“In nature, nothing exists alone.”
Sommerville Johnston, LPC, SEP
You long for more direct access to your intuition. You know you have gifts for the world but you get stuck in old patterns, remnants from physical and/or relational (attachment/familial) trauma. Your sensitive and giving nature results in close friendships but can also result in a disconnection with your Self. You have a hard time knowing what you want. You sense you have a powerful internal wisdom, if you could only trust it. Your anxious mind keeps you from savoring the beauty of your life. You've hit a plateau in talk therapy and can't seem to actualize change, and the shame that follows pulls you into a downward spiral.
As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and nature-based therapist, I will invite you to listen to your body, to learn its language, to track your nervous system and tend it's rhythms in order to grow your capacity for both stress and joy, to slow the pace of your mind and help shift into the wisdom of your body.
Using these experiential modalities we move beyond the doing and into a greater capacity for BEING. Connect with the natural world, explore your inner-landscape, and discover within yourself a strength and beauty more powerful than you previously knew.
If this approach resonates with you, I invite you to schedule a free initial phone consult below in order to determine if I may be the best fit for you at this moment on your path.
Counseling Services Offered
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing (SE) utilizes body awareness, tracking, and mindfulness skills to increase resilience and capacity for both the challenging and the joyful aspects of life. Different from talk therapy and cognitive approaches to mental health, this "bottom-up" approach to brain change focuses on our animal-bodies and our strong drive to survive. Online sessions use a HIPPA compliant video chat software and participants often comment on how suprised they are at the level of authentic connection possible via the internet.
Outdoor Sessions
Offered in Birmingham, AL and the mountains of Western North Carolina, and occassionally in various other locations around the country, outdoor sessions can be stand-alone or as a part of ongoing work with Sommerville. Meeting for hour-long walks and activities in the wilderness or the local park, an outdoor session will incorporate ecotherapy practices that connect your healing with that of the natural world as well as explore the connection between your body and the Earth as a renewing resource.
Experiential Additions
If you already work with another counselor and would like to add an experiential therapy session to your work, Sommerville will work with you and your counselor to identify goals and create a unique experience to help take your progress to the next level. Examples include half day or full day adventure therapy activities on the river or trail; ritual to mark a significant transition in your life; or supported wilderness solo for deepening the reflection and integration of insights and new awarenesses. Summaries and recommendations are provided to you and your counselor for follow-up.