Abner Baker, Psychotherapist

I am an old history professor and new Marriage and Family Therapist. I retired from the History Department at Central Connecticut State University in 2000, after thirty years service. I finished my requirements for a Master' degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at CCSU in December 2002. This latest change is one of many I have experienced over six decades. I have "reinvented" myself several times, and, while sometimes that has not been fun, I am grateful for the changes. Since the early 1990's I have participated in the Professional Training Program at the Hartford Family Institute in Body-centered Gestalt Psychotherapy. I am currenlty in the training program. I have also joined the Independent Practitioners.

I am available to work with individuals, couples and families. I am particularly interested in the relations between adults and their aging patents. As a aging parent with children and grandchildren, I see an important dimension of psychotherapy opening up. I will be charging a moderate fee, on a sliding scale basis. For information and appointments please call (860) 670-4364.

Susan S. Drake, LMFT
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
860-978-3368
email: sdlmftnow@yahoo.com

Couples, Individuals, Adults and Young Adults

I was originally trained as a marriage and family therapist, and as such, have worked with couples, individuals and families for the past 12 years. Psychotherapy is not my first career, and, because of that, I feel that I can offer my clients a broader perspective on life, and can ultimately help them look “beyond the box”, so to speak, when dealing with important life changes, and especially the challenges they may encounter in their relationships to others. As a therapist, I consider myself an active participant in the client’s work – sort of a choreographer, so to speak. I have been known to laugh, play, pretend and even cry with my clients in an attempt to support their process of getting to know themselves from different perspectives.

Psychotherapy involves helping clients examine the events and experiences in the past that may have contributed to how he or she relates to others in the present. An individual may have trauma from an earlier time in their life that is inhibiting life in the present. They may not even recognize how these experiences may be impacting their lives, and the way they communicate or respond to others even when these experiences may seem insignificant in the grander scheme of things. Without judgment, I help clients to access their innate qualities, including their strengths and powers, their limitations, and most importantly, their wisdom. With empathy and understanding I support clients in facing problems that they may have difficulty facing. I help them deal with conflicts that they may have given up ever resolving. With couples, it is particularly important for me to help them understand that it is common for individuals in coupled relationships to shut down or isolate due to communication patterns that have become threatening, undermining or judgmental. It is within a safe, supportive and non-judgmental environment that these patterns can emerge and be confronted, and hopefully changed.

Note: I am on most insurance panels, and have a graduated fee schedule for those who do not wish to use their insurance.

Robbi Gilsinen, Massage Therapist

Robbi is a Registered Nurse and a graduate of the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy. A CT Licensed Massage Therapist, Robbi is nationally certified and a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. Robbi offers therapeutic massage in a safe, quiet environment, using techniques selected to meet your specific needs. These may include acupressure, structural energy balancing, myofascial release, deep tissue massage and Swedish massage.Robbi continues to expand her skills through education and training in massage and has completed nine years of Body Centered Gestalt Training at the Hartford Family Institute, Hartford, CT, where she has learned to support and facilitate process as revealed during bodywork sessions.

Contact:
To make an appointment, please call Robbi at (860) 644-6090. Package discounts, gift certificates and discounts for HFI trainees also available.

George Herrick

Life Coach, Recovery Coach, Shamanic Coach, Personal Growth Consultant

Over the last 20 years, it has been my privilege and pleasure to help countless people to bring out the very best in themselves. My mission is that anyone who wants a better life should be able to have the opportunity to receive the guidance they need to achieve it. I’ve been blessed with great teachers, healers and support in my life, and my work is to pass on the gifts I have received from them.

Life Coaching is a relationship of partnership and collaboration. You define your goals or dreams, examine your options, make your decisions, and take action; I provide a foundation of accountability, strategies and skills, fresh perspective and on-going support to help you achieve or exceed the results you desire. I take a holistic approach to coaching, understanding that what is experienced in one area of life has an impact on every area of life.

Recovery Coaching helps you release the bonds of addiction, self-defeating habits, codependency and self-limiting beliefs so you can have a satisfying, successful and fulfilling life. I use the coaching process described above, combined with various recovery models that can help each person grow in the way most suited to him or her. Among those models are 12-step, cognitive behavioral skills, rational-emotive behavioral skills, dialectic behavior skills and body-centered gestalt therapy. I have over ten years of experience working in substance abuse treatment centers with clients and their families.

