About Me

Welcome to my private practice

My name is Kristin Fernald, and I am a licensed psychotherapist from Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands. 

For over 30 years, I have been in private practice, offering individual and couples counseling, as well as equine assisted therapy with my herd of 4 horses. 

Work with Me

My Approach

I believe we are all on our own “journey to wholeness”. 

Seeking to heal, regardless of our past wounds, has the power to open us up to our own unique path of self-discovery and becoming.

Over the past 30 years, I have developed a model of psyche called “The Wagon Wheel Method” as a guide for that journey. As you learn to live from the center of your wheel, you will be able to access a deep spiritual connection that will further guide and support your journey. 

Body
Centered

Neuroscience

Sound
Healing

Emotionally Focused

Equine Assisted

Core Belief
Change

My Methods

My approach to psychotherapy is body-centered and emotionally focused. I work primarily through what is present in the here and now, trusting that whatever is in the past that needs to be healed and integrated will present itself in the course of therapy. I apply the field of neuroscience to this process of integration, helping clients establish new neural pathways that lead them to more empowered and harmonious life choices and experiences. 

Body-centered Awareness

This is the foundation of my practice, both in the counseling therapy and equine therapy sessions. It includes mindfulness practice, which is in the forefront of brain research in relation to understanding how changeable the human brain really is. I teach my clients how to be present in their body, vs. getting “stuck in the manipulations of the mind. Through the felt experience of physical sensations in the body, I guide clients to listen to what the emotional energy in the body is wanting to express. In this exploration, I may invite the use of visual imagery and voice dialogue  t support the process. You will learn the language of your body’s consciousness and how to access your inner healing resources. 

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Emotional Freedom Technique or meridian tapping, as it is often referred to, is a powerful tool that I use to relieve psychological stress and allow the body and mind to come into balanced alignment. EFT is based on the ancient Chinese principles of acupuncture. It is a simple tapping procedure on the face and body that stimulates key meridians (energy circuits) that run through the body. Through this tapping process the body’s energy system is brought into balance around the emotional conflict by neutralizing the “charge” that it holds in the body. It often results in physical healing as well, since emotional issues are often tied up with physical symptoms. EFT is completely safe, non-invasive and easy to apply. It will become a lifelong friend to help you balance your emotional state and reprogram old habit patterns.

Sound Healing

This involves the use of sound to create balance and alignment in the body. Healing sounds include songs, instrumental music, sounds of nature, and the human voice. It is based on the principle that all matter, including the human body, is made up of energy. All energy vibrates. Every vibration has its own frequency and each frequency has a sound. The human voice in the form of “toning” is the sound healing tool that I use. Toning can create a resonance with the energy field of the area of the body that is in distress and bring it to a higher vibration, a higher level of consciousness. A tone is simply a sustained note with vowel sound, such as “Aaah,” or the familiar “Om” (rhymes with home). Toning with my voice helps support a deeper connection with whatever your body is trying to tell you. Often it becomes an experience of great nourishment and peace. 

Core Belief Change

Our thoughts have energy. When you change your thoughts, you change how you feel. This, in turn, affects your behavior. As your behavior changes, so do the outcomes reflected back to you about who you are. A new neural pathway of understanding and being yourself opens up. Working therapeutically at the level of core beliefs can have a profound effect on the quality of your life. 

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) is the practice of using horses as a means of facilitating emotional growth and healing for an individual or group. The practitioner acts as a guide and witness to the experience between their clients and horses and helps each individual integrate what they have earned. The horse-human relationship often brings up issues that are relevant to the client’s personal relationships, and/or with their sense of self. These sessions are 90 minutes or more; for youth, one hour. 

Contact

Kristin Fernald © 2024 | Created with love by Stephanie Cariker