Meet the Members of Your Healing Team

“If it 'takes a village' to raise a child, then it takes 'a village of healers' to revive a traumatized inner child.” 

Lora has been actively engaged in the study and practice of healing arts for more than 20 years, beginning with yoga, journaling, body work, psychotherapy, and sacred ceremony. She earned her Master's degree in counseling from John F Kennedy University in 2011 with an emphasis in somatic interventions for healing from trauma and abuse. 

Lora believes that childhood trauma can be addressed in adulthood in ways that are not available to us as children—healing the psyche in ways that lead to a new found sense of freedom, healthy boundaries and communication skills, and unconditional positive self regard. “Healing generational wounding makes way for a brighter future for everyone.” 

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Complex Trauma; Adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse including incest; Somatic processing; psychodynamic; EMDR

Get to know Lora: “My personal journey began with yoga in 1997.  I was terrible at it! But by connecting with my body through yoga, I was able to experience mindfulness, grounding, containment, and resourcing. These are all skills that make healing from childhood trauma possible.” 

Learn more about Lora's professional career.

“Navigating the aftermath of past trauma can be isolating and soul crushing. We are relational beings and can’t carry life’s burdens alone, we need each other to heal.”

Sudhir is a somatic and experiential therapist trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR, and psychodrama. She helps her clients unravel the impacts of trauma and relational wounding on the nervous system, supporting you to cultivate a new relationship to yourself, others, and the world we live in. 

“We live in turbulent times. For many of us this can be reactivating layers of old trauma that might show up as shame, chronic anxiety, or a shutting down to life and love.”  Sudhir believes we all have the capacity to heal from adversity. 

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: cPTSD, Sexual Trauma

Get to know Sudhir: “As an experiential therapist I help you unravel the story held in your body, heart, and mind. I invite you to turn towards your symptoms with curiosity and openness, and by deeply listening to your inner world, finding the doorway for healing growth and new possibilities.”

Learn more about Sudhir's professional career.

“May you listen to your longing to be free.”~

from the poem Belonging, by John O’Donohue

Through her work, Nancy has learned that childhood emotional trauma can impact the brain in similar ways to physical trauma, causing structural changes that can often be seen with brain imaging. Which is to say, its impact is very real within the nervous system and body. It also places individuals at much higher risk for substance use disorders and serious chronic diseases, such as autoimmune disease and cancer. “But know that effective treatment is truly possible, to change the course of one’s life, health, and relationships.” 

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: support and relief of symptoms of trauma, CPTSD, PTSD, depression, anxiety and ADHD, through evidence informed holistic approaches; and supplements, prescription medications, psychedelic assisted therapy, and supportive psychotherapy informed by IFS and somatic approaches. 

"I meet clients where they are at in their healing process, and use a collaborative approach to support them as far as they want to go."

Get to know Nancy: "I am a science nerd, and I've spent a lifetime studying family medicine and wellness, including a Masters degree from the University of Alaska, a Doctorate in Nursing from the University of Colorado, and a one year Fellowship in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin) through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute in Boulder. 

 I have walked the path of healing myself from multigenerational family trauma and autoimmune disease, so I know this terrain well, both as a highly educated health care provider and a frustrated patient seeking answers. I have literally gone to the ends of the earth to heal myself. I love every part of myself and my life now. It is possible."

Learn more about Nancy’s professional career at https://www.nancybrew.com/about. 

“I approach people as people, not labels or diagnoses. I believe people do the best they can, and when they know better, they do better.” 

Lorie brings 57 years of practice as a Clinical Social Worker and Addictionologist to HeartSpace New Mexico, helping patients develop strategies to change behavior or cope with difficult situations and working through the grief resolution process toward building healthier, more-productive and self-fulfilling lives.

She is the co-author of the groundbreaking book, After the Tears: Helping Adult Children of Alcoholics Heal Their Childhood Trauma, which has been celebrated for nearly forty years as a guide to healing for adult children from alcoholic or addicted families. 

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Family and Group Therapy, Lectures on Addiction and Trauma.

Get to know Lorie: “I see addiction as a Primary Disorder, influenced by epigenetics, and an individual’s trauma history can act as a problem accelerant which must be co-addressed with the addiction.”

“I believe everyone holds an internal wisdom that helps inform their healing process. The job of the therapist is to support people as they return to their center and access their own inner knowing.” 

Jonah is an Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed Clinical Intern. He has been a professional astrologer for seven years and he has studied hypnosis and psychedelic integration. He holds a certificate of completion from the Addictions, Abuse, & Recovery Program at Southwestern College. 

Before training as a therapist, Jonah studied Skills For Change, a coaching modality that examines how power functions in structures, and relationships to help us navigate situations in ways that are in alignment with our authentic selves. 

His areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Addiction, Abuse, and Recovery Therapy.

Get to know Jonah: “Astrology has helped inform my person-centered approach to counseling, helping me to recognize how myth, narrative, and archetype can be utilized to support clients in understanding and reframing their life experiences. It has also informed my understanding of how external systems and cycles of time impact the individual.” 

