In individual therapy sessions, I collaborate with clients to establish a trusting and compassionate therapeutic relationship, which supports an expanding awareness of relational patterns while exploring the internal world. Individual therapy offers a uniquely personal space to learn, gain insight, access inner resources, and feel supported and seen throughout the process.
I draw from two psychotherapeutic approaches: Dance Movement Psychotherapy and Internal Family Systems therapy.
Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP):
Movement is our first form of communication. It is one of our first sensory experiences in life, which occurs before leaving the womb. DMP offers an opportunity to engage with this fundamental form of communication through creative movement and dance.
In sessions, movement explorations can range from full-body, improvised, expressive movement, to subtle postural/gestural movements and somatic awareness. The amount and type of movement is decided through a collaborative process between client and therapist.
The body is central to the session, as we listen to sensation and notice how emotions are experienced and embodied. This information offers insight and an opportunity to reflect – to notice we feel about our feelings – as we access our embodied resources for grounding and healing.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy:
IFS is a psychospiritual approach to therapy that is based on two central beliefs: multiplicity and a core Self.
Multiplicity is the concept that we are made up of many moving parts, who operate in relation to each other and form a system that makes us who we are. These parts have their own distinct roles, as either protectors, managers, or exiles (parts that hold our pain or vulnerability), and ways of being, similar to members of a family. These parts often compete for the leading role within our system by influencing our behaviour, sometimes in extreme ways.
The second belief is that there is a driving force within us that isn’t a part. In IFS we call it “Self”. Self (also known as Core Self, True Self, Highest Self) is inherent in all people: it is the essence of us. We are born with it and it cannot be destroyed or damaged. It brings the qualities of compassion, curiosity, creativity, courage, and confidence, and holds within it our innate capacity to heal, to grow, and to find harmony within ourselves.
Through developing our internal relationships between Self and parts, we can support our parts through compassionate witnessing, validation, and acknowledgement. To the parts of us that hold pain and vulnerability, we bring our Self-energy, offering them the care and presence that were lacking when they first took on the burdens they carry.
An initial consultation appointment can be booked free of charge via the Contact page. Following this appointment, if you decide that DMP and/or IFS is a good fit for you, we will work together to decide on the frequency and duration of sessions.
Check out our blog for more in-depth information about DMT and why it might benefit you.
Header image by Zurry Donevan.
Moving Together 