Shamanic Coaching is an energy-centered, holistic process that works to heal the wounds that limit the free flow of the life force. I studied and apprenticed in the U.S., Peru and Bolivia, gaining expertise in a wide variety of shamanic practices. Certified in level II Reiki, and experienced in chakra energy work and other healing processes, I bring an eclectic blend to the traditional roots found in this oldest of healing practices.

You have all the potential for success and satisfaction you need already inside of you; my job is to help you identify, transform and resolve the obstacles and limiting beliefs that can get in the way.

Contact Information:
Call me at 860-225-6801 or email georgeherrick@sbcglobal.net

Elizabeth Huebner
CT Center for the Alexander Technique
AmSAT certified teacher

Elizabeth Huebner is an internationally recognized teacher, dancer and presenter. She performed original works with SolChi:Five and toured internationally with BodyArtsNetwork. She has presented her work in Switzerland, France, Holland, England and the United States. She is published in the Engleberg Congress papers, NASTAT News, and AmSAT News. She has taught on teacher training courses in the US and London.

Her students include Olympic level horse riders, professional actors, prominent lawyers, opera singers, symphony orchestra members, rock groups, and people of all ages from all walks of life. Her teaching credits include Yale Drama School, The Hartt School, and the University of Connecticut.

Ms Huebner has been studying and teaching the Alexander Technique for over 30 years. She is interested in using the Alexander Technique to unleash the potential in herself and others. The Alexander Technique continues to open new avenues of discovery and potential in herself and her students. The Alexander Technique is a basic and practical tool for helping people discover the power inherent in functioning as a unified whole. She uses movement as the medium of discovery but recognizes that when we change one aspect of ourselves we are affecting change on all levels.

She helps people become aware of the magnificent design of the body/mind/spirit and helps people use this to feel better, have more energy, breath more effectively and just in general function on top of their game.

More information is available on her web site: www.ctalexandertech.com

Cris Jacobs, Core Coaching

I enjoy helping people make the changes necessary to profoundly transform their lives in positive ways. To do this, I encourage people to talk about what they really want in life, helping them to reach into their soul, and create a life that reflects who they truly are. This usually leads clients to work on two main issues we all face in life: Love (relationships) and Money (work). My approach often works well with people who know what they do and why they do it; but still feel stuck and unable to make the changes they want.

There are 3 major steps in my work with clients:

1) Clarifying what is really wanted,

2) Identifying, removing, and replacing old negative beliefs and patterns that are not helpful anymore, and

3) Taking new steps that were not possible before.

Importantly, along the way, I create 'experiences' for clients that help them increase their self-awareness and self acceptance. As a result, clients then "get out of their own way" and make new, more fulfilling choices in their lives.

Guiding my work is the spirituality of Core Energetics (a body-oriented approach to personal development) and the practicality of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). For addition information on Core Energetics and EFT, see my website, www.LifeChgCoach.com.

Clients are often able to accomplish things that weren't possible for them previously: making major career transitions (as I have been through), improving family and work relationships, handling divorces/separations, releasing traumatic/abusive experiences, overcoming depression, navigating difficult situations with the medical field, losing weight, and re-starting dating after years of anxiety.

I work with individual clients, and I lead workshops on Personal Growth, EFT, and Core Energetics.

Education and Background:

Core Energetics Practitioner, graduate, 4 year Certificate Program with Founder, John Pierrakos, MD

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Advanced Certificate of Completion

MBA, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

BA, cum laude, Duke University in Psychology and Economics

Completed 2 years at BBSH, Barbara Brennan School of Healing

Corporate training in executive coaching, organizational change, managing conflict, and facilitation

Before beginning my coaching practice, my business career (20 years) included management positions in Finance (PepsiCo) and Investments (Morgan Stanley, Aetna, Cigna). I have also worked in Human Resources Consulting (BeamPines), helping people in the Workplace as an Executive Leadership Coach and by facilitating programs to improve communication and team effectiveness.

