Name Origin
So(u)l Recovery is a recognition that liberation is not a one-time act, it is a constant practice. The so(u)l spelling honors both light and dark, sun and moon, creation and destruction, action and rest, grief and joy.
Sol (Sun in Spanish) and Soul. So(u)l is a proclamation that one cannot live without the other and that both energies are sacred; it also honors that when these two beings come together they embody a way of being beyond the binary.
In addition, Sol represents my service dog Sunny, the being who taught me how to love unconditionally, and is the shortened form of Soledad (Solitude in Spanish). I honor Soledad because Solitude has been the foundation of my own healing and because it was the name of my great grandmother who is survived by the memories of her playful warm laughter. It is also the name I will pass onto the next generation.
Counseling Approach
I do not believe in quick convenient fixes. Offering that would be dishonest, false hope. Here, the healing is root deep. It will be painful, but you won’t be alone, and you don’t have to face it all at once. Here we honor progress not perfection. Here we see mistakes and relapses into old patterns, as sacred lessons about ourselves and our environment. While many of us strive for perfectionism to validate our worth and achieve safety, we sacrifice our humanity in the process. Here all that makes you human is celebrated.
My approach is to be honest and direct, but lead with curiosity and compassion. I see my experience and wisdom as an important contribution but not absolute truth. You are the one, ultimately, who knows what resonates and what does not. That intuition is something I will seek to help you develop by creating a space that welcomes conflict and tension.
In our relationship, I will dance between being an observer, a listener, a witness, a sower, a collaborator, and at times a mentor. And still, with all these roles I hold, you are the one that holds the role of liberator, because only you can free yourself. I will work with you to create the conditions, I will model to you what freedom can look and feel like, but ultimately you must take the leap into the unknown.
You are welcome to this healing relationship however you come. If you are hopeless, at your wits end, I encourage you to reach out. I will hold onto hope and possibility for you. I will love you until you can love yourself, and slowly, you will see your soul recover, piece by piece, even when no conditions have changed around you.
Who do I work with?
As a healer I prioritize the devalued. The outcasts. The weirdos. The disabled. The chronically ill. The crazy folk. Those that have been suppressed, abused, rejected. You are my people. I also offer space for those spirits that have committed acts of great shame, those who are discarded by society, who despite no longer being that version of themselves, or who are desperately trying to stop, cannot bring themselves to feel worthy of love and forgiveness. You are welcomed here.
Ultimately I believe all relationships are purposeful and have something to teach us. If you want to work with me, I welcome you no matter who you are or how you come.
So(u)l Recovery Counseling 