Therapy through an eclectic, trauma-informed,
narrative approach for adolescents and adults.
Hello!: My name is Catalyst and I use & feel most affirmed by they/them pronouns. I am an intersectional and social justice-oriented, trauma informed harm reductionist and care provider. I am white, queer and nonbinary. I also identify as being in long term recovery from multiple things. I have been training, learning, practicing and working with people on all types of healing journeys for the last 18 years in various capacities, spaces and institutions. My primary focus currently is this private practice and multiple community collaborations with organizations & collectives I am a part of. If you are interested in setting up a free consultation the best way to do that is by emailing me at: ag.eclectichealing [at] gmail.com. I am aware, supportive of and a safe(r) space practitioner for kink/poly/consensual non-monogamous relationships as well as for sex workers and those working in the sex trades/industries. I have ten years experience working with people who identify as plural/live with multiplicity and am a safe provider for people who live with dissociative identity disorder (DID).
Eclectic : I believe in an individualized style of healing and treatment that supports various types of interventions and healing modalities. I have studied and practice many different modalities & interventions including but not limited to: Cognitive Behavioral, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic, Guided meditation, Emotion Focused, and Mindfulness mediation. I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems/Ego states (parts/younger selves) work and use Dialectical Behavioral skills in my practice. I integrate EFT tapping, bi lateral stimulation (BLS) support, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and other somatic interventions when desired and useful. I believe that addressing disconnections between our minds and bodies is an important aspect of healing work. I engage healing through collaboration and have experience working on improving relationship fulfillment, increasing body & self-image, nutrition assessment, life transition support, and recovery from trauma and loss. I am a liberatory/principled harm reductionist which means we look for the interventions, solutions and paths which reduce the most harm and create the most healing, comfort and safety for you. Practicing from a frame of liberatory harm reduction also means that your autonomy, story, needs and experiences are at the center of the work we are doing; that you are the expert in what your needs are. No two people are the same or have the same story, so we will decide together what works best for you to improve your quality of life and overall health & wellness throughout our work together.
Trauma- informed: I have 20 years of experience working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence as well as survivors of childhood sexual trauma. I also work with survivors of community, police and gun violence; Iraq, Afghanistan & Vietnam veterans, and worked with multiple anti occupation/anti-war veteran support groups for 13 years. I have 16 years of experience working with people who are looking to change their relationship to or dependence on substances and specifically provide support and care for people with polysubstance dependence and dual diagnosis needs. I believe that life is traumatic in of itself based on the systems we live under and depending on the various experiences one lives through as well as the identities one navigates the world with. I believe that “trauma-informed” starts from the first engagement we have and encompasses all parts of the therapeutic process. I believe that informed consent, collaboration and creating safer spaces are required for showing up authentically and vulnerably. I also believe grief is a baseline in our world and acknowledging unprocessed grief can change our relationship to the past, present & future. In my practice I support people struggling & surviving with depression, anxiety, substance dependence, early recovery needs, unresolved grief and loss issues, stress management, religious trauma, chronic pain support, crisis management needs and post-traumatic stress symptoms. My practice is informed and motivated by the strength and vulnerability of those I work with.
Narrative: I believe self-image, self-worth, and comfort with identity come from the stories we tell ourselves and the identities we live in the world with. By understanding what roles we play in our relationships and how issues and systems effect our lives, we can increase insight and control over emotions and behaviors. We are relational, connected beings; how we view ourselves and our perception of how others view us is integral to our capacity for growth and change. One of my main roles in our therapeutic relationship is to support changes in perspective through externalizing problems & stressors and encouraging strength, empowerment, and balance in your narratives. Another role is supporting self-acceptance, self-love and increased insight on activations & triggers which are showing up as obstacles to growth and healing in relationships with others and with self.
Social justice-oriented payment options: I offer a sliding scale based on income, social location, access to quality care and access in general. Basic sliding scale is assessed based on income and access to financial resources. This scale runs from $85 – $200.
A secondary sliding scale is offered to BIPOC and QT2S folks where needed and requested. This scale runs from $70 – $150. Additionally, I have 4 lower fee ($65 and lower) spaces available for BIPOC people who also identify as queer, nonbinary, trans and/or two spirit and who struggle with housing insecurity/instability and/or underemployment. I also keep 2 pro bono (free) Reparations spots available for Black people who are from Philadelphia. Spaces under $65 fill up quickly unfortunately but please ask when reaching out for a consult and we will discuss what is possible for you.