Al Hoberman (He/Him/His)

Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes, and often doesn't look like what you'd expect. Trauma-informed therapy is a nonjudgmental approach to helping individuals gather strengths and resources to build safety around painful feelings, develop a better understanding of how past experiences influence their present-day, and reconstruct their lives with more confidence, control, and self-fulfillment.

Words are powerful, but sometimes get in the way, especially when we are trying to express the deepest, most powerful parts of ourselves. The arts provide an opportunity to playfully connect to feelings in new and often surprising ways. In music therapy we use our voices, musical instruments and recorded music, but may also bring in other media like movement or visual arts. No previous experience necessary - it's not about how it looks or sounds, but how it feels to do it.

Words are powerful, but sometimes get in the way, especially when we are trying to express the deepest, most powerful parts of ourselves. When that happens, the arts provide an opportunity to playfully connect to feelings in new and often surprising ways. In music therapy we use our voices, musical instruments and recorded music, but may also bring in other mediums like movement or visual arts. No previous experience necessary - it's not about how it looks or sounds, but how it feels to do it.

Mindfulness is about slowing down and paying attention to your experience in the present moment, becoming aware of the thoughts, feelings, and body sensations that may not be fully conscious in the day-to-day. When you practice adopting a nonjudgmental attitude to these thoughts and feelings, you can shift from ruminating on the past or trying to predict the future to being able to respond to the here-and-now with calm, grounding, and confidence.

Children communicate and interact with the world, and express themselves through play. Playing with a child means entering their world and meeting them on their level, which is always the first building blocks of therapy. Through play, we can activate the creative, social, emotional and even, logical/problem solving aspects of your child, promoting skills like healthy problem-solving and frustration tolerance, regulating energy, and effective social skills.

Your child looks to you first for guidance and support in navigating the challenges they’re faced with. I am here to connect with your child and help everyone involved create an environment that actually works for your family. I am able to see a child for who they are and, by connecting in a respectful way, I help them learn how to communicate their needs more clearly, build confidence, and cope effectively so that the family as a whole will have new ways to move forward together.

When sitting with someone experiencing depression, over and over again I hear the same message: "no one gets it." And it's true. Depression is silent, unique to each person, and isolating. It leaves you feeling like there is something wrong or broken about you. You're not broken, and I'm not here to "fix" you. Instead, I'm going to listen and together we're going to learn about your depression so we can build a bridge out of isolation and move towards connection, acceptance, and feeling whole.

The culture you were born into has a deep impact on who you are and how you interact with the world. These inherited views, values, and understanding of life and relationships can support you, but can also contain harmful patterns from past generations that no longer serve you in the here and now. Through exploring our origin stories we can begin to heal the wounds that have been passed down to us, honoring where we come from while moving forward.