TLDR Celina is a neurodivergent queer Expressive Arts Therapist with a focus on somatic, narrative and relational modalities. Their work is client centred and grounded in trauma-informed approaches to healing as an artform.
They specialize in working with individuals and couples navigating polyamory and relational constellations, as well as those who have experienced abuse resulting in CPTSD, PTSD or BPD. Using four core components of healing (community, nature, art and somatics) they work with clients to bring fragmented parts of self back into alignment.
Trauma Informed | Anti-oppression | Queer | BIPOC | LGBTQIA2S+ | Nature Therapy | Narrative Therapy | Relational Therapy | Internal Family Systems | Music Therapy | Decolonization | Intersectional | Feminist | Genderqueer | Trans | Sex work | Kink | Consensual non-monogamy | Sexual Assault | Addictions | PTSD | C-PTSD | BPD | DID | Anxiety | Depression | Grief
Welcome to this space, to this online extension of human warmth and offer of support. Our nervous systems are wired entirely towards connection, belonging and coregulation, like all beings that exist upon this earth. In times of struggle, we reach out towards others. Finding a psychotherapist that you can work with, feel seen and held by as well as trust is no small task. In the words ahead I will describe my passions, values, and approach to psychotherapy as well as the foundations of my practice, so that you can understand where I come from, and decide if it feels like we could work together.
I believe deeply in the cultivation of care cultures, not only as an Expressive Arts Psychotherapist (in training), but as an individual playing my part in creating the world I wish to thrive in. As a queer practitioner of mental health I understand the role our society, circumstance and fundamental structures of oppression play in our everyday lives. My practice is firmly rooted in the foundations of anti-oppression, intersectional feminism and decolonial solidarity.
As a working artist and creator I mean always to tempt the human heart into a love affair with the wild world. Much of my therapeutic practice also draws on knowledge from our non-human kin. I look to the natural world as a living ancestor and educator and have integrated aspects of nature therapy into my working models with clients. I love to use natural materials in art making and spend a great deal of time in the woods. If you have an interest in this we can find ways to weave nature bathing and earth based regulation into your resources.
Understanding the unbroken connection between body and mind through somatics is another aspect of my approach. Together we will work to uncover the knowledge your body holds about your lived experience. Through movement work we can tap into these deep reserves and begin to move trauma histories through the body so the mind can process it. Like the webs of mycelium beneath the ground our muscles, veins and bones also carry vast networks of information. Learning to work with, rather than against our bodies is so important and yet trusting our intuition can feel difficult when we carry histories of trauma. Working with somatics can aid us in coming home to the soft animal of our bodies and allows us to understand where its desires hide.
When I began my journey towards becoming a therapist I chose Expressive Arts because I understood the power art has to heal us. Trauma exists on a level in the brain that is deeper than language. As such it can be difficult, and at times retraumatizing, to attempt articulation too quickly. With art as a medium I walk with clients through the liminal space of feeling rather than describing. I work very much in the here and now. Together we will work on processing the emotions you are experiencing today and begin to untangle the web of your history as it arises organically. There is no need to have previous experience with art. All humans are creative beings and I know we will find unique ways for you to express your story.
If art feels daunting right now – as it does for many of us who internalized criticisms as children – I also work within the frameworks of Relational Therapy and Internal Family Systems. I come from a trauma-informed background and carry my own lived experience with me always. I take a human first approach and practice the tenets of harm reduction.
The last thing it feels important to me to share, is that I believe healing itself is an artform. It is the practice of tuning into the desires and pains of our deepest self, learning to hear these different parts and bringing these fragmented pieces back into alignment. I believe our shadows are worthy of love and care. I do not guide my clients towards ridding themselves of their deamons, but rather attempt to learn the steps of their dance, call them in, and through care begin to heal the “cracks where the light gets in”. We see a lot of romanticization around mental health and this Leonard Cohen song has always perfectly demonstrated that. You did not need to be cracked. There has always been a light within you that will illuminate this world if allowed to, that can flow endlessly without life attempting to break us first. If your cracks have left you feeling as though you need support in moving forward please reach out at celinas.blade@gmail.com to schedule a free consultation. I look forward to hearing from you, and beginning the masterpiece that is your shifting reality.