Stephanie Boulton (she/her/hers)

I focus on how we learned to attach to others throughout our lives. What lesson's did we learn about trust? What emotions were accepted and which were rejected? I have seen how learning about how we connected with others from a very young age teaches us about how we connect with others now. When we explore these learned reactions we can relearn our relationships and be more compassionate with ourselves in our own journeys to connect with others.

For several years I have been involved in the transgender community and helping families find resources for their transgender loved ones. Whether you are transgender, non-binary or questioning, I create a safe and informed space for you to navigate gender identity or non-related struggles. I also support family and friends of transgender people in navigating supporting loved ones in their own transitions.

Our society sends us many messages about what it is to be healthy and attractive. Learning to love and accept ourselves for who we are is not only a personal journey but one that often involves pushing against these messages of society. Being happy in our own bodies these days is no small task, I am there to help you voice and navigate your struggles with being happy in your own skin.

Feminist theory/therapy (in a nutshell) looks at systems of oppression and how it impacts our mental health and ability to function in society. This could be oppression based on traditional gender roles but also includes race and cultural discrimination, healthism, anti-fat bias, economic oppression, ageism, ableism, heteronormativity, and cis-normativity.

Attachment theory (in a nutshell) looks at how our early life experiences (think infancy) shaped our our nervous systems function in relationship. How we attach to our early caregivers can inform our implicit beliefs about ourselves and others and our relationship patterns. Although most of this is unconscious, becoming aware of these patterns can help us connect to others and ourselves in healthier ways.

I use neuro-biological and somatic approaches to understanding and resolving trauma. Peter Levine said, "trauma is in the nervous system not in the event". I help clients regain control over their bodies by helping them understand how trauma works and how to work with their body responses to trauma.

Anybody with a anxiety knows that it is pretty difficult to think your way out of anxiety. Having a lot of personal and professional experience with this common issue, I help you work through anxiety using tricks to help your body calm down, how get out of obsessive thoughts, and work through patterns that might be contributing to the issue. Anxiety can be sneaky but you can learn to outsmart it!

Sexual abuse or assault is way too prevalent in our society yet it can be a huge source of shame, and embarrassment. Often when survivors have reported the story, it has led to more harm, shame and re-traumatization. I start with a foundation of safety and trust and from there work our way at your pace into healing when you are ready.