Tennya Smith, AMFT
With all the seasons that we may experience in this life, showing up for ourselves can sometimes require a great amount of patience, stillness, introspection, compassion, bravery and courage, that sometimes can feel unfathomable and lead us to experience a “stuckness” or exist in what can feel like a never-ending liminal space. Addressing our healing process and the parts that accompany it, no matter the season, is no easy task, and can require us to trust and surrender to so many unknowns while beginning to cultivate a deep-rooted relationship with ourselves, our bodies, and our intuitions.
The beautiful news is that you don’t have to do this work alone. I’d be honored to be your guide! I approach therapy through a holistic and somatic lens meaning that we incorporate the body, mind, soul, and spirit into our sessions (with what you’re comfortable) and work as slow as you need. I believe that talk therapy is only the beginning of opening the door to unbecoming. When we address the body, we can release stuck emotions that often we’re completely unaware that we’re housing. Through talk therapy and befriending our bodies, we can build deeper awareness of self and start to understand the root of our challenges and thought processes. I will meet you where you’re at, and help ease any anxieties, depression, stressors, low self-esteem, anger, frustrations, confusion, and help you to befriend your body, so that you can, with time, step into your power and own your truth wholeheartedly.
I do my best to create a brave space for you to not only feel safe enough to be seen, held, and empowered by way of meditation, breath work, movement and yoga, poetry/writing, and mindfulness into our sessions and one step at a time, assist you in reaching your goals. I enjoy serving as a guide to help individuals through difficult transitions and find joy in being able to walk alongside you to help you embark on a path that feels authentic to you, while challenging you to become the best ‘you’ that you can be.
Experience:
I have a wide range of experience working in infant mental health, community mental health, (non-profits, schools, intercollegiate college sports working with student athletes, etc) and private practice where I’ve worked with infants and their mothers, women, men, BIPOC individuals, children, adolescents, families, individuals, and couples. Along with this I bring my knowledge of working as a Birth Worker/Doula, my experience as a Sex & Intimacy Coach, and Yoga/Meditation Teacher to support individuals, couples, mothers, and their families navigate pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum. I believe that the Mental Health profession chose me and I’m forever grateful to be of service to others.
Client Focus: Teens, Adults, Couples
Types of therapy: Somatic Therapy, Dialectal Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Humanistic Therapy
Issues: Perinatal and postpartum mental health, sex and intimacy challenges, infidelity, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, low self-esteem, identity.
More than just my work: Outside of holding space and being of service, you will find me writing poetry, tending to my plant babies, being in nature and with community, taking some meditative time through yoga, dance, or swimming, and enjoying some quality time and delicious food with my family and loved ones.
Education: California State University Northridge, B.A. in Communication Studies, Minor in Creative Writing
California State University Northridge, Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy