what is a wellness counselor? 

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Wellness Counselors do not diagnose or prescribe medications, they are not therapists. What they do focus on, according to the National Wellness Institute (NWI), are the six dimensions of wellness: Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Occupational, Spiritual, and Social.

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According to the NWI, this includes helping clients cultivate self-awareness, self-regulation, curiosity, motivation, becoming aware of one’s belief systems and values, understanding vitality and self-care, discovering one’s unique qualities and strengths, and caring for one’s interconnectedness relationally.

 

​​Wellness consists of a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being, in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life more fully within the human and natural community.

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 - from: Ohrt, Clarke, & Conley, 2019, Wellness counseling: A holistic approach to prevention and intervention. American Counseling Association.

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My favorite thing to do with clients is to help you see that the way your body responds to circumstances and environments is showing you what you need, and makes complete sense in light of your neurophysiology. Together we work to help you make the choices that serve your health and desires, and those needs.  

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For other training and ways I work with clients, please go here and here for more information. I am also board certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) as a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC.) I practice under their National Board and adhere to their ethical guidelines and best practices. I am required to re-certify for this every three years with additional and up-to-date training. 

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what does our work together look like? 

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First and foremost, I help people listen to their bodies. Everything our body does is in the aid of survival, and the patterns, behaviors, and survival mechanisms that our body adopts to keep us safe work really well until they don't. The ways we find ourselves stuck, often started as our body trying to help us get through something that was overwhelming and/or felt unsurvivable. That is why there is never any room for shame in something our body did or does to try to help us regulate and make it through difficult things, although sometimes the impact of the those do cause disconnect in our relationships with others.

 

Most people come to me because they are wanting to address something that is no longer working for them or is confusing about their relationship with their bodies, or because the overflow of that is reflecting in the relationships around them. What you are reaching out for support for will set the focus for our time and work together.

 

Good Therapy explains that wellness is an approach within holistic medicine that “addresses the entirety of a person’s lifestyle and attempts to uncover ways in which lifestyle, relationships, and environment contribute to issues...the mind and body are not separate entities, and physical health can affect emotional well-being.”​​

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I love using enjoyment in our body as a healing modality and the modality I work with for embodied eating disorder recovery can be read about here. The most comprehensive examples of how I work with people can be found here​.

 

You'll find that I use the research of interoception, interpersonal neurobiology, attachment, somatic integration, and polyvagal theory to help you understand how your nervous system influences your felt sense of safety and your ability to befriend your body as your most loyal ally in healing. I take a harm reduction approach, understanding that our habits and addictions are often adaptive strategies that can be understood, and that we can develop daily practices that gently bring us into more freedom and choice. 

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what is the cost of a session? 

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I do not partner with any insurance, however I do offer sliding scale rates for both students and financial need. If a sliding rate is something you need to be able to make it possible for us to work together, please know it is available for you. 

 

I am always here to hear what would make working together doable for you. I have a particular desire to serve the community I am in and offer the support that I can in doing that. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about this.​

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Rates:

 

Regular Rates 

• 50 min session - $165

• 80 min session - $220

• 30 min child session - $90 

 

Student Rates

• 50 min session - $125

• 80 min session - $165

• 30 min child session - $75 

 

Financial Hardship Rates

• 50 min session - $75

• 80 min session - $125

• 30 min child session - $50

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An initial twenty-minute exploratory conversation is always available free of charge to answer any questions you have, and for us to get a feel for whether we are a good fit for working together. Please reach out to schedule that here.