M. Claire Keeler
M.Ed. LPC Ecotherapist
Claire brings a variety of approaches, perspectives, and tools to therapy and enjoys helping people work through the challenging impacts of big and little traumas to the psyche, body, mental and emotional health. Claire has dedicated years to working with familiar but often neglected or dismissed human experiences of trauma, abuse and loss, as well as with tools, theories, Nature, narratives, and a variety of practices for healing the impacts of trauma and abuse to the psyche, emotions, mind and body.
Claire works holistically, with a deep dedication to the wisdom of the body and the ability of the conscious mind to interpret and relate in healthy ways to one's emotions, thoughts, perceptions, and body without shame, denial or abuse. Claire also integrates a powerful understanding of nature, natural systems, as well as cultural, historical, and personal narratives into the work of therapy, with a strong commitment to reconnecting human experience to the larger interparticipatory context of the natural and social worlds.
An abundance of research shows the modern disconnect many people experience from the natural world and their immediate, present moment surroundings contributes to a great deal of psychological distress and disease. Additionally, many of the societal narratives that encourage this disconnect also discourage a healthy relationship with our inner experiences (emotions, beliefs, etc) and the tools for healing. Claire works with an intention of helping clients uncover and explore oppressive narratives from society or their past that may be impacting their mental, emotional health while also recovering their innate capacity to experience personal worth and navigate the challenges of this world and time from a place of grounded awareness with presence and self-acceptance.
With more than a decade of experience in the helping professions, Claire also provides an open, compassionate, collaborative approach that seeks to create a safe space in which to explore each individual's unique expressions of self, the stories they carry, the stories that are carrying them, and the ways they seek to heal, own, shift, release, hold and navigate emotional, body, mental, and/or spiritual health and wellness.
Common Issues Addressed Include:
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Anxiety/Depression
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Acute and Complicated Trauma
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Body/Identity Shame and Acceptance
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Distress or Trauma from Societal Prejudice, Injustice and Abuse (LGBTQIA, Racism, Sexism, etc.)
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Distress & Anxiety from Climate Change/Collapse and Societal/Global Events
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Grief Work & Navigation of Loss (personal and societal)
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Life Transitions (work, home, identity, etc)
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Identifying Abusive Behaviors and Narratives of Oppression
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Reframing of Internalized Shame from Oppressive, Abuse Narratives
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Experiences of Abandonment and Insecure Attachment
Common Experiences in Therapy Include:
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Friendly, Collaborative Talk Therapy
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Time in Nature (on trails or sitting quietly)
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Embodied Awareness: present moment noticing of the body & senses (sight, sound, felt sensations, etc)
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Emotional Awareness/Acceptance: noticing feelings in the body without judgment
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Discussion of experiences (past or present) that created internalized perceptions of shame/judgment
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Discussion of societal, global/historical narratievs causing oppressive harm to body, self, or others
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Reframing/Discarding shame-based narratives to better reflect personal worth and goodness
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Mindful/Meditative exercises for stress-reduction
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Recognizing Safety (noticing when the body is safe from physical/psychological harm)
You can contact Claire at claire@kindredcollectivecomo.com.