I provide emotional support and therapy in service of helping my clients to see themselves clearly and take incremental steps toward building a life that feels stable, meaningful, and in alignment with their intentions and core purposes.
In our American culture, we aren't typically raised with a lot of education about expressing and understanding feelings, communicating about needs, caring for ourselves, and growing throughout the life span. The way I see it, being human is a real challenge, and the more skill we can build at understanding ourselves within the context of our individual and shared landscapes, the more comfortable life will be.
One of the hard parts about life, for all of us, is facing the unknown and building capacity for how challenging it can be sometimes. I do believe, though, that learning to tolerate the hard parts can help us to recognize and savor the parts that bring us joy and a sense of well being. By expanding our emotional range to include all of it, and by working to understand our thoughts, habits, and patterns, we can more fully inhabit this precious opportunity for repair, healing, and growth.
When people ask me what kind of therapist I am, I sometimes hesitate... how shall I answer this question in a way that will help this particular person to understand the special range of what I have to offer?
In simple terms, I am a clinically trained and licensed psychotherapist... and I am also more than that.
I am an artist and designer, with special training that supports me in using creativity and the arts as vehicles for healing. I am a dedicated yogi and meditator, with a trustworthy personal practice that I turn to for refuge. I am a bodyworker, with a reverence for the sacred privilege of hands-on therapeutic work. I am a dancer who came to movement as an adult, with a great affinity for play and improvisation.
I'm very interested in potential, and I am driven to reach mine and help others reach theirs. I am curious about the ways in which we each make sense of the circumstances of our lives, and I genuinely enjoy connecting with others and seeing life through different lenses.
All of these aspects of who I am come together in my work as a therapist, providing me with the skill to provide linear and individualized solution-oriented support, as well as the ability to be a curious and patient witness to non-linear, internally-oriented explorations.
What would it be like to live as if anything were possible, while also existing realistically within the limits of our individual experiences? Can we allow the past to be the past, while intentionally taking action in the present, in order to move toward a future that suits us? I certainly don't know how you might answer these questions, but for me, I like to take an attitude of: let's find out.
In 2010, I completed my masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Dance/Movement Therapy, and Expressive Arts Therapy at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. As a complement to my degree, I also completed an intensive two year training in the practice and facilitation of Authentic Movement in 2011, taught by Alton Wasson and Daphne Lowell of Contemplative Dance. During this period of time, I worked intensively with elders living with Dementia and with young children living with Autism, developmental delays, and neurological processing disorders.
In 2014, I completed a 500 Hour Yoga Teacher training with Barbara Benagh in Boston, MA. I practiced with her for a number of years, and consider her slow pacing and meticulously taught alignment to be the foundation of my learning as a yogi. Studying with Barbara led me to Angela Farmer and Victor Van Kooten, whose humor, creativity, and connection to nature inspire me endlessly, and have helped me to expand from my physical body into my energetic body. My ongoing learning is nurtured through regular classes and mentoring with Tom Alden, who has taught me a lot about kindness, wisdom, and patience.
In 2004, I graduated from the Finger Lakes School of Massage in Ithaca, NY, and I have been a NY Licensed Massage Therapist since 2005. My attitude toward manual therapy has always been grounded in the perspective that less is more, and I've been lucky to study the Trager Approach, a technique that encourages lightness, ease, and curiosity. Over the past few years, I've been drawn to Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, and find this work to be very well aligned with my beliefs about trauma and healing. Though I'm not currently doing any hands on bodywork, I instead draw on this background to inform my approach to Embodied Psychotherapy.
In my ongoing explorations, I enjoy experimenting with Continuum Movement, learning about Tibetan Buddhism, and doing a Feldenkrais lesson from time to time.
My background in somatic practices informs the way I approach therapeutic work; When we are in discussion, I will always draw attention to bodily sensations, and my goal is to help you develop body awareness as a way to ground into the present moment and understand the physical signals that are connected to your thoughts and feelings. When useful and appropriate, I incorporate creative movement, art making, yoga poses, mindfulness and breathing exercises, and somatic education into the process of talk therapy.
My approach to counseling is influenced most strongly by Dance/Movement Therapy, Authentic Movement, Humanistic Psychology, Client Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I also draw a great deal of inspiration from the work of Nonviolent Communication. I am committed to focusing on your strengths while helping you to develop the skills to cope with difficulty. I will offer you gentleness, patience, compassion, empathy, honesty, curiosity, and care. I believe that it is possible to live well in the midst of life's ups and downs, and that learning how to skillfully care for oneself is a path that leads toward fulfillment.
Stepping into the deep, personal work of therapy takes courage and a willingness to be present with parts of oneself which may be hard to understand and accept. Though it can be challenging at times, I believe that it’s worth it, and it offers a valuable opportunity to improve one’s experience of life.
I have worked with clients across the spans of age and ability, and find true joy in helping others to feel better. Presently, I work with adults over the age of 18 who are experiencing anxiety, depression, symptoms of trauma, chronic pain/illness, or difficulty coping with the challenges of their lives. Women seeking therapy for Endometriosis are especially welcome. I am also very happy to work with clients who are not presenting any negative symptoms, yet wish to proactively participate in self growth processes.
Copyright © 2021 Rachel Fernbach LMHC LCAT LMT - All Rights Reserved. Cover photo credit.