Mia Houtermans

I believe that change flows easiest from self-acceptance, and that self-acceptance is nurtured through the telling, the listening, and the embodied expressions of our lives. My approach is warm, inviting, direct and attuned. I meet my clients with interest, non-judgment, and respect. I am driven by a profound sense that individual and community care are interwoven, and that healing is a process of mourning and meaning-making. Through the formation of a safe, authentic, and reflective therapeutic relationship, I support clients in feeling and releasing pains from the past, developing a sense of presence to what is and what they dream can be, and moving towards trust in their own inner knowing. This can be a deeply personal process and a collective and collaborative one. At the foundation of my therapeutic approach is the person-in-environment ethos of social work and the art of ethnography - before I was a therapist, I was a social-science researcher with a background in cultural anthropology. I, therefore, pay close attention to the social and cultural ecosystems of one’s life, and to the stories that shape one’s identity formation. The therapeutic modalities I have found most effective to this endeavor, and have therefore prioritized, are narrative, mindfulness-based, cognitive-behavioral, existential, and relational psychodynamic modalities. My work is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and shows a commitment to exploration and innovation - one where I strive to continue to learn with and alongside the clients in my care.