Contact:

You can reach Cris at 860-559-5946 or Email: Cris@LifeChgCoach.com

See website for Workshop Calendar - EFT Training, Personal Development Groups and Core Energetic Exercise Groups: http:/LifeChgCoach.com/Calendar.aspx

Elizabeth Kincaid-Ehlers

Photo by Miriam Kennedy

BIOGRAPHY: I was born in Michigan and lived in Georgia, Northeastern New York State, Ohio, Italy, Illinois, Western New York State and England before settling in Connecticut. I have also traveled around this country and Canada, missing only two provinces and one state. I taught at the University of Illinois, Rochester Institute of Technology, The University of Rochester and The Eastman School of Music before coming East as a visiting writer-in-residence at Trinity College. While retraining in order to practice psychotherapy, I taught at the West Hartford Branch of the University of Connecticut, served in the Writer-in-the-Schools project, and waited tables at Timothy’s Restaurant on Zion Street. In earlier days, I cut stencils and cranked the mimeograph machine for the Cathedral of St. Philip in Buckhead, Ga.; wrote newspaper columns and worked as printer’s devil for the Buckhead newspaper; sold movie tickets and bargain basement shoes, typed forms for the Georgia Department of Education one whole long, hot summer; answered “Dear Davison’s” letters and calls for an Atlanta department store (now a Macy’s branch); lived-in as mother’s help to a big, young family to pay college room-and-board; wore hats as Women’s Editor for the now vanished Troy Record; and tried managing the Alumni Office at Oberlin College in Ohio. For a long time I was married, working, raising children and going to school. Then I became divorced, and worked, raised children and went to school. I earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan; an M.A. from the University of Illinois; a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester; countless post-graduate hours from other institutions; certificates from Hartford Family Institute and the International Institute for Visualization Research and a license as an M.F.T. I have four grown sons and four grandchildren. Lucky for me, some of them live nearby.

PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY: I like to work with people who are interested in being fully present in their own lives, or who were before something happened. I like to help people make sense of themselves, and become both responsive to and responsible for their lives. I experiment with treatment approaches and will use anything that works. As I listen to personal stories, I pay attention to the language of the telling so that I might help individuals hear and understand themselves. Together we can begin to figure out where their plots veered out of order so that they might now choose different directions and live toward different endings.

Over the years I have tended to attract creative and/or sensitive individuals, young and old, male and female. My practice includes, but is not limited to, teachers, writers, singers and other musicians, actors and gifted adolescents. My own life has been greatly enriched by doing this work. I feel passionate about helping people come fully into the present and being there with them. In this way I can help people discover what binds them to the past or what causes them to obsess about the future, keeping them from being fully alive in the life they are living now.

Contact: Please call (860) 236-6009

Naomi Lufkin, MA, LPC

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Connecticut and a Nationally Certified Counselor. I work with women, men, couples, and families.

I specialize in Midlife Transitions. Specifically, I help women, men, and couples unlock and discover their authentic selves. Transition entails change; as a result, fear of the unknown can be most problematic. The Chinese symbol for crisis signifies “danger” and “opportunity”. Both are true for people that are in midlife. Growing older, becoming an empty nester, caring for aging parents, dealing with relationship issues, unsure about the meaning of your life, concern about the effects of menopause, feeling unsure about your identity, and considering a brand new career are some of the major issues that crop up at this point in midlife. It is common for people in midlife to feel stuck, unsure about the future, and to grieve through the losses that are felt at this time.

Along with my gentle manner and sense of humor, I teach my clients how to feel empowered. As I affirm each client’s struggles, I assist them in creating and bringing forth special meaning and purpose in their lives. Midlife is a time to develop some real passion, and it could be about discovering a new career or a brand new hobby. My belief is that the midlife stage of development needs to be acknowledged, welcomed, and understood. We work collaboratively to turn these struggles into opportunities

I changed the direction of my life in 1999. I decided that seeking out a career that will bring about my aliveness is what I needed at this point in my midlife. In 2005, after completing graduate school and a one-year comprehensive internship, as a Mental Health Clinician, I became a Licensed Psychotherapist. I understand what this stage of life is all about as I continue to grow and change all the time.

I offer a Support/Therapy Group for Midlife Women every Thursday evening from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. I can be reached at (860) 561-4021.

