Glad you’re here!
I’m Ryann.

  • Mind - Body Connection

  • Mood & Emotion Regulation

  • Self Image and Esteem

Professional Philosophy

So you are on the search for a therapist. Go You! The first steps in starting this process can be the hardest. I frequently connect this to going to the gym (I KNOW you have heard this before). Just thinking of getting dressed to go shuts me down. Once I am there and in the zone, I am proud of the effort I am making. Once I leave, my body and soul are smiling and I am inspired to do more. This is how I view my own self-care practices at times and can imagine this process is parallel for many. As a clinician, I know this experience from both sides of the therapeutic relationship. I am sensitive and encouraging through your processes. I believe that the body holds what your mind experiences (and vice versa, really) and incorporates consistent mind-body practices to promote balance in your life. Is physical and emotional movement in life important? Yes. Is stillness important? Also yes. Together, we will explore it all.

“Collaboration, creativity, and respect build lifelong connections that matter and make a difference; propelling us to work together across all boundaries.”

– Diane Luna

Personal Background

It is common to ask young children “What do you want to be when you get older?” My uncle asked me this very question when I was 11 years old and my response? A social worker. At that age, I knew I wanted to help people. What I didn’t know was that I would one day be able to join my love for dance, music, movement, and the art of helping others as one. As I got older and life became more complicated for me, I immersed myself in dancing and working. Teaching dance, choreography projects, work-study programs, and volunteer work at centers for those with disabilities, the list was endless.

I found purpose in working and felt independent making a bright life for myself. I grew to realize though that while being fully consumed in my plans for my future, I was masking life by being “busy” and wasn’t making space for stillness and emotional awareness. It turned into avoidance. As I have evolved I have learned the importance of finding balance in life while keeping inspirations and motivations alive. I have learned the importance of being direct and honest with yourself and those who you value to promote a future for relationships. I have also learned how life-changing it can be to allow yourself to be playful and laugh. These are not only my personal foundations but the foundations of my work in helping others.

AREAS OF FOCUS

All of us here at START address the mental health areas of stress, trauma, and anxiety in our practice. We apply these three topics to unique, specific challenges that our clients are going through. I also offer specialized treatment in the following areas:

The Power of Thought

I can’t do this! This is hard. Why am I like this? I don’t want to be uncomfortable. I can’t keep going on like this. 

Do any of these sound familiar? Of course they do. While maybe a knee jerk reaction to financial burdens, professional burnout, relationship and intimacy stressors, lack of consistency …they promote dead-end language that our body holds and prevents us from moving forward. The thoughts we feed ourselves have the power to dictate how our body behaves. In my work I encourage clients to acknowledge their thoughts, validate their attached emotions, and evaluate their physical responses in an effort to inspire more enlightening thought processes and productive behaviors. Journaling, mindful meditation, and authentic movement are just a few creative methods I incorporate within this work.

Family and its Endless Dimensions

Are you working on establishing a future for yourself and wondering if building a family will be a part of it? Are you in a relationship and thinking about a future with your significant other? Are you newly married and navigating the new chapter of your relationship? Are you in the planning phases of having a child or are pregnant and have excitement, fear, uncertainty? Are you separated or divorced and processing this new chapter and how it affects your current emotional health and establishing new norms? These are all areas we can explore together while emphasizing the importance of self-esteem, self-preservation, and overall self-care.