Questions are welcome here.

Somatic psychotherapy is a holistic, body-centered approach to mental health. It combines traditional talk therapy with physical awareness, movement, and breathwork. This method is based on the idea that stress, emotional pain, and trauma are stored in the nervous system and body, not just the mind. In practice that means we still talk — but when something comes up, instead of moving to the next thought, I ask where you feel it, and we slow down there.

It is somatic psychotherapy, and the difference is not that we sit in silence. We talk plenty. The difference is what the talking is for.

In talk therapy the conversation is the treatment: you explain, I reflect it back, and understanding is what moves things. Here the conversation is how we find the thing, and your body is where we work on it. When something comes up, instead of following it to the next thought, I ask where you feel it, and we stay there until it shifts.

So insight is not the goal and being understood is not the goal, which is why it can feel strange at first. It asks you to be receptive rather than persuasive, and most of us have spent our lives getting good at the opposite. People usually find it unfamiliar for two or three sessions and then find it a relief.

No. It is part of my practice and I am open about that, but it is optional in every session. Plenty of my clients never use it, and the somatic work stands entirely on its own. More on that here.

No. Religion is an organized system of shared beliefs, sacred texts, and communal rituals centered on a higher power. Spirituality is a broader, individual quest for meaning, inner peace, and a personal connection to something larger than oneself. While religion is collective and structured, spirituality is internal and personal. Nothing here asks you to hold a particular belief or use language you would not use yourself.

Mostly talking. What brought you, what you have tried, what you want to be different. I will explain how I work and we will agree where to start. [Confirm intake length and whether paperwork comes first]

[50 minutes], usually [weekly] to start. Frequency is something we decide together and revisit — it is not a package you sign up for.

There is no honest number. Some people come for a specific thing and are done in a few months. Others stay for years because it is useful. We check in about it rather than drifting.

Yes — individuals, couples, families and teens. With teenagers, how much a parent is involved is something we work out at the start, and it varies a lot.

Yes, throughout [California], on [HIPAA-compliant platform]. Same length, same fee. Somatic work translates to video better than most people expect.

[$000] per [50-minute] session. [Couples/family rate if different]

[Insurance answer]. I can provide a superbill you submit to your insurer for out-of-network reimbursement — how much comes back depends on your plan, and it is worth calling them to ask before you start.

[Sharon's sliding-scale policy, or remove this question]

Yes. Fifteen minutes, no charge, no obligation. It exists so you can hear how I work and I can tell you honestly whether I am the right fit.