About

Lissa’s short bio:

Lissa {they/them} is a meditation and movement facilitator as well as a doctoral-prepared mental health nurse practitioner with over sixteen years of experience in nursing, mental health, and embodied practices.

Lissa’s offerings include somatic psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, mindful movement, meditation, and writing.

Lissa identifies practice as a deep form of love and care and is particularly interested in the intersects of dharma, justice, and embodied radical care. Lissa shares practices that are compassionate and trauma-informed for the wellness and liberation of all beings.

Populations this space is intended for include:

*Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and Multi-racial people

*Queer, Trans, Genderqueer, and Non-Binary people

*People with invisible and visible disabilities, chronic pain, and chronic medical and mental health conditions

*Empaths, artists, and intuitive and neurosensitive folks

*People interested in somatic, mindfulness, movement, contemplative, and Buddhist practices 

*People committed to justice and liberation for all beings

*People who feel like they don’t belong or are not well supported in traditional health, fitness, and wellness environments

Ways to Connect with Lissa:

*Practice with Lissa ~ Offerings & Video Library
*Request Brief Introductory Chat with Lissa about Services or Business Inquiries
*Connect via Lissa’s Newsletter, YouTube & Instagram*

Lissa’s Clinical Bio

Lissa is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, somatic/trauma psychotherapist, and a certified meditation and movement facilitator who works with adolescents and adults. Lissa is trained as a nurse on the bachelor’s (BSN in 2008), master’s (MSN in 2015), and doctoral (DNP in 2023) levels. It is Lissa’s intention to work collaboratively with clients to create a supportive plan of care as well as to create a safe(r) space where clients feel fully seen and heard.

Lissa’s Specialties & Approaches:

• Anxiety, Depression, Shame, and Grief

• Trauma including Acute, Complex, Identity-based (Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Neurodiversity), Oppression-based, Attachment-based, Intergenerational, and Collective

• BIPOC and LGBTQ Perinatal Mental Health Care

• Mindfulness Meditation, Movement, Buddhism, and Embodied Practices

• Mental Health Medication Monitoring (utilizing the lowest medication dose possible; no controlled substances)

• Holistic and Integrative Care

• Nervous System Care

• Parts Work Therapy

• Somatic/Trauma Therapy Modalities: Somatic Experiencing (SE) — Lissa is a somatic experiencing practitioner (SEP) and a SE assistant, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP I), Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT), Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST I), Complex Trauma Training (CCTP I & II)

Frequently Asked Question: What is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?        

Lissa’s Embodiment Bio:

Lissa became curious about the body, heart, mind, and spirit connection at an early age. After exploring a variety of approaches, Lissa began a dedicated practice in yoga, intuitive movement, mindfulness meditation, and the dharma in 2008 and in qigong in 2018. Lissa enjoys integrating mindfulness with a variety of additional movement practices including pilates and strength training.

Like their movement practice, practicing mindfulness and the dharma in daily life as well as on short and long retreats has been deeply nourishing for Lissa. They have close to 300 days of residential silent meditation retreat practice. Lissa studies in the Zen and Theravada traditions with Insight Meditation or Vipassana as it is called in the language of the Buddha’s teachings being their primary path.

Awareness of the body heart-mind as well as learning to relate to the body as a teacher and friend are at the heart of Lissa’s embodiment practices. Lissa teaches trauma-responsive mindfulness meditation and movement practices that allow folks to honor the needs and wisdom of their own bodies and beings.

Lissa’s embodiment trainings include:

• Mindfulness teacher certification

• 200-hour Qigong teacher certification

• E-RYT 500+ with yoga trainings in chair, gentle, hatha, pelvic floor, physiyoga, prenatal, restorative, therapeutic, trauma-informed, and yin

• Neuro Studio’s Pilates for Neurological Conditions Course + comprehensive pilates training (in process)

• NASM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) & Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES)

• Certified InterPlay leader

• Somatic trauma therapy trainings + somatic movement training (in process)

Lissa is deeply thankful for the innumerable offerings of care received through embodied practice and always wants to honor the roots of these practices stemming from Africa, the subcontinent of India, China, and Indigenous communities.