In the Spotlight: Elizabeth Ebaugh
The Center for Family Well-Being is more than just a therapy practice — it’s a community. At its heart are the therapists who bring deep experience, compassion, and a true holistic approach to healing. One of those therapists is Elizabeth Ebaugh, who has been part of the Center community since its inception. We asked Elizabeth to share a few insights into her work, the tools she uses to cultivate calm in difficult moments, and how she helps others at the Center deepen their practice. Meet Elizabeth.
Can you share a bit about your background and the work you do at the Center?
I’ve been in private practice since 1987, and I've been part of the Center's community since its inception. My work is based upon many experiential and brain based therapies as well as energy medicine. Before coming to the Center I was a co-director of Bubbling Spring Holistic Health Center in Silver Spring. Kate Kelly [the Center's Founder] was a student in one of my classes, and then she and I continued studying together. After a sabbatical in Argentina, I decided to join Kate in her mission to create the Center. We've both been influenced by the East/West blend of philosophy and medicine, and that's deeply reflected in the Center's holistic approach.
I work with adult individuals and couples, using a variety of modalities to help my clients tap into the mind, body, and spirit — which all play an equally important role in healing.
In addition to working with clients, you also facilitate trainings for the other therapists at the Center. Can you share some of what you're working on now?
Yes, for the past three years we have been working on exploring ways that therapists can create a healing environment in our offices and our own energetic presence. This year we are focusing on Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness.
Right now, we're emphasizing connecting to the senses and how that increases our ability to live more from our "core self" as Siegel calls it. This practice encourages us to be more aware of our thoughts, emotions, and sensory experiences — helping us understand the interconnectedness of everything we bring into the room. Not only does this understanding help the therapist, but it also helps us better assess where clients fall on their own sensory processing spectrum, and how those experiences may shape their struggles.
You emphasize a deeply trauma-informed approach in your work. How does that shape the way you support clients?
As my clients make efforts to heal past and present trauma, I encourage them with my understanding that the human being can digest almost any experience, no matter how horrendous it feels. As we heal we can move beyond the victim/victimizer polarity. To do this, it is important to process trauma somatically — not just emotionally and mentally. When we shut down somatically, the energy in our bodies shuts down too. Then we see the world through the lens of our trauma, which organizes our response. We can transcend that with a variety of somatic therapies and holistic modalities of self care.
One of your strengths is helping people stay calm and clear in difficult moments. How do you guide others in cultivating that stability?
With so much happening in the news, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It's like we thought we were running a 10K, but we're actually in a marathon. In order to keep up, we need to train for it. That means prioritizing self care — and whatever we were doing before, we probably need to increase it! It’s also important to balance how much time we spend absorbing what’s happening in the world with how much time we spend nourishing ourselves.
One helpful strategy that I find grounding is looking to historical figures — real people who met difficult situations with courage, resilience, and creativity. We can actually invoke their presence. Having a community is invaluable. More than ever, we need to feel connectedness, care, and warmth from people we resonate with.
You have a unique way of weaving spirituality into the healing process in a way that feels personal and accessible. How do you integrate that into your work?
I help clients see that at their core, they are much more than their anxiety, depression or general discomfort. One of the most powerful ways to create change is to recognize the parts of ourselves that are caught in these reactions. Even though experiences in the past may look different than those in the present, they can "taste" the same — activating our nervous system in familiar, predictable ways. There are many paths to come home to that core self, and the key is identifying practices that move us beyond numbness, into body awareness which leads to connection to self where healing is possible.
When clients are ready, I introduce inspirational readings, poetry, and meditations from different spiritual traditions to help them deepen their connection to themselves. Everyone’s path is unique, but the goal is always the same — finding that deeper and wiser sense of self.
What's something that's really inspiring your work right now?
I’m actually inspired by something I learned early in my career: That is, our power lies in the energy we transmit wherever we go. When we can attune to our nervous system sustain a state of presence and connection, we can inspire that in others. By paying attention to how we nourish all aspects of ourselves, we become more present in each moment.
Lately, I have been nourishing myself by focusing on my connection to the natural world. I’m especially drawn to reconnecting with the cycles of nature and incorporating that into my work: using plant-based and herbal practices that deepen heart-centered awareness; exploring how we relate to earth, air, fire, water, and ether in our own ways; and returning to ancient rituals and earth-based spirituality.
When we tend to our body, mind, and spirit in all that we do, our wisest self is online more often than not. Ancient practices and the natural world are such great resources for this time. It’s all interconnected!
