When you're present you're more connected to yourself, the world, and others. You can think clearly, you are more embodied, more creative and even if you are experiencing challenging emotions, it is easier to process them.

While each step along my own path has given me different pieces of the puzzle, there are a few approaches that were particularly transformative for me. 

These are the approaches I use with my clients:

• Somatic therapy: We often think of our psychological issues as mental, but there is now so much research to support how our bodies also hold the pain. The good news is we can release the pain through our bodies as well, thus increasing our capacity to feel grounded, even when life throws triggering curveballs. Intuition is also accessed through the body, so by connecting to ours, we become clearer and more trusting about our path and life decisions. 

• Parts work: It’s natural  to identify with big triggers because we experience ourselves as the ones feeling them. By seeing ourselves as a system of parts instead, we relate to ourselves differently, and can process the pain our younger parts are carrying, leading to greater self-acceptance, less inner conflict and more space for curiosity, creativity and joy. 

• Mindfulness: Trauma can make it challenging to live in the present moment, because the nervous system tends to go into fight, flight, shut down, freeze or fawn. I approach all my time with clients as a mindfulness practice and I support you to feel present in session. I also integrate Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) into my work with clients, especially for insomnia and anxiety. ACT is less about trying to fix or solve, and more about learning to meet discomfort, uncertainty, and fear with presence.

• Psychoeducation: I love to educate/ teach my clients about the latest research because they find it not only informative, but empowering. When clients learn all the fascinating ways their  brains and bodies have adapted to help them survive, it’s de-shaming. It makes space for a more compassionate way of seeing thought patterns, behaviours and overwhelming emotions.

When I’m not immersed in the world of counselling and healing,  I may be found writing/ making art, on my yoga mat, talking to trees deep in the forest, petting all the dogs, spending time with my favorite humans, discovering new places, or lying on my couch.

If you are interested in working together, you can reach me at: kirsten@kirstennoack.com or book a consultation directly using the link below.