Frequently Asked Questions

The word “somatics” comes from root word soma, which means "the living organism in its wholeness."

As I practice and understand it, somatics is an approach to healing and transformation that uplifts our bodies as leaders in the process.

Why? We experience our whole lives in our bodies, and our bodies have an incredible capacity to take in the world, process our experiences, and hold memory (including trauma).  Our bodies are wise and full of insight. Yet so much of western culture and medicine treats our minds as superior and our bodies as objects. Somatics as a modern field emerged in response to this fracture, with roots in many different lineages and wisdom traditions that predate colonization. Somatic therapy can help us return to connection and wholeness within ourselves and in turn, with the world around us. 

When we feel into what our bodies are telling us, we can learn so much about how we have been shaped by our life experiences, communities, systems, environment, and lineages. As we learn about our conditioning and honor how it has served us, we develop more agency to move through the world in alignment with our values and who we want to be.

To learn more, I recommend checking out The Embodiment Institute and generative somatics as starting points.

One way to think about the difference between psychotherapy and somatic therapy is top down vs. bottom up or thinking vs. feeling. Most psychotherapy in the U.S. uses a top down approach: changing thoughts and beliefs to change emotions and behavior. Many top down approaches don't engage our bodies at all. Somatic therapy uses a bottom up approach: feeling into our bodily sensations and noticing our emotions, impulses, and instincts as the starting point. In our work together, we will certainly engage your mind, but we will practice tuning in to your body to see what we learn. Instead of "thinking" our way into insights, we will feel our way to them. 

Another important distinction between psychotherapy and my somatic therapy practice is that I don't provide diagnoses. I don't believe that anything is wrong with you or that you need to be fixed. My intention is to support you in tuning in to your intuition and wisdom so you can move towards your goals and longings. That said, I recognize that diagnoses can be a helpful tool for understanding ourselves, highlighting shared experiences with other people, and gaining access to resources in various systems. If you have a diagnosis that is meaningful to you, I welcome it.

Somatics is not synonymous with bodywork (like massage, craniosacral therapy, Reiki, myofascial release). While bodywork is often incorporated into somatics, somatics is not bodywork alone.

I am pursuing training in bodywork, but will not incorporate this into our work together at this time. After we have gotten to know each other and only with your consent, I may offer some light touch.

As one of my teachers says, choosing is more important than doing,  so you will always have choice about how you spend your time with me. 

Sessions will look different for everyone and everyone's pace is different. Generally, here's what you can expect:

• The first session(s): I believe that building safety and trust is essential for the quality of our work together. Thus, our first session(s) will be focused on relationship building: I'll be getting to know you, your background, and your hopes, and you'll be getting a feel for me, how I approach our work, and what types of questions I ask. The first session may be a lot of talking. If you want and if there is time, we will do a foundational somatic practice called centering. I'll invite you to practice centering on your own before our next session. 

• Subsequent sessions:  What we do in each session will be guided by your long-term goals and/or your immediate needs. In general, our sessions will include a mix of talking and somatic practices. Some somatic practices will involve me asking questions or providing guidance while you tune inward and notice your bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Other somatic practices will feel more active, and I'll invite you to try out an action (for example saying a word or phrase, making a gesture, or self touch) and notice what happens. Sometimes we will do work that challenges you at your growth edges, and other times we will do work that builds your internal resources (i.e. fills your cup, recharges you, etc.).

I will work with anyone who has curiosity and a desire to do this work. I have experience and am particularly passionate about working with people who:

• have experienced abuse and/or violence in relationships, households, and/or institutions 

• have been diagnosed with or believe they have C-PTSD

• live with chronic pain or disabilities 

• are recovering from major injuries 

• are neurodivergent

• are organizers, activists, or social-justice motivated people who want to unlearn embodiment/conditioning from systems of domination, oppression, and submission

• are queer, trans, and/or non-binary

• practice polyamory and other forms of consensual non-monogamy 

• live with codependency and/or addiction

• are jewish and are interested in disrupting cycles of generational trauma

• need support through drastic change/upheaval 

• have been incarcerated or are otherwise impacted by carceral systems

• have experienced state violence 

We all live under capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy, cis-hetero-patriarchy, and other systems of domination, oppression, and submission. Whether we carry marginalized and/or dominant identities, all of us have adopted ways of being that help us survive and cope in these systems.

