My Story of Becoming a Somatic Trauma Therapist

Learning about complex PTSD significantly changed my life. I wasn’t physically or sexually abused so I thought my childhood had been fine, even though there were some difficult periods. A therapist recommended that I read Complex PTSD by Pete Walker and I couldn’t believe there was a name for my struggles. It explained why I was so hard on myself, why I oscillated between anxiety and depression, and why I could feel so easily overwhelmed at times. I felt so seen and understood for the first time. I began pursuing continuing education about trauma and learned about the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, which provided data that childhood trauma (that is not addressed, or when there aren’t resiliency factors to counter the ACEs) has pretty significant negative health outcomes. 

The same therapist who recommended I read Pete Walker’s book also recommended I attend group therapy, which is where I learned about the incredible power of somatic therapy. After experiencing the progress that can be made when the body is incorporated in therapy I decided to pursue training in a body-based approach to therapy. I completed Level One of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in May 2021 and completed level two in June 2022.  Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-based therapy to treat trauma and attachment wounds (Complex PTSD). I’m really excited to be utilizing this approach because I’ve experienced its powerful effects firsthand.

What it’s Like to Work with Me

Weekly Sessions

I work with folks weekly because I’ve seen clients experience the most growth that way and my therapy style is attachment focused so the therapy relationship is foundational to the work. I will only work with folks on an every other week basis after we have worked together weekly for a period of time and built a strong foundation. 

Anti-racism/Anti-oppression

I’m on a lifelong journey of being anti-racist and I’ve learned that white folks have got to get away from the “I’m not a racist, it’s those white people over there who are the problem” narrative because all white folks have internalized racism and anti-blackness that needs to be taken out of the shadows and examined (and this process never ends). I think the therapy space is a great place to name and examine those parts of ourselves that we don’t like and make changes accordingly. 

Microaggressions and macroaggressions of racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, anti-fatness, etc are forms of complex trauma that can get stored in the body (See Resmaa Menakem’s book My Grandmother’s Hands) and can have a deeply negative effect on your identity and self-worth. I’m white, queer, cisgender, abled bodied, grew up working class but am currently middle class, and am neurodivergent. I will likely make mistakes, but I can own those mistakes if given the chance. I also understand that a lot of folks don’t want to deal with that and would prefer to work with someone of a similar identity where that’s less likely to happen.

LGBTQ+ and Non-Monogamy Affirming/Kink Knowledgable

I love working with queer and gender expansive folks and those whose relationship orientation doesn’t fit into compulsory monogamy. I’ve worked with folks in polyamorous relationships, the furry community, and those into water sports, and attended trainings on non-monogamy and kink. I understand the importance of working with someone that you don’t have to explain things to. 

Skill Development

Both anxiety and trauma involve the activation of the autonomic nervous system. We can become hyper-aroused-what’s often experienced as anxiety-heart racing, shallow breathing, racing thoughts, or shaking. Or we can become hypo-aroused-what could be experienced as depression-low energy, brain fogginess, numbness, or dissociation. I will often provide clients with different skills to regulate nervous system activation at the beginning or end of sessions and will sometimes use them throughout the session when emotions feel particularly intense or I notice activation in someone. 

Holistic Mental Health & Reiki

I believe there are many paths to healing and holistic and complementary therapies can be a great supplement to therapy. Over the years I’ve dabbled in different approaches including acupuncture, chiropractic, yoga, healing touch, heart math, and Reiki. Because I liked my experiences with Reiki so much I decided to become a practitioner myself. I’m currently a Holy Fire Level 2 Reiki practitioner so I can use Reiki in sessions if you’re interested. I even completed a graduate certificate in Complementary Therapies and Healing Practices while I was completing my Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota because of my passion for holistic practices.

Strong Boundaries with Compassion  

I understand how difficult it can be to set and enforce boundaries, but as a therapist those skills are vital to creating safety, which was often missing from the childhoods of folks I work with. I rarely talk about my own experiences because therapy should be focused on you, but I’m also not a blank screen/cold therapist. I also believe it’s important to model boundary setting and to hold space for difficult feelings that arise from doing that. This means I start and end sessions on time and if it’s difficult to do that I will talk with you about it. I will also charge you if you cancel a session less than 48 hours, and I will validate and explore any feelings that come up when I do that. 

My Professional Background

I received a Bachelor of Social Work from Western Illinois University in 2006 and I received my Master of Social Work from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2009. I pursued a career in social work because I needed work that was meaningful and I appreciated the values of social work, especially social justice and dignity and worth of the person. I spent over ten years working in non-profits doing everything from sexual assault advocacy and training, helping men stabilize their housing, providing LGBTQ youth overnight shelter, to community organizing. Personally, I struggled with burnout and compassion fatigue over the years, and I became tired of working in dysfunctional systems so I pursued the path of becoming my own boss and went into private practice.