Kapu Dancel (she/they)

My approach strongly draws on Gestalt Therapy and also Somatic Therapy. I believe that we all exist in context– nestled in our early life experiences, family background, cultures, connection to land/region, and personal histories. I believe that we adapt in ways to best survive in the environments that grow us. I draw from Gestalt principles which emphasize that being aware of our adaptations and how they manifest in here-and-now grants us greater agency in deciding how we want to choose to exist at any given moment (even when the moment sucks). I believe that this awareness opens the door to choice and change. I also believe therapy is a relational space. Whether the relationship is with yourself, your partner(s), your friends, your colleagues, your bio/chosen family, or even with me–the therapist. Relationships impact our experience of the world around us, and I believe the therapeutic relationship can provide a place to learn new ways of being and connecting.

As a therapist, I value many things, but aim to center genuineness, difference, integrity, and nuance. I value genuineness because I believe when we can be honest and congruent to our own experience we are able to see one another and connect. I value difference because I see difference between individuals as not a threat to connection but actually a necessity–difference illuminates where one person ends and another begins. I also value integrity and define this as the ability to be with discomfort and challenge with intention. If we aim to be genuine and honor difference while navigating a world filled with so many people and lived experiences, integrity is vital. And lastly, I value nuance because I believe that life exists with a lot of uncertainty and unknowns. Without nuance, I think we miss some of the most empowering and life-giving parts this world has to offer. To me, nuance leaves space for all the intricacies of the human experience and the systems we live in.