“Regarding my work, I am never not going to fight for the underdog.”

 Claudia understands that financial stress and shame, whether they originate from childhood, relational, or generational trauma, growing up in poverty or with means, enduring systemic and structural racism, or even the aftermath of COVID-19, can significantly affect a person's physical and mental wellbeing. “My life's work is to empower clients by enhancing their financial knowledge and skills within a supportive environment that fosters understanding, reduces shame, and increases their confidence in navigating complex financial systems.” 

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Trauma-Informed Financial Counseling, Coaching, and Specialty Workshops on various financial topics

Get to know Claudia: “I understand firsthand the challenges of navigating a society that prioritizes independence, self-reliance, and the relentless pursuit of the American Dream, especially with no operating manual. Growing up in an immigrant household with limited access to resources and zero exposure to financial literacy meant that I learned a lot of things the hard way. This journey has profoundly shaped who I am and brought me to this point. 

I hope that my passion for learning, interrupting structural racism, advocating for social justice, and promoting economic equity helps to create a world where everyone truly has the opportunity to thrive.” 

“I have an unwavering belief in our capability to change, honoring just how difficult change can be, and maintaining hope that with appropriate support we are all capable of thriving.”

Skip’s perspective on trauma and healing is that trauma affects us when it happens, it changes us, and that these alterations can create difficulties in maintaining our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. His clinical approach is client-centered and addresses cognitive behavioral issues, the existential, and addressing your inner child.

His areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Grief and Loss, Life Transitions, Boundaries, Life Management, and Identity Management.

Get to know Skip: “I understand that it can be very challenging sometimes just existing in this world, and my desire as a therapist is to do what I can to help my clients navigate their own course toward their personal desires. HeartSpace New Mexico will allow me to continue to help clients through a collaborative team model that I have found to be exceptionally helpful and supportive to both clients and therapists.”

“There’s so much wisdom in “There’s an ‘I’ in Illness and a ‘We’ in Wellness. Let us love you until you can love yourself.”

Quinn Fontaine is an out and proud TRANSguy who has a background in all things expressive—standup, sketch, and improvisational comedy, installation work, and found object sculpture—and had his Broadway debut on April 12, 2021 with a commissioned monologue for the streaming sensation Period Piece. 

He is the author of the international best-selling book, Hung Like a Seahorse: A Real-Life Transgender Adventure of Tragedy, Comedy, and Recovery. 

Quinn began his healing journey and recovery from multiple addictions in 2006. “As a survivor, now thriver, and a recovering addict I know the power of healing in community.” 

Quinn believes that we can all reclaim our essence. We all can come home to ourselves. “I gently lead my clients/students back to themselves through the vibration of Play and Prayer.”

His areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Essence Work + Improvisation.

Get to know Quinn: “I personally believe that beauty abounds and life is for the LOVING! I help my clients get back to their 'factory setting,' which is PURE LOVE.”

Learn more about Quinn’s professional career at  http://quinnfontaine.com/.

“A genuine embrace of our unique story grants access to self-love and true freedom of being. This is where healing happens.” 

Reverend Charles Hall is a spiritual counselor and ordained Minister. Charles believes that we are whole and complete human beings, and that the adventure of life can wear us down and cause us to forget who and what we really are. Restoration to our natural expression of beauty and perfection rests on our ability to remember our spiritual identity, and ignite once again our enthusiasm for living. 

This is to heal.

“Working as a team in a collaborative environment wraps every client in a healing blanket of love and truth revealing spiritual magnificence.”

His areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Spiritual Counseling, Substance Use Disorder. 

Get to know Charles: “There is book knowledge. There is street knowledge. My particular adventure in life has allowed for access to both. This, coupled with my love for people allows me to be helpful. And that is all I really want to be.”

Learn more at https://thelifecaddie.com/#charles. 

“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”—Brené Brown

Josephine understands that our journey to healing can be an overwhelming process, especially when we feel we don’t know where to start. She utilizes the Mind-Body-Spirit approach with the main concept being that we are more than our thoughts. When combined, the three areas of mind, body, and spirit allow greater insight into our identity, health, and spiritual factors that may influence how we cope with daily and/or life stressors. 

Her practice is dedicated to adults, homeless adults and treating Binge Eating Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, and Substance Use Disorders.

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Mindfulness, Body Image, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders.

Get to know Josephine: “We have the power to ask questions and remain curious, without judgment, about how our trauma has impacted us and what our healing process can look like. Sometimes we need those rainy days to show us that we can get through challenging times once we have obtained the necessary healthy coping skills, community, and empowerment.” 

“Taking steps towards healing could seem as a difficult road. But with each step, confidence is building and the new path that looked intimidating at first becomes rewarding with the results.”

As a physician, Roxana sees the patient as taking the lead on their journey to healing. And she sees her role as to present them with the landscape of available tools and help in the decision process to choose the ones that will help craft a solid and long-lasting rebuilding.

