About | Jessica Barnese, Somatic Counseling

MY APPROACH

I use an experiential approach in counseling, where we follow the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and sensations that are occurring in the present moment as the window to explore deeper held beliefs.

We work together to evoke experiences for self-study within the therapy session, so that you can learn about your responses and associations as they happen in real time.

As we work, we un-surface habitual belief systems that structure your perspective of yourself and the world. Together, we explore what is at the core of these beliefs and find new ways of understanding and holding the experiences you have had, to bring forward an updated perspective that leads from your most authentic, empowered self.

Through feeling ourselves, we can know ourselves, and through knowing ourselves, we have a greater capacity for self-acceptance and the empowerment to choose the life we want to live.

Drawing from my training in The Hakomi Method of Mindful and Somatic Psychotherapy as well as psychodynamic theory, attachment theory, person-centered psychotherapy, and depth psychology, I use mindfulness, body-awareness, touch, movement, and dreamwork to help facilitate my client's process.

MY BACKGROUND

Master's Degree

I have a Master's in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. My graduate work focused on depth psychology, psychodynamic theory, and Jungian studies.

I was recognized with high achievement for my Master's thesis project, which resulted in a publication entitled, Aware Woman, In-Touch Body: Female Sexual Embodiment in the Patriarchy. Read full article here

Specialization

I completed the two-year comprehensive training in The Hakomi Method of Mindful, Somatic Psychotherapy and Re-Creation of the Self at M.E.T.A. Institute in Portland, Oregon.

Bodywork

I am a bodyworker with a basis in structural integration and craniosacral therapy. My bodywork practice uses a high level of subtle attunement and integrates therapeutic touch with awareness exploration through the application of skills from The Hakomi Method and Re-Creation of the Self.

Movement

I have a long background in dance and conscious movement practices, particularly contact improvisation and Authentic Movement. Movement has been my most integral teacher in learning how to align with my truth and pay attention to the subtleties of my intuition. In my counseling work, I invite and honor the wisdom of the body.

Nature

Nature is my deepest resource. Whether it's through hiking in the forest, exploring rivers and waterfalls, being in the ocean, or camping back country, I find myself in the flow of the water and the movement of the wind. My counseling work encourages a connection beyond ourselves, to the sacredness that surrounds us and that we are inherently a part of.

WHAT I WORK WITH

anxiety

depression

other mood and anxiety disorders

body dysmorphia

sense-of-self and self-worth

interpersonal relationships

burnout

grief

guilt and shame

stress management

marriage and partnership issues (monogamous and polyamorous)