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About
I am a holistic counselor and a therapeutic breathwork practitioner-in-training. I utilize these two modalities separately or integratively to meet the needs of each client. My personal journey, marked by profound life challenges and resilience, informs my work and makes me a well-suited guide for those seeking to heal and thrive. Whether you are seeking support in navigating life's complexities or embarking on a path of self-discovery, I am here to provide a nurturing space for your journey. Explore more about my qualifications, approach, and personal story to understand what I and Soul Expansion have to offer.
Experience
I hold a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge Massachusetts, with a specialization in holistic studies. I chose this program with deep intent, based on its multidimensional approach to counseling that addresses people’s mental, physical and emotional needs as well as its focus on culturally competent and trauma-informed treatment. I have experience across various settings, including schools, mental health clinics, crisis centers, and wellness centers, all which have provided rich learning experiences and contributed to my on-going development as a counselor.
I work primarily with the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of therapy, as an IFS Informed Counselor, having completed the IFS Institute’s online training. I am a passionate believer in this modality, having witnessed and experienced the profound effects it has on the mind, body and spirit as a provider and a client of IFS.
I am currently studying therapeutic breathwork, specifically the Conscious Connected Breath (CCB) modality, through The Breath Awakening Practitioner Training Program in Massachusetts. I am in the third and final level of this training now, facilitating clients in individual sessions as a part of my apprenticeship and planning to begin community group breath workshops sometime this Fall (2024).
Approach to Counseling
I serve as a guide in the journey of healing and expansion, meeting counseling clients where they are at and taking a multi-dimensional approach to work with their mind, body, and spirit. I believe clients are the experts in themselves and that my ability to actively and empathetically listen as well as to accurately reflect back what I hear is of critical importance in our work together. I use these skills in the context of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, to guide clients toward achieving a greater sense of harmony and balance within their internal system.
IFS is a newer model of therapy that views all individuals as having a whole and healthy “Self” as well as protective and wounded inner “parts”. These “parts” are often in conflict, hijacking our internal system and getting in the way of our ability to live the life we desire. IFS counseling works with these protective “parts” to allow the “Self” to regain leadership of our internal system. The “Self” becomes the healing entity, which empowers clients and leads to increased self-regulation as well as overall well-being. To learn more about the IFS model, please see the Introduction to Internal Family Systems in Resources, click here.
I also guide clients in exploring their symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders through the lens of the polyvagal theory, working with clients to build awareness around their internal responses to stress and how to better regulate those responses.
Approach to Breathwork
As a Breathwork Practitioner-In-Training, I guide breathwork clients to consciously shift their breath to a faster, fuller, and more expansive breath that is intended to produce emotional cathartic release. It utilizes an open-mouth, circular, rhythmic pattern that results in the breather’s carbon dioxide (CO2) level dropping. This drop in CO2 triggers the pre-frontal cortex, our thinking brain, to go offline which opens the door for somatic, emotional release. Sessions include education about the Conscious Connected Breath (CCB) modality as well as facilitation of the breath, which includes verbal and hands-on interventions.
Personal Story
I am a woman of many parts—daughter, sibling, mother, friend, partner, dog lover, and community member. Those are some of the most significant. I am an authentic, compassionate, kind-hearted, and soulful human who enjoys deep connections with others. And I love a good laugh.
My life journey has been marked by significant challenges, including early attachment issues, divorce, the loss of my sister to cancer, and a personal dark night of the soul. These experiences of adversity and pain have cultivated empathy and insight in my work with clients. And have led me to dig in and do the hard work, to heal and expand, making me a well-suited guide in my client’s journeys.
My career began in Corporate America, as an auditor and then in human resources mentoring staff and developing training programs. This was followed by several years as a stay-at-home mom and avid volunteer in my community while my two daughters were young. I then went to work for the American Cancer Society, inspired by my sister's cancer journey, which led to finding my true purpose of becoming a holistic counselor and therapeutic breathwork practitioner.
After spending my entire life in New England, I moved to Colorado in 2023 to embrace a new level of expansion among the beauty of the Sawatch mountain range and the Arkansas River. When I am not working, I can be found hiking, camping, skiing, and connecting with important people in my life, as well as people I encounter on a trail, on a ski lift or almost anywhere I go. I can also be found at a yoga or dance class, listening to live music or at a community event (I love community!). I always enjoy time with my dog, Kai, as well as traveling and exploring new places.
Working with Barbara has changed my life for the better in so many ways. Barbara's approach to therapy is something I have never experienced before in the best way possible. Therapy is hard work, and if you are really looking to change things in your life you will not be disappointed if you work with Barbara. I have healed traumas that are thirty years old, as well as received guidance on how to handle today's struggles with being a mother, wife, and business woman. I'm a big believer that everyone needs guidance at different points in their life, and I am and will forever be grateful that I have found Barbara and made the choice to do the work!
M.J. - Former Massachusetts Client