Relational Work (Couples of all formations) : As a couples therapist, I invite my clients to know and radically accept themselves more fully so they can create change from a place that is wise, honest, and compassionate. My clients often arrive anxious, hopeless, in painful cycles of conflict, and having tried many other therapists. They feel disconnected from themselves and their partners. I guide couples toward the changes they want to see in their relationship by creating an accepting space to be curious, receive support, and get direct coaching on how to do it differently. Because I have guided groups for 15 years, it feels very natural for me to attune to multiple people in a room, and it has been one of the great surprises of my life that I absolutely love couples work. Romantic intimacy and partnership are areas where I meet my own edges, and I find that this increased awareness, and my need to use the very same tools I teach my clients, makes me a very relatable and skillful couples therapist.

My training is oriented toward working with couples experiencing the pain of disconnection in both monogamous and non monogamous relationships. Currently, I am studying with Terry Real at The Relational Life Institute. I have studied IFS parts work at the IFS Institute and find parts work to be helpful with couples because it is often our small, child like, wounded parts that end up in conflict with our partners. I am strongly influenced by the work of Sue Johnson, attachment theory, the work of poly educator Jessica Fern, somatics via the lineage of Dr. Arielle Schwartz, and interpersonal neurobiology.

Therapy for Individuals: I believe in a slow, deep, and holistic approach that considers all aspects of a person’s life, including their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing. My training is oriented toward working with clients through the lens of mindfulness, attachment based work, somatic approaches including EMDR, polyvagal theory, compassion, and parts work. I also draw on my 15 years of work as a yoga and meditation teacher, which has made me sensitive to the regulation processes of the body, breath, and nervous system. I am honored to guide my clients toward their own self-healing impulse by creating a loving, accepting space to be curious, receive support, and be witnessed with deep presence and attunement. My approach is relational and process oriented meaning that the space between us is a field where deep discovery and growth can occur. Modalities I work with include Somatic EMDR, IFS parts work, Compassion, ACT, breathwork, Buddhist Psychology, mindfulness, attachment theory, and interpersonal neurobiology, and dream work.

Philosophy: My practice is rooted in an ethos of love, authenticity, connection, kindness, & compassion. It is often our disconnection from care that leads us toward dis-ease, anxiety, & that unbearable feeling of wanting to crawl out of our own skin. It is our reconnection with loving kindness that heals us. Our stories of anxiety and trauma are suddenly less alone. Therapy is, at its most essential, a few individuals in a caring relationship. We get hurt by people, so we must heal with people. Therapy is a brilliant container in which to grow and remember who we really are in relationship. Without it, I would not be here. I would still be exhausting myself trying to get the love I so desperately wanted. Therapy is not the only way to grow and heal; however, it is a really clear, accessible, and effective path toward self-actualization, a more interesting life, strong boundaries, and a sense of pervasive love.

Education: I earned my Masters degree in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, and am certified in Somatic EMDR from the Embody Lab as well as Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga levels 1-3—both trainings led by Dr. Arielle Schwartz.  I completed an 8 month training with Thomas Hubel on Ancestral Healing and Trauma, and a 16 week Breathwork course with Breathworker and author Jennifer Patterson. I also am a certified meditation teacher through Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s two year intensive training program.

Audra is a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate R8771

Supervised by Elizabeth Lenkeit Hoke, MFT T1440