Welcome,
I am Denise…
Long before I had the language for somatics, I knew I wanted to work with the body. Even as a trauma therapist, I found myself wondering why people could understand their stories and still feel stuck. I knew healing had to involve more than insight alone.
The same was true for me.
Years of therapy changed my life, but some of my deepest transformation didn't happen until I began working with my body. I discovered that healing wasn't just about understanding myself—it was about experiencing myself differently. When I found somatic work, it felt less like discovering something new and more like coming home.
Today, I bring together my experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Somatic Therapist, and Emotional Release Bodywork Practitioner to support people in reconnecting with themselves through body-centered healing. My background includes a Master's in Counseling and training in trauma-focused and somatic approaches, including Brainspotting, EMDR, Emotional Release Bodywork, and hands-on somatic practices. I continue to deepen my education through ongoing study in clinical somatics, bodywork, and nervous system-based approaches to healing.
One belief guides everything I do: I can only meet others where I've been willing to meet myself. That's why I'm deeply committed to my own continued learning and personal growth. This work isn't just what I do—it's how I choose to live.
Before becoming a therapist, I served for 12 years in the United States Air Force, including a deployment to Afghanistan. That experience continues to shape who I am and has given me a special place in my heart for veterans navigating trauma, moral injury, and the lasting impact of service.
It is a true honor to walk alongside people as they reconnect with themselves through the wisdom of the body.
Let's be honest about healing…
Choosing to begin this work isn’t always easy.
It asks us to slow down in a world that encourages us to keep moving. To turn toward the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to avoid, protect, suppress, or simply survive. To become curious about what’s happening beneath the stories we already know—our sensations, emotions, impulses, patterns, and the ways our bodies have learned to respond to life.
That can feel vulnerable. Sometimes uncomfortable. Sometimes even frightening.
But discomfort doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. Sometimes it’s what happens when we begin meeting ourselves in places we haven’t been willing—or able—to go before.
This work isn’t about forcing something to happen, and it isn’t about becoming calm all the time. It’s about building the capacity to stay with ourselves through more of what life brings.
We’ll slow down. We’ll listen. We’ll notice. We’ll make room for what’s here. And when something feels challenging, we can get curious about that too.
Whatever brings you into this work, I don’t see myself as the person who heals you. I have a deep trust in the intelligence of your system, in the ways it has learned to protect you, communicate with you, and move toward what it needs. My role is to walk alongside you as you deepen your relationship with yourself and your body.
Because ultimately, you are your own healer.
Degrees & Training
Oregon State University-Cascades, Bend, OR- Master of Counseling (MCoun), 2020
Portland State University, Portland, OR –BS in Psychology, 2018
Oregon Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC #C8616)
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Currently attending: Brain, Body, Being w/ Mallorie Buoy of Homebody School of Somatics, (anticipated graduation 2028)
COCC w/ Lisa Swisher: Reiki Level One Certification, 2025
IFS Institue: IFS Online Circle w/ Crystal Jones, Pamela Krause, and Dick Schwartz, 2025
Womben Wellness: Womb Sciences w/ Usha Anandi, 2025
Womben Wellness: Breathing, Bleeding, Being w/ Usha Anandi, 2025
Opening Shift: Emotional Release Therapy Practitioner Training w/ Suzanne Hallerman, 2024
Emotional Release Therapy Immersive 4-day Workshop w/ Pat Jackman, 2023
EMDR Institute: Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Level One, 2022
Brainspotting Phase One w/ Dr. Pie Fray, 2020
Health at Every Size (HAES), Oregon Counseling Association, 2020
Central Oregon Association of Psychologists: Introduction to IFS, 2019
PESI: Complex Trauma & IFS Training w/ Frank Anderson, 2019
Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Training w/ Keri Sawyer, 2019
Contact me
Have a question, want to learn more, or just not sure where to begin? I’d love to hear from you.
You can use the contact form to reach out, or schedule a complimentary 15-minute connection call if you’d rather talk:
You’re also welcome to call or text me at 503.477.0775.