Services

Counseling Services
Practioners:Elizabeth Venart, Elizabeth McNamara, Jodi Schwartz-Levy

• Individual, couples, family, and group counseling
• EMDR
• Dance/Movement Therapy
• Expressive Arts
• Somatic Psychotherapy
  

Dance/Movement Therapy
Dance is the most fundamental of the arts, involving a direct expression of one’s self through one’s body. It is an especially powerful medium for therapy. Based on the assumption that the body and mind are interrelated, dance/movement therapy (DMT) is defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process that furthers the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual.

The dance/movement therapist focuses on movement behavior as it emerges in the therapeutic relationship. Expressive, communicative, and adaptive behaviors are all considered for both group and individual treatment. Body movement simultaneously provides the means of assessment and the mode of intervention.

For more information about dance/movement therapy or to schedule an appointment, contact Elizabeth McNamara at bmcnamara3@gmail.com or call 215-913-0839.

EMDR

“EMDR” stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.” This counseling modality integrates elements of many effective therapy approaches—including psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies—into structured protocols designed to maximize treatment success (see www.emdr.com for more information).

During EMDR, clients focus on past, present, and future experiences while simultaneously focusing on external, bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, sensory tappers, alternating sounds on earphones). Through this dual focus of attention and the entire EMDR protocol, people are able to process through upsetting memories and experiences that remain “stuck” and continue to create current-day emotional reactions despite previous counseling work.

EMDR is especially powerful in helping people alleviate symptoms of anxiety and in helping people who have experienced trauma (childhood abuse, witnessing violence and death, car accident, bullying, etc.).  EMDR can also be very effective in enhancing feelings of confidence and unblocking motivation to make positive changes in one’s life. For more information about EMDR or to schedule an appointment, contact Elizabeth at Elizabeth@theresiliencycenter.com or call 215-542-5004.   

Somatic Psychotherapy
Somatic Psychotherapy bridges the worlds of bodywork, somatic therapies, and psychotherapy.  The term somatic refers to perceiving the body from within, during in which time one can become more aware of previously unconscious sensations, movement impulses, breath, posture, voice quality, and muscular tension. Its philosophy believes that the body holds onto our life experiences and by paying attention to internal bodily cues the body and mind can return to balance.

This treatment modality also recognizes that certain memories cannot be accessed through cognitive thought, either because such memories are repressed or because they happened in a preverbal time. The body holds onto trauma, blocking its energy and resulting in both physical and emotional complaints. Pain, anxiety, depression, and stress are cues meant to inform us that there is an imbalance. This therapy therefore focuses on what the body is trying to communicate and allows true expression to occur.

The somatic psychotherapist will meet the client where he or she is. The range of movement and somatic interventions will be as much as the client feels most comfortable with.  Somatic psychotherapy is useful for any number of clients. Those with chronic pain, trauma, addictions, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety could all benefit from this holistic therapy.

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