Parts Play
The most valuable relationship is the one you have with your true, natural Self. In my Parts Work-informed counseling with you, I help you form loving bonds of secure attachment with Self.
Getting to know your Self, you also learn to let Self love you - all parts of you. Self gives all parts within the affection, space, compassion, protection, freedom, nourishment, and care they need.
The goal of counseling in this way is to restore harmony and flourishing in your inner natural kingdom, so that whatever else you encounter in your external life, you know your insides to be a place of relating, playfulness, replenishment, and deep safety.
Getting to know Self is a natural bridge into unity consciousness. As we get to know Self, we experience more personal connection with Higher Power/God/Great Spirit/Buddha nature/Christos consciousness/the Inner Wild, too - our own unique version of that relationship.
I integrate Parts Work-based approaches and mindsets into counseling. My style is informed by Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), Jungian psychology, process work, spirituality, and the creative arts therapies.
If you’re longing to feel closer to your loving, real, playful, brilliant Self, I invite you to contact me about doing some sessions together.
My Parts Play counseling sessions are for people who want to heal through talk, light experiential somatic exercises, and active imagination primarily. Read on to learn more about Arts Play sessions.
Arts Play
Expressive Arts Therapy (EXA) is a fun, playful, potent, and creative approach to healing. It unites and interweaves all of the individual creative arts therapies: movement, music, visual art, theater, and writing may all be part of an expressive arts therapy session.
The purpose of EXA is not only to heal from what has hurt us, but to unify with the richness, depth and joy of life, through expanding our creative, capable nature.
Parts Work and EXA work beautifully together. Using EXA practices to make friends with our parts and to embody Self energy is life-changing!
My Arts Play sessions are for people who want to heal by getting deep into the arts, self-expression & creative play.
Groups
I run groups for grown ups to experience healing co-creative play. A description of each group can be found on the Groups page.
Models Informing LionSong
I have a Masters in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies.
I use a friendly, open approach influenced by Person Centered Expressive Arts Therapy, Internal Family Systems, nature therapy, somatics, Gestalt therapy, Jungian psychology, 12 Step, trauma-informed practices, and Process Work.
I feel healing our inner relationship to Self/Spirit/GodSelf is the most reliable road to a good life.
Booking Information
I work as a non-clinical practitioner, providing holistic, creative and spiritual counseling. Please inform yourself of my scope of practice by reading here before you proceed with a booking inquiry, thank you.
To initiate the booking process, send me an inquiry using the button below. I will respond to your email with information about next steps.
My fee for a 50-minute counseling or expressive arts therapy session is $120. I offer sliding scale options, provided I have room in my practice.
Sessions may be booked for couples, family members and children, with a reasonable adjustment of the fee. Sessions are held remotely, online only at this time.
Try LionSong Play Prompts
In EXA sessions, experientials are unscripted, arising organically out of the work we’re doing together.
Self-facilitated EXA isn’t quite the same, because the aspect of relationship is central for healing. But solo EXA spelunking is healing too! I have placed many records of my own creative healing encounters with the Inner Wild in the Ideas section of this site, for anyone to use on their own authority.
Here are some explorations you may want to try to get your feet wet:
Places, Grandmothers, or True Size for honoring yourself and where you come from
Body Map, Grounding or Containment for somatic skills explorations
Disasterpieces, Awkward Collaboration, Dictionary Song and Group Musical Play for playfulness
Parts Work Comics and Parts Work Dialogues for working with Inner Parts
Sandplay and Make Your Own Deck for vivifying intuition
For many more prompts, explore the LionSong IDEAS page.
See me talk about using the arts to connect with Self and heal parts in the video below
My Background
I grew up in a big family on a working organic produce farm in Lompoc, California. I went to college at UC Berkeley, where I graduated from the Department of Art Practice.
Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy
I earned my Masters in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, in 2007.
I worked for several years as a supervised marriage and family therapist (what is now called an AMFT) in clinical settings. I worked with incarcerated youth and their families, dual diagnosis adults, homeless children, and in addictions treatment, in the Bay Area and in Detroit.
When I moved to Berlin in 2010, I had a tiny private practice for two years but eventually shifted to workplace psychology, coaching, facilitation, conflict resolution, and organizational culture work. Since returning to the US in 2015, I have continued to serve in the coach, teacher and facilitator role through my workplace coaching business, offering holistic, non-clinical spiritual and creative counseling services through LionSong in parallel.
I continue to be passionately connected to all the ways that arts, healing, trauma, personal creative work, and collective consciousness evolution intersect.
Specializations
As a part of my Masters in Counseling and EXA, I trained in each of the core creative therapies (art, dance, music, drama, and poetry therapy). I also trained in core clinical approaches, largely psychodynamic, transpersonal, family systems, group process, and person-centered.
I have trained further in Trauma Informed Expressive Arts Therapy, Internal Family Systems, somatics, process work, conflict resolution, and Neurobiologically-Informed Trauma Treatment.
I consider my main specialty to be supporting clients, using expressive arts and/or parts work approaches, to found and develop a deeply secure, loving relationship with their Inner Wild, or their own Spirit-Self.
Art Practices
My most heartfelt creative practice is songwriting, mostly folk music. I’ve also played around with several other arts practices, including improv, theater, dance, poetry, and painting.
Playful creative collaboration is my favorite way to relate. I also continuously explore EXA practices for personal discovery and healing.
What about you? What’s your story?
Say hi using the button below! Thanks for visiting LionSong!