The name Saxifrage (sak·suh·frij) comes from the saxifraga plant, Purple Saxifrage flowers grow through rock, the name means “rock breaker”. Even without soil, and even in the cold, these beautiful purple flowers grow and bloom. This name was chosen for our practice because we believe that, like Saxifrage, individuals can grow and bloom through tough circumstances and trauma. Up through rock, something that is both strong to break through, but also soft and beautiful grows. People can be both strong and soft as well. Saxifrage Counseling & Advocacy exists to help you find both those strong and soft parts of yourself to overcome situations and emotions that can keep you stuck

About

Hello, I am Whitney! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I work from a psychodynamic approach, believing that individuals do not have something “wrong” with them but are a make-up of their experiences. Sometimes people experience things that they cannot just “get over”, when we experience things “too much, too soon, or too fast” that is called trauma. I have spent my career working with individuals who have experienced trauma, helping them to become their most resilient selves and empowering them to overcome the things they feel keep them stuck.

I help individuals overcome trauma through a few therapy modalities: EMDR, Polyvagal Informed, and film therapy through the Point of View Story film series; always through a somatic and attachment-focused informed approach. The somatic approach means that our brains and bodies remember and hold onto trauma and other experiences so I try to guide you to focus on your body’s reactions, specifically your nervous system, and how that is connected to your experiences and your present struggles.

Individuals who experience exploitation have hopes and dreams outside beyond what they have experienced and it often takes a lot of support to help empower these individuals to fulfill these hopes and dreams and one part of that is helping them process and move through their trauma and I enjoying playing a role in empowering survivors.

How does your practice affirm BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals?

I do my best to be affirming by being accepting of individuals and seeing them as the expert on their own experiences, and being sure to always look at how this part of their identity could be impacting or affected by their experience of trafficking/exploitation.