Hi there!
I'm Kayla (she/her). I am a psychotherapist and intermodal artist who works with folks to transform trauma and deepen experiences of presence and connection. My practice uses an experiential approach drawn from somatic, expressive arts, land-based, and relational psychotherapies.
I care deeply about this work because I fully believe in an embodied, creative approach to reshaping trauma. In my own life, and throughout my career, I have witnessed how attending to our somatic self through the arts can open up space for co-creating safe-enough and vibrant relationships. These life-nourishing connections can happen within ourselves, and also in partnership with diverse human and non-human beings.
Body
We know from abundant research that reshaping trauma is an embodied process, which goes beyond eurocentric models which prioritize cognitive and verbal thought. My practice centers embodied presence and connection, drawing upon relational expressive arts therapy and somatic experiencing.
Relationship
I value a relational approach, believing safe-enough, supportive, and trusting relationships are at the heart of healing. I take seriously engaging in ongoing anti-oppressive practices needed to uphold a supportive therapeutic relationship and reshape ways of being together. My therapeutic values are rooted in a constellation of decolonization, anti-racism, queer abundance, body liberation, harm reduction, and embracing diverse ways of being-in-relationship (such as ethical nonmonogamy).
Arts
We use the arts in order to bring a bodily, emotional, and imaginative relationship to all that we are navigating. Our process is intermodal, weaving together various arts forms, and "low-skill, high-sensitivity", meaning you do not need any artistic experience in order to engage in a creative therapy.
Nature
As Indigenous folks have known since time immemorial, our capacity to enter into supportive and reciprocal relationships extends beyond the human. We are deeply interconnected with plant and animal relations, and all other parts of the natural world. While we are always a part of nature, ecotherapy provides an option to engage in somatic expressive arts therapy in the outdoors.
