window with plants, hanging crystal & spiral art

Why Psychotherapy?

There are many ways to work with our emotional, relational & psychological struggles. Everyone is unique, so finding an approach that resonates requires some self-awareness & effort.

Psychotherapy is not a fast process & real change takes time, but integrating mindfulness & movement practices can deepen the process. My work emphasizes coming home to the body & respecting human psychology over medicalized & standardized approaches.

Psychotherapy creates a container for change & personal growth.

SOMATIC THERAPY IN MISSOURI & COLORADO

photo of Jodi Alieksaites

I’m Jodi…

I have a Master’s Degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology & am a licensed counselor in Missouri & Colorado.

I am a highly sensory-sensitive person, AuDHD-er with an endlessly-curious mind. I’ve been so lucky to find amazing teachers, mentors & healing professionals who have helped me over the years & I want to share what I’ve learned with clients who are interested in exploring psyche, soma & spirit.

My approach to psychotherapy is steeped in techniques that focus on noticing what your mind is doing, learning to emotionally attune, integrating movement & respect for moving at the pace of your body…AND GETTING HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

why work with me?

Choosing a therapist can be a challenge, but I think the most important element in “good fit” is feeling you can show up as you are. No one wants to feel judged. I strive to create an atmosphere of curiosity & acceptance. I help clients to not judge themselves, let go of self-aggression & ease resistance to fear.

If you value self-awareness & cultivating your freedom of self-expression, we might be a good fit.

My style as a psychotherapist is not to follow strict protocols, but to customize my therapy modalities to you & your needs…collaboration is key!

I love being a therapist & offering what I can to those who would engage a process of self-knowledge…supporting you to work your “edge.”

THAT EXTRA STEP

I have curated & provide an extensive resource website to all of my psychotherapy clients as well as personalized assignments for clients who want to add depth to the work between sessions.

my qualifications

  • Master's Degree Naropa University
    Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology (3-year degree program) + 9 weeks of Meditation Retreat

  • Bachelor’s Degree Creative Writing University of Missouri

  • LPC in the state of Colorado
    (a Licensed Professional Counselor in CO must hold a Masters’ degree in their profession & be supervised for two years post-Masters’ degree ​plus 2,000 hours clinical experience & pass the National Licensing Exam)

  • LPC in the state of Missouri

  • Level 1 Training Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

  • Year-long Internship in Play Therapy

  • Year-long Internship in Hospice Care & Grief Counseling

  • 10 years of Professional work in end-of-life contemplative elder & dementia care, Supervisor

  • 2 year study in shamanic arts w/ Ancient Ways Center in Colorado

  • Levels 1 & 2 Reiki Training

Reasonable Expectations & Getting the Most from Therapy

  • It is reasonable to expect effective therapy to result in:

    • increased self-awareness

    • acceptance of what is possible in your life & what is not

    • symptom reduction

    • improved skills for setting boundaries

    • increased skill with communication

    • better emotional regulation

    • feelings of validation & non-judgement

    • more capacity for distress

    • improved relationships based on the previous improvements

    • capability to change things in your life & interrupt repeating patterns

    • not needing to feel as though you are reliving bad things that have happened to you in the present moment

  • It is unreasonable to want these things from therapy:

    • a complete end to the difficulty of life & human pain

    • that other people will change

    • that you will become someone other than yourself

    • that you’ll never have symptoms again

    • that you can stop yourself from having emotions

    • that you will forgot bad things that have happened to you completely

  • Therapy is a collaboration…not something that is “done to you.”

    With that thought, you can gain the most from therapy when:

    • you’re honest & work to increase your honesty with your therapist as well as yourself

    • you try the assignments agreed upon in your sessions

    • you practice asking for what you need

    • you attend sessions regularly, based on the rhythm that is recommended

    • you continue with sessions when you begin to feel change

    • you notice your resistance to change…bring it to therapy

    • you don’t try to “perform” for your therapist

Sometimes people think therapy is about BIG CATHARTIC MOMENTS. To be honest, I don’t think that always equals good therapy.

