Kayla Berninghaus (she/they)

CC7184, LPC014012
Accepting Clients

Just as a plant spontaneously moves toward sunlight there is in each of us an impulse moving toward connection and healing. -Heller&LaPierre

Licensed Professional Counselor in Portland, ME

Services
  • Individual
  • Group

About My Clients

I support folks who are fed up with their relationship to control and perfection. Patterns that helped protect and support you in troubling developmental environments are presenting emotion, identity, and relationship challenges. Our work together will be experiential, transcending words to tap into unconscious content, experience emotional release and support resilience. My goal is to help you reorient to healing impulses that have been squashed by systems of hierarchy, oppression, and ableism.

My Background and Approach

In my own experiences of anxiety, rigidity, and perfectionism, I re-discovered the cathartic process of making. I believe our right brain and bodies can be a powerful source of wisdom in a society where dualism, linearity, and order reign. I will support you in increasing somatic awareness to navigate connection and disconnection with flexibility and compassion. As an art therapist, my approach is body centered, relationship focused, trauma informed, and culturally responsive. In art therapy sessions, the process of making is often just as important as the final product, so no artistic skill is needed. While I believe everyone can benefit from art therapy and the creative process, I work with you to tailor sessions to support your healing journey. I center myself in gentleness, humor, and humility to prioritize attunement and trust in our therapeutic relationship. Ecopsychology, the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), and somatic mindfulness inform my multimodal approach.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I am a LCPC in ME, LPC in GA, and a Board Certified Art Therapist who utilizes metaphor, imagery, and the creative process to facilitate growth and resilience within a therapeutic relationship. I care deeply about respecting the value of the human experience and emphasizing strengths over pathology. I believe in journeying alongside you as a fellow human, facilitating connection to your own inner wisdom. Whether it’s natural elements, recycled materials, or conventional art media, I believe in the benefit of creating. Each individual’s inner creative power is an important resource in navigating life's uncertainties and challenges.

Insurance Plans Accepted
  • Aetna
  • Optum
  • United Healthcare
I offer online counseling in the following states:

At A Glance

  • Experience: 3 years of practice
  • Languages: English
  • Rate: $75 - 135/session

Info

404-445-6070 Email Kayla
57 Exchange St
Suite 203
Portland, ME 04101

Reach out to Kayla