Working with Families, Prevention and Treatment of Birth Trauma
Holistic Perinatal Care
Over many years of study and practice, I have developed my own unique style of working with families that integrates somatic trauma healing, bodywork, deep understanding of the autonomic nervous system, five distinct practitioner skills categories, and compassionate love for human beings. My approach came about after decades of working with adults. I want shift my focus to prevention of birth trauma, treatment right way after birth and truly helping adults heal from early wounds. One of specialties is working with families starting preconception, and helping birthing parents to integrate traumas to prepare for birth, and then I catch them and their baby afterwards.
I work with babies who have had birth trauma, and challenges with feeding, sleeping and crying. While I have studies with many baby practitioners, I also have many years of working with families with babies, including teaching baby massage and parent-baby classes. You can see my credentials and training by clicking here.
I work with babies who have had birth trauma, and challenges with feeding, sleeping and crying. While I have studies with many baby practitioners, I also have many years of working with families with babies, including teaching baby massage and parent-baby classes. You can see my credentials and training by clicking here.
Welcoming Families with Baby Bodywork, FamilyCare
Perinatal Bodywork, and the Whole Family Clinic
Families often seek me out after they have had a difficult birth. I am able to help parents integrate a variety of overwhelming experiences, including:
- Birth Preparation that includes Trauma Sensitive Intake and Somatic Integration
- Healing from Difficult Births
- Prenatal and Perinatal Bodywork (Massage, Polarity)
- Baby Bodywork (Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Polarity, Pediatric Bowen, Breastfeeding Therapy, Birth Trauma)
- Family Play Sessions, Bonding and Attachment
Trauma Sensitive Intake |
Birth Preparation |
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FamilyCare seeks to support families starting preconception with a trauma sensitive intake:
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We offer an integrative approach to birth preparation that includes comprehensive education about birth patterns, prenatal bonding, massage support, and more.
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Pregnancy Support
Along with sensitive bodywork and somatic trauma resolution sessions, we would like to teach and support couples to practice:
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Healing from Difficult BirthsHaving a baby can be a time of joy and transformation, and it can also be stressful. If your birth does not go as well as you had planned, feelings and thoughts can naturally arise. Many women who experience overwhelming birth experiences seek resolution through feeling better in their body. Kate is trained in prenatal and perinatal patterns associated from overwhelming birth experiences. Gentle touch helps reorient the experience to the present time. Approaches include massage, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and Somatic Experiencing®.
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Testimonies
"When thinking about how you helped us with the birth trauma, I think one of the best things you did with me, is stop and breathe with me and affirm how hard each aspect of my story must have been. To have someone reaffirm this difficulty with me, was just so life-changing. It made me feel seen and heard and valued, and honestly like I was not crazy and that what we went through really was traumatic. It helped me to walk out of denial and have the strength to do the repair work." -- Kristy Nicolette in Charlottesville, VA
“I just wanted to thank you for everything. You were kind and gentle and understanding, and played a huge role in our recovery. I can’t thank you enough. I still think of our visits all the time. Focusing on the moment I could finally let labor happen, and the day I finally got to hold my baby in my arms, yes, you can heal trauma if you have good support. Thank you for all you do for our community. You are such wealth of knowledge. I can continue to refer to you now with a wonderful experience of my own.” — A.S., birth education professional in Charlottesville, VA.
“I just wanted to thank you for everything. You were kind and gentle and understanding, and played a huge role in our recovery. I can’t thank you enough. I still think of our visits all the time. Focusing on the moment I could finally let labor happen, and the day I finally got to hold my baby in my arms, yes, you can heal trauma if you have good support. Thank you for all you do for our community. You are such wealth of knowledge. I can continue to refer to you now with a wonderful experience of my own.” — A.S., birth education professional in Charlottesville, VA.
I see families in my treatment room for family play. I also meet with families online from around the world. Trained for many years to work with families with the Castellino style, Building and Enhancing Bonding and Attachment, I welcome families to come learn skills of connection and co-regulation after challenging or overwhelming events. This is a child-centered approach focused on connect and support, and we make space for the story to be told through movement and emotional expression, and for repair to be made. We support parents to self-reflect and get the support they need to heal, too. We are able to identify places in the family, especially in the lives of parents, where developmental needs have been skipped, thwarted or abbreviated, and we can appropriately offer educational and therapeutic opportunities to regain or even feel for the first time, that need being met in the context of the work we offer.
These sessions include play with balls, stuffed animals, puppets, tunnels, slides, tents, small toys, baby dolls, Styrofoam swords, and more. The play is about following the child and what naturally arises during play in the nervous system. The parent is always involved in the play and all the games and techniques used are explained to the parent. A big part of the play is to teach settling, rest and integration
Therapy with families does not include diagnoses of conditions, psychotherapy, or medical treatments of any kind, and all information is given in the form of education, support and resource to accompany the treatments.
Anatomy of Family Play:
These sessions include play with balls, stuffed animals, puppets, tunnels, slides, tents, small toys, baby dolls, Styrofoam swords, and more. The play is about following the child and what naturally arises during play in the nervous system. The parent is always involved in the play and all the games and techniques used are explained to the parent. A big part of the play is to teach settling, rest and integration
Therapy with families does not include diagnoses of conditions, psychotherapy, or medical treatments of any kind, and all information is given in the form of education, support and resource to accompany the treatments.
Anatomy of Family Play:
- Parents meet with Kate first to learn about the Principles of the work, discuss intentions and tell their story.
- Play with children and babies lasts one hour, and then Kate follows up with the parents for a phone call to listen and reflect what the parent saw, and help the parents make sense of their feelings.
- We often give homeplay exercises and skills to help families connect and for parents to meet their child in playful ways to heal early trauma or ruptures.
- Care for families is continuous until the family feels like they no longer need support.
We specialize in helping families that are having difficulty with connection and settling. This can be from a difficult birth, loss, illness, or just disruption. I specialize in helping families with babies and small children, but support families with children of all ages to connect and heal.
Several kinds of family sessions are offered:
Several kinds of family sessions are offered:
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Baby Bodywork for Babies age 0-1 are for families with babies having a hard time with any of the following
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The picture on the left was before the cranial session, the picture on the right is three days post cranial work.
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For Families with children over the age of 1:
I often sees children of any age with a variety of challenges. This approach is a child centered approach that includes the whole family. I complete intake of the issues at hand, asks questions from ancestral patterns, pregnancy, birth, and after birth. I teach about the principles of the work for families, and includes therapy for the parents. I also teach skills that parents can use at home. We have a child intake form that is comprehensive. These sessions address:
Fees: $150 for family intake (1.5 hours), $130 for 1 session
Make an appointment
I often sees children of any age with a variety of challenges. This approach is a child centered approach that includes the whole family. I complete intake of the issues at hand, asks questions from ancestral patterns, pregnancy, birth, and after birth. I teach about the principles of the work for families, and includes therapy for the parents. I also teach skills that parents can use at home. We have a child intake form that is comprehensive. These sessions address:
- Behavior challenges
- Difficulty at school
- Trauma
- Birth trauma
- Stress
Fees: $150 for family intake (1.5 hours), $130 for 1 session
Make an appointment