My goal is not to “shake you up.” My intention for my clients is to process what you’re struggling with in session & to create skills & views that will help you increase your well-being in your day to day.

If something “releases” in that process, it can be a relief, but it is not the goal. The body (& the mind) shift when ready as new options are presented & practiced.

it needs to be applicable to your daily life…

 Your Questions, Answered

  • My definition of a Psychotherapist is a professional who offers psychological & emotional processing to clients. They will hold a Master’s degree, have completed supervised client hours & hold a license in their field of psychology. A psychotherapist will engage in continued education yearly.

    Psychotherapists should either be trained in particular modalities in graduate school or learn distinct modalities post graduation. In my opinion, this is the difference between a counselor & a psychotherapist….a psychotherapist specializes in particular therapy modalities & has completed advanced training in those modalities.

    Further, a Contemplative Psychotherapist (which is my field of training) will engage in meditative practices, continued self-awareness practices & retreat.

  • LPC stands for Licensed Professional Counselor. This is the license for Master’s Degree Level psychotherapists in both Colorado & Missouri.

    Some states have multiple levels of licensing for Mental health counselors & Clinical Counseling.

    Colorado & Missouri have one level of licensing & this is the LPC.

    An important point related to this licensing is that an LPC in CO & MO can diagnose & offer therapy services without working under a supervisor.

  • I work with Individuals 19 & up 1-on-1, all genders, all religions, all sexual orientations, all races/cultural identities.

    I support clients who need help with people-pleasing, existential fear & grief, burnout, anxiety & panic attacks. I also help with sleep disorders & sensory concerns.

    My specialty is working with neurodivergent folks who are wanting support with high-sensitivity, burnout & anxiety.

    That includes undiagnosed & late-diagnosed ADHD, Autism & AuDHD as well as those who were diagnosed in childhood.

  • I do not work with anyone under the age of 19.

    I refer out for the following:

    Couples therapy

    Family therapy

    -Medications/Medication Management

    -Active Substance Use/Addictions

    -Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating

  • I do not offer hands-on bodywork or energy medicine.

    I am trained in Reiki, but I do not offer that in my practice.

  • I have many years of training in Shamanic work, but as much as it informs my work with parts integration…I do not offer formal shamanic journey or soul retrieval.

  • I am a practicing Buddhist & have taken Refuge & Bodhisattva vows as a lay-practitioner (non-monastic) in the Tibetan Buddhist lineage.

    My primary teacher is Reggie Ray & Dharma Ocean Sangha.

    I was raised Southern Baptist.

  • No. I see clients of all faith, religious & non-religious backgrounds & practices.

  • Absolutely not. Come as you are.

  • In Human Design, I am a Mental Projector (2nd rarest type at about 2% of the population).

    In Western Astrology, I am a Taurus.

    In Vedic, an Aries Sun.

    Year of the Tiger.

    Enneagram 5.

    Myers-Briggs Personality Type INFJ.

  • Maybe some things you can find on an app if you'd like to randomly choose things and hope they work for you. My experience is that most people don't really know what they are looking for or what would help their situation & end up wasting time & energy.

    ​ Another way to think about it is...if you want to learn Jazz Dance (which requires a lot of technique) you could watch a video on Youtube & learn some things, you could take a Jazz dance class & learn even more or you could work with a dance instructor 1-on-1 & progress much further than you could on your own.

  • Please don’t ask for emotional or psychological support from any AI. It’s an incredibly bad idea for many reasons.

    Even if an AI manages to “sort” for an appropriate response…humans are meant to connect & heal in relationship.

    AI is “empty calories” at best & at worst it’s incredibly damaging.

why my business is called

Your Body is You

For years as I was taking clients through embodiment practices; I would find myself saying things such as “that sensation is your body, that sensation is you. Your body is YOU,” an invitation for clients to bring awareness into the present moment via their body.

“Your Body is You” is to remind myself of a simple purpose…to support people to be in the present moment & know their body.

Body-Centered

”There is something in nature that forms patterns. We, as part of nature, also form patterns. The mind is like the wind & the body like the sand: if you want to know how the wind is blowing, you can look at the sand.”

— Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen