Somatic Therapy and Pastoral Counseling in Western Mass

Spiritual counseling

Spiritual (or pastoral) counseling includes tending to your mind, body and spirit. With this approach there is an acknowledgement that we are more than our bodies and can connect to something beyond the material world. In my practice, it is deeply entwined with my training in somatic therapy. Any session has elements of both, often in ways that may not be obvious.

I offer a space within which we can explore the mysteries of life and death together. We can hold questions big and small without having to know the answers and listen to the wisdom that comes from places beyond our intellectual knowing. In our work together, you may receive insights from your own intuition, from Spirit or Mystery, from ancestors or guides, and from the land or more-than-human world. In my experience, there is deep knowing that can be found in many, sometimes unexpected, places.

Including a spiritual lens can be helpful if you are:

• at a cross roads in life

• exploring questions of meaning and purpose

• feeling disconnected from yourself, your loved ones and/or the world around you

• navigating loss or illness

• wanting to live well at any phase of life

• interested in connecting more deeply with your ancestors

• looking for support and connection in your spiritual path or practice

Many of us learned to ignore or squash that small voice within, those places of inner wisdom and intuition. Many of us were raised in a culture of disconnection and materialism. Some of us experienced trauma or wounds that left us feeling dissociated or in a fog. These are some examples of what might prevent us from connecting to a deeper place within us and outside of us. Part of this work can be about recognizing what is in the way of deeper connection and meaning and taking the time to tend those wounds. This work can also be about recognizing your resilience and strength, revisiting memories of safety and comfort, and cultivating a spiritual practice that speaks to you and increases your general sense of well-being.

support for slowing down and simply being

Working with me is an invitation to pause, feel what you feel and slow down. Simple, but not necessarily easy, as they say. It makes all the sense in the world that we disconnect, distract ourselves and move through our days at a quick or urgent pace. Many of us learned these habits and defenses at a young age and the material and capitalistic parts of our culture support and encourage this way of being.

So, again, here is an invitation for something different. An invitation to feel the depth and richness of our lives when we slow down, reconnect and simply be. With practice and support, we can acknowledge and tend to all of our experiences (including the painful ones), increase our tolerance for discomfort and learn how to re-access balance, joy, satisfaction and meaning.

Clients have shared such experiences as:

• Increasing their sense of inner knowing, including what they want and what they don’t want, which helps provide clarity when making decisions

• Relating to their fear in a different way so they are able to notice it when it comes up and be less hooked by it

• Feeling the benefit of having someone deeply listen, without judgement, and be with them in whatever life experiences they are navigating

If you’re interested in learning more about my own spiritual and healing journey and the teachings and trainings that inform my work, follow the link below to my about page.

additional information

• I welcome people of all faiths and no faith. I respect each individual's own beliefs and will truly honor where you are coming from. My style is to offer invitations to you and anything that does not fit with you, you are welcome to discard. I often invite clients to bring compassionate awareness to wherever they are in this moment and to feel what they are feeling in their body. This practice of mindfulness and body awareness can be done without having a set belief system. I also invite clients to connect to something greater than themselves, which can be religious or spiritual or some element of the natural world, such as the earth, a tree or a river. 

• Unfortunately, I am unable to accept insurance. One way to think of this kind of deep inner work is as an investment in yourself. You may be surprised by the ripple effects as things shift and open in you. Your relationships and those around you may shift and change as well.

• I offer a sliding scale which can be found on my contact page, along with location information and business hours.