My name is Rena, and I also go by Ro (both names are great). I am a white queer non-binary Ashkenazi Jewish somatic therapist and artist. Prison abolition, harm reduction, and consent are important to me, and I strive to practice in ways that are honest and aligned with my values. A sense of humor is also essential to me in healing work, and I believe in making room to go deep as well as to have fun in therapy. I have experience working with folks who experience depression, self-harm, relationship issues, break-ups, trauma, and anxiety. I love working with millennials, young people, queers, and creatives. Right now, I am only seeing clients on Telehealth.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
To me, therapy is about coming into intimate relationship with yourself, others, and the universe. This might take the shape of me guiding you to slow down and feel your body as you talk about something, or tuning into the dynamics happening between us and how they connect to greater longings and fear in your life. It's all about being finding, moment to moment, the ingredients that you need to feel safe and seen in connection with yourself and another. We all develop ways to keep ourselves safe from disappointment, hurt, and aloneness. One of my goals is for clients to come into awareness about how they are showing up in relationship--so that you can be in ongoing, compassionate consent with yourself, try on new ways of relating, and deeply accept who you are. Wherever you are, and whatever you bring up in our session that week, includes possibility to drop into your body and into relationship: to move toward healing. I also bring a decolonizing lens to my work, and guide clients in connecting beliefs about themselves and what they deserve to internalized oppression.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
My methodological home as a therapist is Relational Somatic Healing, with strong influences of AEDP, Hakomi, and Narrative Therapy. My style incorporates mindfulness and love—working together to understand core beliefs and relationship patterns by being with what is in the room. I am also trained in somatic touch work as a healing tool for relational trauma, and hope to be able to offer this soon.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I bring myself into the room, as a human being with feelings and experiences and opinions. I also strongly value autonomy and non-judgment. I love to be creative, and remake the mold of what therapy/healing can be with each person. Being both loving and direct is important to me. I also think I'm pretty funny.