response Cycle, “update” the nervous system, and form new neural-pathways. These activities over time can decrease trauma physiology in the body, including emotional and physical pain.
Experiencing focuses on the present moment rather than figuring out “why” we feel and act the way we do, making this a more accessible form of therapy for those who do not have many memories of their childhoods or tend to intellectualize their emotions.
For more information, consider checking out: Somatic Experiencing International’s website for videos and demonstrations.
Frameworks
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Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a body-based therapy that uses guided activities to help build a stronger connection between the mind and body.
Somatic Experiencing uses guided activities to help develop a stronger mind-body connection. SE uses specific techniques such as slowing down, orientation, somatic tracking, pendulation, and gentle movement activities. Somatic
SE involves learning a variety of tracking activities to reorient your brain to become better at noticing and deeping a felt sense of safety. Together, we can start to notice patterns in your nervous system and support your body to metabolize and release a build up of stress chemistry.
Over time, more in depth techniques can slowly be introduced. These techniques are designed to help the body complete the Stress Response Cycle, “update” the nervous system, and form new neural-pathways. These activities over time can decrease trauma physiology in the body, including emotional and physical pain.
Experiencing focuses on the present moment rather than figuring out “why” we feel and act the way we do, making this a more accessible form of therapy for those who do not have many memories of their childhoods or tend to intellectualize their emotions.
Somatic Experiencing was packaged by Peter Levine but Indigenous people around the world have long known about the power of somatic healing.
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Parts work is grounded in the concept that we have multiple parts inside of us, all working to protect us in different ways. Parts work helps to identify parts, listen to what they might need, and ultimately evoke a sense of peace and wholeness within the self. Parts work compliments somatic techniques extremely well. While parts work has been packaged by contemporary psychologists, it has roots in Indigenous philosophies around the world.
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A theory developed by Steven Porges that helps us understand different parts of our brain and nervous system. It explains what happens in our bodies when we are in fight, flight, and freeze states - and what happens when we’re in our ventral system (the place where we feel curiosity, calm, strength, joy, and playfulness).
Let’s Get in Touch!
Schedule a free 1:1 introductory session with me to discuss what it might look like working together.
