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Somatic Counseling: 1 x 1 PRIVATE SESSIONS
I offer one-hour private sessions online or by phone.
More info can be found below on my approach and the techniques I use in session. Read on to learn more or click the button to email me and book your free info call, where we can get to know each other and I can answer any questions you might have about this approach and if it’s right for you.
Somatic cOUNSELING
In my therapeutic approach, I combine narrative counseling techniques with somatic exploration to meet your whole being with care and curiosity. Wherever you may be in your journey, I offer support with
Goal-setting
Cultivating self-compassion
Building resiliency to meet grief
Exploring and remedying the impacts of trauma in the body and spirit
Connecting to the body and building skills for self-regulation
Encountering challenging patterns and expressing authentic desires
My work is grounded in harm reduction and anti-oppression. Benefits of counseling with me may include: enhanced awareness of personal resources and strengths, increased ability to recognize and address emotional needs, an increased toolset of embodied practices to draw from during times of stress, an enhanced capacity for somatic presence, and an improved ability to set boundaries and practice self-care.
What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to healing trauma. The Somatic Experiencing approach works to support the completion of self-protective responses (such as fight/flight/freeze) that were interrupted at traumatic moments and may continue to live as stuck energy bound in the body. In using this approach, I can guide you to become aware of your bodily sensations, increase tolerance for difficult sensations and connect to enjoyable sensations associated with emotional, material or spiritual resources. This approach is both gentle and deep, and encourages you to practice bodily awareness both in and outside of sessions with the goal of providing relief from trauma symptoms and renegotiating the ways that trauma lives in the physical body. If you are interested in practicing this approach, I will provide you with a demonstration to introduce you to the practice and teach you how to track and recognize the various sensations and felt sense experiences in your body and nervous system. Together, we can access the wisdom that lives there and move towards growth, change, curiosity and healing.
TESTIMONIALS
TESTIMONIALS
"As a queer Latina on a journey of embodiment, working with Gabriela has been so helpful to my psychological and spiritual development and self-growth. Having her as one of my guides on this path of healing has been nothing less than a gift. She listens actively without judgement, and challenges me in a way that feels conducive to my goals, all while communicating exactly what she's doing and why she's taking that particular approach with me. I truly feel like we co-create our sessions together, as she frequently checks in to make sure a certain method or practice is resonating with me. I am so grateful to have her guidance during some of the most difficult times in my life, through which she encourages me to slow down, check in with my body, and have compassion for myself."
“I’ve been working with Gabriela for almost a year now. The space she has created is so safe, that I am willing to take risks and push myself, which has helped me heal and discover new parts of myself. I have so much agency in this work. I feel so proud of myself because she makes a space where I can be an active part of my healing. And on days when it feels like it’s too much, she gives me the support I need, and I feel even more empowered because I was able to do what I thought I couldn’t. As a Black woman, I so appreciate that I can bring my west Indian culture, my beliefs, my ancestors to the session, and Gabriela honors and respects them, and calls on them when sometimes I forget that I can.”
"Gabriela has influenced my life profoundly. We first met when I was going through a very difficult period of severe anxiety and probably also some depression. My body held more shame, fear, anger, and sadness than my brain could identify or understand. I just knew I felt awful. Constant tears, racing thoughts, nightmares, nervous sweats, poor digestion, and headaches were once daily occurrences. Gabriela worked with me with compassion, patience, curiosity, and zero judgment. She is teaching me to connect to and listen to my body in ways I did not previously even know were possible. When I started tuning in to what my body was trying to tell me was when I started to feel better. I paired somatic therapy with traditional talk therapy, and the somatic work amplifies the effectiveness of the talk therapy for me.
This sounds very woo-woo. It's hard to describe. I'm not sure I would have believed it myself before experiencing some undeniable and unexpected physical shifts after working with Gabriela. So I'll just say this: they say the sign of a good fit with a therapist is if you feel better after a session. Sessions with Gabriela feel like what I imagine a router feels like once it has been reset - unjammed and humming along. I always look forward to seeing Gabriela and cannot recommend her enough."