Matt is a Doctor of Acupuncture, licensed in the state of Connecticut and nationally certified by the National Commission of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). A Connecticut native, Matt is proud to bring his expertise and passion for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to his home after years of training.

TCM has been used in China for over 5,000 years to treat disease and maintain optimal health. Mainly through the use of acupuncture and herbal medicine, TCM is a powerful system that treats mind, body and spirit - root causes rather than just symptoms. By bringing balance to the whole energetic and physical system, health is restored and future occurrences of disease are prevented. TCM often has great success in treating diseases that respond poorly to Western medicine.

Matt received his B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and his Masters of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from The Academy of Oriental Medicine (AOMA) in Austin, TX. His acupuncture education spanned four academic years and over 3,000 hours (including over 1,000 hours of clinical training). He received further training during an internship at the Chengdu University of TCM in China. Here he worked with some of China’s best traditional doctors in modern hospital setting.

Although TCM is over 5,000 years old, Matt believes it is an ever-evolving field and enjoys staying current on all the latest developments and research. While many practitioners adhere strictly to a certain style of TCM, Matt employs a number of different modalities and schools of thought in his treatments. Each treatment is uniquely tailored to promote each patient’s healing.

Matt has been trained extensively in the use of acupuncture, herbs, and Chinese diet therapy to treat a broad range of diseases. He specializes in the treatment of chronic pain and emotional and stress related disorders such as:

Julie Saffir, Psy.D. LMFT

I love my work because I have seen people heal from traumas and fears that they never believed they could. My own therapeutic journey started when I realized that I wanted more life and freedom inside myself, I didn't want to repeat patterns that had been passed down through generations. I began to understand that it is hard to change something that you haven't brought awareness to. Therapy creates the opportunity to live more consciously, and being aware gives you more choices in the ways that you live yourself and your relationships with others.

In my psychotherapy practice, I offer a unique blend of highly effective therapeutic techniques, tuning in to what is needed for each client. I have extensive training in Body-Centered Gestalt Therapy which is a therapy directed toward healing of body, mind, spirit and relationships.

I am certified in Thought Field Therapy®. Thought Field Therapy is a powerful, brief therapy that has been used to successfully treat fears, phobias, traumas and other psychological distresses. This therapy is particularly exciting for persons who have tried other forms of therapy, without success. Thought Field Therapy can be used in the treatment of isolated fears as well as deeper, older injuries.

EMDR® is a highly effective method of psychotherapy that pairs bilateral stimulation with emotional trauma. This seems to allow for traumatic feelings and memories to get digested into one's system. This often decreases upset fear and anxiety, and increases feelings of perceived safety.

I am also a practitioner of Energy Medicine, taught by Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., at his Healing the Light Body School. This shamanic work creates personal transformation, bringing balance and health to the body, soul and one's connection to others and the earth.

My Credentials

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with a Doctorate in Psychology. I have worked as a psychotherapist since 1989. I am a graduate of the Hartford Family Institute training program in Body-Centered Gestalt Therapy, certified in Thought Field Therapy®, an EMDR I and II practitioner, trained in Reiki and trained in Theta Healing. I am presently pursuing my interest in energy medicine and shamanic work.

In addition to my own clientele, I work with other psychotherapists, helping their clients overcome specific fears and traumas so ongoing treatment can continue effectively. I feel that sharing a journey of healing is one of the greatest gifts I am receiving in my life.

To arrange a session, please call 860-217-4240.

For more information on TFT, please visit www.thoughtfieldtherapy.net

For information on EMDR, please visit www.emdr.com

Scott Sweeney, LADC

I believe that anyone who pursues personal growth is courageous. I have a special appreciation for any men who choose this journey. I believe that men in this society have an extremely difficult time being open hearted and gentle. Many men I work with have difficulty identifying and expressing any emotion other than anger. I believe that all people possess light and dark, and the goal is to love and support all of who we are.

I have been a therapist for the past 13 years. I left my job as a therapist with the CT Department of Corrections in September of 2001 to pursue a full-time private practice. I work with men and women, adolescents, and couples, as well as co-facilitating a weekly men's therapy group. I am a graduate of Hartford Family In