Fall 2024: Letter from the Director
A Compassionate Community’s Mind, Body, and Heart
When the inspiration for the Center arose in my heart several years ago, I envisioned bringing together like-minded therapists to practice a holistic and integrative model of mental health care. I wanted a community that could embrace the West’s rich scientific clinical toolbox combined with the healing traditions of the non-Western world — including mindful awareness practice, yoga, qi gong, and Ayurveda (a system of medicine and lifestyle, featuring sleep, nutrition, movement, and stress management that originated in India more than 3,000 years ago). I knew the impact that an integrated model of health had on my mind, body, and spirit — and I wanted others to benefit too.
Today the power of the mind/body/heart connection — and its diverse pathways for change and healing across the lifespan — is alive in the Center’s community of therapists. We’re delighted to introduce our newest child and teen therapist Dania Fawaz, whose work with art and play expands our core vision of individualized holistic mental health care.
These are turbulent times for many, individually and collectively. Across all ages and stages, our minds are fretting, our hearts are unsettled, and our bodies are tense.
How do we meet this moment? How do we, in individual and collective instances of suffering, care for one another with compassion and a wakeful heart?
With presence, connection, and community.
Presence: Slow your steps down, but allow your body to move. Allow for one conscious breath, one tender self-affirmation at a time: “I’m okay.” “I’m safe.” “Just one step.” Feel into your BIG self, not the small “I.”
Connection: The joy of simple things. Smile at your neighbor as you walk to your car — and remember to look up at the sky and your favorite tree as you do! Small gestures are meaningful.
Community: Don’t go it alone. Lean into communities of care. In our Center therapist community, we’re grateful for the generosity and presence we offer each other. We do our best to embody these values for each other and to extend them to all our clients.
As a longtime group therapist, I invite you to consider how one of our In Tune clinical groups might benefit you, your child, or teen. In group therapy you have an opportunity to be in community with (and learn from!) others experiencing challenges similar to your own. In group we support each other, practicing skills and presence in a facilitated and supportive setting.
For example, in my 4th/5th grade In Tune group, we love to practice generous listening. Each child gets their own time to share, experiencing seeing and being seen within a community of peers. It’s powerful, playful, and fun. And it builds the skill of a lifetime.
We’re doing intakes now for January enrollment for our middle-school and high-school In Tune groups. See the current offerings page for registration details, or feel free to reach out to our intake client care coordinator, Amy Murphy, at Amy@centerforfamilywellbeing.com.
And don’t feel left out, adults: We’ve got your back! Check out our free weekly Wednesday morning meditation; our Minds In Tune group (which focuses on mindfulness skills and deeply relaxing yoga nidra); and our “Let’s Play! Cultivating Playfulness: A Workshop for Grown-Ups” on January 26th from 9:30-noon.
Whatever joys and sorrows we may be experiencing, let’s tend to each other with a compassionate mind and an open heart.
Heart-to-heart,
