Hello, I’m Leanne
As a somatic therapist who specializes in EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, I work in collaboration with my clients to support their development and growth in relationship to themselves, others, and their environment.
I believe that mental health is intimately connected with spiritual and physical well-being, in addition, a powerful source of strength, connection, and resilience.
Working intentionally with the body through sensation, emotion, and movement in a trauma sensitive approach I can help clients find a path towards healing what feels stuck. Knowing that trauma looks and feels different for everybody, it is my responsibility to get to know each one my clients and create an environment that works for them.
My Background
From a young age, I knew that the dance classes I attended every day after school were helping me. I didn’t know how, and hadn’t consciously thought of it as “healing through movement,” but I knew that I felt more balanced, both emotionally and physically, when I was consistent with my dance lessons.
It wasn’t until I was 22, sitting in my therapist’s office when I suddenly declared “I think I want to become therapist.” For the first time, I realized that I could leverage my love for the therapeutic process and bring this feeling to others. Since I had recently finished an undergraduate degree and a Massage Therapist program, I wasn’t quite ready to go back to school.
Over the next few years the idea of becoming a therapist would drift in and out of focus. During this time I attended various trainings and certification programs, each one bringing me closer to where I am today.
While I was working as a massage therapist and a yoga teacher that I noticed a pattern emerging: Clients and students experienced profound emotional release when certain body parts or movements were targeted. I did my best, but l often felt unsure on how to hold space for such big releases.
The notion that my dance classes were helping to heal my emotional wounds started to make more sense to me. I began to realize that the majority of our emotional “self” lives in the body and that in order to heal past wounds we need a pathway to access the story our bodies have to tell.
My quest to combine the beneficial elements of therapy with the ability to tap into the emotions stored within the body was fully realized when I received a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Naropa University with a concentration in Somatic Psychology.
Let’s Get Started
More about Leanne
Leanne completed her Master’s in Somatic Counseling Psychology at Naropa University. As an adolescent, individual, and couples therapist with a commitment to social justice and studies grounded in a mind-body connection, Leanne is passionate about working in collaboration with her clients to support their development and growth in relationship to themselves, others, and their environment.
As a somatic therapist, Leanne works intentionally with the body through breath, sensation, feeling, emotion, and movement. She believes that it is not just our words and stories that are relevant, but that our bodies hold a big piece of the story as well.
Education
M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Somatic Psychology
Concentration in Body Psychology
Naropa University
Colorado LPCC.0017754
Additional Trainings
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level 1: Affect Dysregulation, Survival Defenses, and Traumatic Memory
- EMDR Training- Maiberger Institute
- Emotionally Focused Therapy: Attachment-Based Interventions for Couples – Certificate Course
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
A little more about how I work…
EMDR Therapy
EMDR stands for Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is an 8 phase, integrative, evidence-based trauma treatment that helps individuals heal from traumatic or disturbing life events.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy can help individuals learn to integrate the language of the emotions (feelings), the language of the brain (thoughts), and the language of the body (sensations) with the goal of stepping further into our trustiest selves.