Witnessing IS…
My Rouge Route // QUICK POWER
When I burnt out from researching Trauma Exposure + The Mechanics of Resilience - I reimagined what service and sanctuary meant for me as a care practitioner. Now, when a client and I enter a witnessing relationship, our primary focus is on building a safe container where they are forever regarded as the expert of their own lives. Here, my role as a witness is to collaborate with their inner and innate wisdom - what is called Interoception in traditional Psychology. Our work springs from a relationship built upon freedom of expression, mindful presence, the posture of embodied liberation, and radical honesty. A container for fearlessness, for fear and mess, for grief, for wonder, for companionship. What we do in any one session, and what we set out to accomplish in any one relationship, may vary wildly. Some sessions we may be bolstering the confidence to finalize a badass 5 year plan, some days we may sit in silence + breath, crafting a loving self-care plan, some days we may be processing impermanence + discussing how to die well. The one constant will be the question we begin with: “What do you need today? And how can my presence, imagination, and unconditional care for you help you meet this need?”
A safe, trauma informed, relational touchstone
A reflective ritual, like body work for the soul
A place to slow down, to speed up, to scream, to laugh, to cry
A landing pad upon which to be wild - embraced in your mystical mamallian form, outside of pathology or diagnosis
A space to get existential, root into your purpose, be seen for the truth of who you have been, are, and have the courage to be
A supportive cocoon from which you may emerge more awake to + in embrace of your own innate worth, gifts, and sense of resilience
Witnessing ISN’T…
Therapy
Therapy requires a graduate degree and licensure. It is regulated under state and national laws, can be paid for through insurance or HSAs, and may be a space where diagnoses + treatment plans are offered and maintained. There are many varying modalities for therapists to practice under, and the treatment lengths may vary from short to long term work. Therapy is also a beautiful, safe, and regulated container.
Coaching
Coaching does not require specific education, is most often sort term work, though, like witnessing, coaching offers flexibility outside of therapy’s regulations. There are many various programs available for a person to be trained as a specific type of coach (health, psycho-spiritual, financial, etc.), and is a valuable, often times more accessible and approachable form of care-work.
Primary Mental Health Care
My experience within the mental healthcare system—both personally and as a Community Social Worker—revealed its institutional limitations. Seeing the bureaucratic barriers firsthand, I chose to create something new: a warm, approachable space that challenges traditional hierarchies and enables lasting change at a quicker pace than traditional psychotherapy. Quick can often mean cold, not here. Quick is sun warm - a flame flicker, a starter. And while not replacing evidence-based trauma treatments, this practice offers a trauma-informed alternative that walks alongside conventional approaches.
Curious about your options?
If therapy or coaching feels more aligned for you, book a session to explore your care needs and you will receive a customized resource guide tailored to your path.
Notes from some who have been witnessed…
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Notes from some who have been witnessed… *
Emmy
What is it like to be witnessed by Sammi?
It's like walking. And Sammi is like moonlight - on a dark night when the moon peeks through the windows and clouds, Sammi illuminates the path already there in front of me. It was hard to see before my eyes adjusted. But I knew the moon was there even when the clouds passed back over, and Sammi’s voice ushered me further. Like a soft glow. Warm. I feel safe. They build me up, but not with fluff - rather of stones, shaped by the river and stacked. Bit by bit with their honest and true encouragement. The ability Sammi has to be a mirror and a friend along this quiet night walk makes it one of peaceful nature.
Penny
Sammi is like the long, soothing exhale after a hot summer, when the breeze of a new season brushes your cheek. Their gifts are expansive and bountiful with a bright, piercing love.
Lindsay
Sammi is a prism. What passes through them is transmuted into something larger and more radiant- just from their mere existence. Sammi is solid and fluid. A shapeshifter who only ever gives their best and most.
Kelly
I’ve never felt more seen by anyone than I have by Sammi. Being truly seen is vulnerable, but it’s also incredibly freeing. Sammi has the remarkable ability to tune into energy, body language, eye contact, tone of voice—the subtle cues that often reveal more than we realize. It’s as if there’s nowhere to hide, but that’s only good news if you’re ready to stop hiding any part of yourself. Sammi has a gift for uncovering blind spots we may not even know exist. To fully embrace and soften into this process, we need someone who can mirror these parts of ourselves with kindness, patience, and empathy. Sammi is exactly that person. They are non-judgmental, deeply compassionate, and warm—having navigated their own struggles and emerged with a desire to help others do the same. They embody unconditional love and it is a blessing to be witnessed by them while traversing the waves of life.
