Sarah Elizabeth Smith offers trauma-sensitive somatic (body-based) therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy in Sackville, NB. Sessions at the Atlantic Yoga Therapy clinic space are tailored for individuals who are interested in working within a talk therapy relationship, a movement practice, or a combination of both. Integrating a somatic focus into psychotherapy can allow opportunity for the body to speak and can deepen and add layers to the beneficial work done through talk therapy. A client treatment plan is built collaboratively, after thorough assessment, and each therapeutic relationship will look different depending on what each client needs. Please see below for detailed descriptions of these approaches and follow the link to get in touch for scheduling and booking.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/sarah-elizabeth-smith-sackville-nb/1586429
Sarah Elizabeth Smith, Counsellor, Sackville, NB, E4L | Psychology Today
MA CCC LCT-C TCTSY-F
I am a certified counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) and a Licensed Clinical Therapist Candidate (LCT-C) with the College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick (CCTNB). I completed undergraduate studies in literature and drama, and I hold a masters degree in Counselling Psychology. I am a registered trauma-sensitive yoga facilitator (TCTSY-F) with The Centre for Trauma and Embodiment and have over 13 years of experience teaching and facilitating yoga for mental health in schools and in private practice. I have worked as a psychotherapist in both private practice and community clinic settings and I currently work with youth, adolescents, and adults who come to therapy for a wide variety of reasons including anxiety & depression, issues with addiction and in relationships, and traumatic stress. I hold a certificate in Jungian Psychology from the C. G. Jung institute of New England and I am a fellow with the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society Quebec-English Branch in Montreal. I am interested in personality development, defense mechanisms, attachment, and working with creativity, embodiment, imagination & spirituality in therapy. I also work as a psychometrist with Dr. Loretta Patterson Psychology Clinic in Moncton, NB. I am very fortunate to practice under the guidance of two clinical supervisors and alongside excellent mentors and colleagues.
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of depth psychology. This means that client and therapist work with insight, or bringing unconscious patterns into consciousness so they may be seen and integrated. Therapy includes work with thoughts, beliefs, feelings & emotions, past experiences, family & ancestry, and an individual's personality, defensive or protective patterns, expectations, wishes, and desires. Interest and ability to commit to longer-term therapy is beneficial because the relationship between the therapist and client is central to this type of work. Depth work can be useful during developmental stages, life transitions, times of "identity crisis", or periods of loss and grief. The psychodynamic approach is an evidence-based approach with a long history of successfully supporting clients through depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, personality disorders, and issues that include a combination of symptoms. This type of therapy focusses on the meaning underlying symptoms as opposed to pathology, respecting individual differences while supporting clients to access deeper layers of meaning and connect to shared human experience. We may also work with art, drawing, writing, dream-analysis and other forms of creativity and symbol-making during therapy sessions, depending on the individual client and what is needed.
Yoga therapy can encompass many traditional and modern approaches to supporting an individual to connect mind & body and to work through layers of difficulty or tension. Trauma-sensitive yoga therapy is primarily a "bottom-up" approach because it focusses attention on realms of feeling and sensing rather than cognition. Where accessing language and being present with inner experience may be difficult or painful, this type of therapeutic practice focuses on helping the mind to enter into the environment of the body and to allow the body to speak.
Yoga therapy can support an individual to regain agency, experience and strengthen inner and outer boundaries, and to re-establish a relationship to internal sensations, instincts, and needs. Trauma-Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga in particular is an evidence-based approach for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and this approach can be beneficial for individuals with significant trauma, for those who feel disconnected from the realm of the body, and for those who carry shame or have a difficult relationship with the body. They way that somatic practices are integrated into sessions will depend on the individual's needs and can include anything from seated mindfulness or breathing practices to yoga postures. There might be a lot of movement or a lot of stillness. There can also be some reflection or processing through talking, drawing, or writing during the session.
First Intake Session $150 Ongoing Individual 60-minute Sessions
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First sessions are always treated as an intake session so both therapist and client can get to know one another and discern whether working together therapeutically will be a good fit. Please get in touch by e-mail or phone to inquire about scheduling and booking | |
