Whitney Haruf

My Masters degree is in Somatic (Body-based) Psychotherapy, and I like to go beyond talk therapy to bring the quiet wisdom of the body into the room to have a voice, too. I've practiced Buddhist meditation for over 30 years and have found it life-saving at times; there are mindfulness practices I offer in therapy to help center and find a place within that can tap into okayness. I am part of the LGBTQ+ community and have provided gender-affirming therapy for queer and trans clients on a multitude of issues. I've lived and worked overseas in Asia and Africa, as well as with other diverse populations in the States, try to be aware of my white privilege and show up as an ally, and welcome, embrace, and validate the experiences of BIPOC, queer, female and trans-bodied and other marginalized and disenfranchised folks living within the confines of society.

My areas of specialty (issues of focus and populations/folks I've worked with):

Fear

Grief and loss

Psychological trauma/ Transgenerational trauma

Anxiety and depression

Shadow work with the disowned parts of ourselves

Shame

Existential search for meaning and spiritual longing

Loneliness and isolation

Environmental collapse despair

Perfectionism and lack of self-acceptance

Incorporation of Buddhist and other religious and spiritual beliefs into therapy

LGBTQIA2+ and HIV/AIDS+ support

Domestic violence/ Intimate partner violence/ Family violence/ Abuse

State violence/ Survivors of torture/ War trauma/ Victims of trafficking

Women’s issues: sense of self, living under patriarchy, body image issues, and others

Living in the U.S. as a refugee/immigrant/newcomer and acculturation challenges

Living as an expat overseas and its own unique challenges

There is a way to be okay, even amongst everything that feels not okay inside you. Over the 15 years I've been a therapist, I've seen how hard people are on themselves, and how much suffering this causes them. I believe strongly in the healing that comes with making friends with all parts of ourselves, especially the most shameful, disowned, and unclaimed parts. I believe there is nothing too awful that can't be brought into the supportive holding of therapy, and that the insights gained by bravely working in partnership together can be transformative in ways beyond what one can imagine, so that we are able to inhabit every space of our bodies and our lives.