“Traumatic experiences are ubiquitous and influence one’s life in many different ways. Gaining awareness of the feelings that emerge from these experiences become the base of the recovery work.”  

Roxana holds Board certifications in Psychiatry and Neurology for both General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She understands that the convoluted process of recovery from trauma involves exploration of feelings, and the acceptance, awareness, and discovery of one’s emotions. 

“Building community, incorporating self-care, and seeking professional advice become essential elements in developing into a healthy and empowered trauma survivor.”

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Adult, Adolescent, and Child Psychiatry

Get to know Roxana: “Beauty surrounds us everywhere, and I am an avid pursuer in finding it and enjoying the positive energy that it brings. My daily hikes in nature are the source of my refueling. I also enjoy nurturing plants and trees in my backyard, and spending time with my family, friends, and pets. Reading is my favorite activity.”

 “As Desmond Tutu said, we are missing so much by just pulling people out of the river downstream. That is exhausting and ineffective. We need to start upstream and understand why people end up in the river. We have to be creative, intentional, and reach out to stop the falling in much earlier.” 

Shari believes it’s time to do things differently in mental health and addiction work. And it begins by listening carefully and respectfully to what is going on in families, in schools, in jails, in our communities. “We have to listen, learn, and be curious about what each person can teach us about resilience, strength, and courage. We have to figure out how to support individuals and families to be the people they want to be, and maybe that involves learning how to break the legacy of trauma, addiction, or absenteeism that some grew up carrying.”

Shari has led clinical teams and medical programs at numerous medical and mental health treatment facilities. She has held various public service posts and been published in numerous medical journals. Her methodology is heavily influenced by Systems Theory, Cybernetics, Attachment Theory, Psychodynamics, Narrative and Contextual Theories.

But at the core of her work is her heart. “I’ve had the profound privilege to witness human resilience even in the face of some pretty heavy circumstances. And we as practitioners and healers have to continue to learn and understand trauma and what are the most effective and useful ways of healing...because a life can depend on it.”

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Medication management, psychiatric evaluation and treatment; Child, couples, family therapy; EMDR; Emotionally-focused Couples Therapy; Disordered eating

Get to know Shari: “I’m here to help people find or get back to the one wild and precious life they were meant to live. Here at HeartSpace we are on your team and we’re all in it together. We make each other stronger.” 

Bodhi, her service dog, was trained at the Assistance Dogs of the West and can frequently be found doing his own brand of therapy at HeartSpace.

“Healing is moving forward without letting our past define our future.”

“Come as you are.” Ashley believes in meeting you wherever you are on your unique journey and providing a safe and affirming space for you to express and process your emotions. She approaches therapy as non-judgmental, empowering and engaging. 

Ashley takes an experiential and creative approach to psychotherapy that embraces the power of art and its ability to aid in self expression and healing. “By working as a team at HeartSpace New Mexico, we can provide more effective and holistic support to individuals, fostering an environment where every team member's unique skills contribute to the overall well-being of our clients.” 

This collaborative spirit not only enhances the quality of care but also builds a strong, supportive community within HeartSpace. 

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: Art therapy, brainspotting, teens and young adults, LGBTQIA+, self harm behaviors, anxiety, PTSD, depression. 

Get to know Ashley: “I believe that healing is a lifelong journey. Instead of achieving a state of complete recovery, healing involves understanding how past traumas have shaped us and learning to navigate life with greater resilience and awareness.”

 “I wanted the past to go away,

I wanted to leave it,

like another country; I wanted
my life to close, and open

…. I wanted to know, whoever I was,

I was alive for a little while.”

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do/ with your one wild and precious life?”

(excerpts from Mary Oliver poems)

"I like to say ‘the way is through.’ Conditioning, hurtful and limiting experiences, relational problems can become ever repeating cycles of pain, fear, and frustration. Avoiding and defending only trap us more deeply. I have been there myself, and as a therapist I am dedicated to lovingly support people in learning to let go of the old painful shackles , and discover their own essence. Our inborn tendency is toward growing and healing, to explore and express our natural life force. I want to meet you there."

Gabrielle integrates EMDR, CBT, psychodynamic and somatic therapy approaches, and active experiential therapy. She wants to offer a holistic balance between insight, emotional and somatic well-being, and adaptive behavior to support meaningful growth and healing. Trauma work has been a key focus for her as a therapist, having worked in trauma rehab and sexual abuse treatment programs, as well as with accident and catastrophic event trauma.

Her areas of specialty at HeartSpace New Mexico include: PTSD, CPTSD; Stress and mood disorders, sexual abuse, grief; identity, attachment, and relational issues; Self esteem, spiritual connection; Individual, couple, and group therapy.

Get to know Gabrielle: “I love to be present with people in their complete human experience, gently inviting each person to work through the pain and trauma that can obstruct one’s life force while also nurturing the courage and passion needed to engage authentically with their life's challenges, and to open to awakening and deep, loving connection."