Hi there, I'm Alicia. Are you feeling lost or stuck in some aspect of your life and finding it hard to move forward? Is it hard to be kind to yourself? With your permission, I help to hold the container for deeper exploration and healing. I am a trauma-based therapist certified in EMDR and versed in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). I believe that each of us possesses an internal source of wisdom that can be cultivated through psychotherapy, psychedelic medicines, meditation practices, yoga and other connecting practices that link the brain, body and spirit. My therapeutic approach has a foundation of mindfulness and compassion, curiosity and respect. I often use EMDR as an evidence-based approach to working with trauma and other issues. I am sensitive to the impact of one's social, physical and cultural environment as well as systems of oppression. Clients say my approach is warm, relational, collaborative, strengths-based and trauma-informed. I cannot do the work for you, but I can help you along the way, and it is truly an honor and a joy for me.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, and I'll share some housekeeping about privacy and my cancellation and after hours policies. Then we will dive into the specific challenges you're coming to therapy for, and I'll learn more about who you are and your background. This will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I am a Certified EMDR Therapist and use this modality --a brain-based therapy which accesses the parts of the nervous system most impacted by trauma. EMDR therapy helps us to access and heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences that are tough to get to through talk therapy alone. Because I have been trained in and work in the psychedelic space and have had my own personal healing experiences with these medicines, I am honored to offer psychedelic integration support before or after a psychedelic experience to help you better integrate these tools (sometimes profound!) into your day-to-day life. I also pay attention to the ways in which issues of identity (race, ethnicity, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, ability, size, etc.) may impact your experience.
About Alicia Santiago
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VirtualMy treatment methods
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR therapy facilitates the accessing and processing of traumatic memories and other adverse life experience to bring these to an adaptive resolution. After successful treatment with EMDR therapy, affective distress is relieved, negative beliefs are reformulated, and physiological arousal is reduced. During EMDR therapy the client is attending to emotionally disturbing material in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. Therapist directed lateral eye movements are the most commonly used external stimulus but a variety of other stimuli including hand-tapping and audio stimulation are often used (Shapiro, 1991).
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Person-centered therapy, also referred to as non-directive, client-centered, or Rogerian therapy, was pioneered by Carl Rogers in the early 1940s. This form of psychotherapy is grounded in the idea that people are inherently motivated toward achieving positive psychological functioning. I focus on you, the client, rather than me, the therapist, and use a non-directive approach that allows you to take the lead in sessions. I also use this treatment method in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Trauma Informed Care
I am a trained trauma-informed therapist that is sensitive to how the complex impact of traumatic experiences can shape our experiences and relation to the world and ourselves.