Abby Behar, LICSWA (she/her)

“Embodiment is a coming home, a remembering of our wholeness, and a reunion with the fullness of ourselves” -Hilary McBride

Our bodies hold deep wisdom, but for many, as the result of trauma, relationship wounds, and oppression, that connection gets interrupted. This means we learn to ignore our needs, wants, and feelings, and turn to strategies such as perfectionism, eating disorders, and dissociation to help manage. You might notice you have difficulty connecting to your feelings or feel overwhelmed by them, and while people might think you are “ok” on the outside, it feels much different on the inside.

I believe that healing this disconnection can happen in the context of a safe, supportive relationship. I bring a compassionate, centering presence to join you in discovering your relationship to all parts of you and your body. You already hold what is needed to heal; I am here to help you unroot that inner knowing.

My approach to therapy

I see adults and adolescents 16 and older in person and virtually. I believe that the relationship between therapist and client is the strongest tool that can be utilized in therapy. We will work together to explore narratives from all parts of you. I use curiosity, empathy and humor to develop a safe therapeutic relationship with you (at your pace!) so that you may take the skills we use in therapy and use them outside of therapy.

I am rooted in Health at Every Size (HAES) and an anti-diet approach, holding the belief that all bodies are good and wise. My work is grounded in social justice practices and I am committed to practicing and learning from an anti-oppressive lens. I am person-centered in my approach, but pull from a variety of modalities , including attachment theory, internal family systems (parts work), interpersonal neurobiology, and somatic interventions. Through my experience as a registered nurse, I also value the importance of the mind-body connection.

I am also trained in EMDR, which allows folks to re-process traumatic or painful memories in a contained, body based way.