As a politicized somatics practitioner, I recognize the systemic aspects of trauma, harm, and our conditioning. I will bring this lens into our work and - without judgment - invite curiosity about how systems may impact and shape you so that you can make choices to live in alignment with your values.

Additionally, being a politicized somatics practitioner means that I recognize how my own identities and my position as a practitioner contribute to power dynamics within the therapeutic space. In particular, I'm aware that my whiteness may impact my practice with Black and POC clients. I encourage open conversations about these dynamics when it would be supportive. In general, I'm interested in disrupting the typical power dynamics that take place within therapist-client relationships and to that end, I may share about my life or otherwise invite us to explore that space when relevant. I also welcome your questions and feedback at any time.

My path to becoming a somatic practitioner has not been linear, but it has been rooted both in my own trauma healing process and my commitment to transformative justice. 

Most of my approach and what I'll offer you in sessions comes from what I've learned through my own practitioners - people who I sought out for support and who I have worked closely with over time. 

I am a certified Mind-Body Coach through The Embody Lab. Through this intensive program, I learned from leaders in the field and I was taught the International Coaching Federation's Code of Ethics. I regularly attend generative somatics practice spaces and participate in continuing education courses offered by other practitioners.

I am a certified yoga teacher and have completed my 200-hour training.

I am a trained restorative justice practitioner. I am passionate about using somatics to support restorative justice processes and the larger movement for transformative justice and prison-industrial complex abolition. 

I have a B.A. in Political Science and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.  I have worked professionally as a restorative justice facilitator and organizer, an advocate in domestic violence organizations, and as an attorney in legal aid, public defense, and civil rights organizations. I have worked with people who have experienced domestic violence, police brutality, state violence, and/or incarceration. 

I am a freestyle dancer and train in various street styles. Dance teaches me so much about embodying freedom and is intimately connected to my personal somatic work.

The cost of an hour-long session is $125.  

If this fee poses a hardship for you: please reach out and I will do my best to meet you where you're at financially. I do not want my fee to be the reason that we don't work together!

If you are owning class, upper class, or upper-middle class: I ask that you pay a higher amount (between $150-$250, or more if you have the means). This allows me to offer free and lower-cost sessions to people who need them, and gives you an opportunity to take action towards economic justice.

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I know that socioeconomic status isn't black and white and that it can be difficult to make decisions about how to spend money. If you need support in discerning how much to pay, we can talk about it during our exploratory call. I appreciate that you are considering my practice.

I also welcome open dialogue about my session cost and pricing model. The $125/session fee accounts for living expenses and self-employment expenses (like health insurance, emergency planning, business expenses, continued education, sick time, taxes, etc.), while honoring the pace I can work as I navigate chronic pain and disability. If you have any questions, please ask.

I am not a licensed therpaist, I am a certified coach. Unfortunately, this means I am not able to accept insurance. 

I do not require you to commit to a certain number of sessions with me or to meet at a certain frequency. Generally, I recommend that we start meeting weekly for about a month to gain some momentum, and then we can figure out a cadence that works well for you.

Some somatic practitioners ask for a commitment of 8-10 sessions or 3 months of working together. I don't ask for this for a few reasons:

• I believe that everyone's pace is different, and setting a time commitment might lead to unrealistic expectations. While you may experience changes or insight quickly, embodiment takes time and practice. The "magic" happens when you have opportunities to practice applying things in your life over and over again.

• Your agency is very important. I want you to choose to show up for our work together not only because you've made a financial or contractual commitment. You are welcome to stop your work with me at any time, for any reason. If you are someone who needs/likes the motivation of a financial or contractual commitment, we can talk about that and work something out.

I can easily meet with anyone via Zoom. 

If you live in the Philadelphia area and prefer to meet in-person, I have a lovely in-person option for us. If you are interested, I will share more details about the in-person option during our exploratory call.

Yes! If you are part of a group or organization that is interested in working with me, let’s talk. I build workshops and facilitate processes that cater to each group’s specific needs. Here are some examples of what I could facilitate:

• Community building circles 

• Internal conflict resolution or harm healing processes

• Process to unearth the group's shared values and/or develop a shared mission statement

• Workshop on centered accountability 

• Workshop on freedom dreaming

• Workshop on embodied bystander intervention

• Workshop on embodied consent 

• Workshop on somatic deescalation tactics

• Workshop on foundational somatic practices 

• Yoga and/or meditation session