Holistic Counseling & Psychotherapy
My main focus as a therapist is to help you get to know yourself really well so you can be comfortable and confident being you. I know that you want to make some changes in yourself and in your life but, the fact is, you can't change something if you don't know how it works. We'll go exploring together on a tour of your inner world. I'll be right there by your side as we discover your strengths, hopes, dreams, challenges, and deep-felt emotions. All parts of you and your experiences will be welcomed with curiosity and compassion.
Experiencing and accepting yourself fully and deeply in the presence of a supportive ally can open a powerfully healing pathway to growth and change. It can literally change your brain. And then you can change your life.
Our work together can help you appreciate and expand upon your abilities, regain and heal parts of yourself that have become lost, achieve the confidence and inner strength to create the changes you want, and express who you truly are.
My Philosophy
My experience is that we each have the capacity to grow and change, are innately good and want to do well, and that, deep within, we each know what we need in order to grow into who we are meant to be. Health, wholeness, and fulfillment does not come from changing who we are at our core, it comes from knowing and loving who we are and walking alongside our complexities, flaws, and fears. Nobody's perfect; everybody's needed.
Our Work Together
My training is eclectic and holistic. I consider all parts of a person – past, present, future, known, and unquantifiable. I will guide you to pay attention to your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, gut sense of things, and the teachings of your belief system and faith. I will be very real and honest with you; I'm not the kind of therapist who mostly nods and says “uh-huh.” When I have an opinion, a strong sense of something, or a personal anecdote from my own life, I will likely share it with you. We will probably laugh a lot -- life can be ridiculous -- and I might also cry along with you.
All Are Welcome
I work with teens, adults, couples, and families. People of all races, religions, cultures, sexual orientations, and gender identities are welcome.
Insurance
I not in-network with any insurance companies. I do offer out of network direct billing, as well as a sliding scale.
Ellen Santaniello has a Master of Arts and CAGS in Holistic Counseling from Salve Regina University, Newport, RI. She is licensed and insured as a mental health counselor in the State of Rhode Island.
