resting roots theraPy

CAROLINA BATISTA

I work collaboratively with therapy participants to build a foundation of embodied safety and radical acceptance. I am as excited for you to grow as I am for you to rest.

In surviving we are often forced to ignore the needs of our body, spirit, and heart. I want us to practice listening to ourselves, each other, and the world around us in a co-created space.

I bring a holistic, anti-oppressive, trauma informed, and relational approach informed by psychodynamic, EMDR, & somatic therapies.

LMSW • NY License #123492

SHE/HER

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Therapy and consultation available via The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center

ABOUT ME

• I work with queer adult children of immigrants interested in reconnecting with their bodies, accessing intergenerational gifts, and exploring inherited relational patterns.

• Anti-oppressive therapy that acknowledges power dynamics in and outside of sessions, and the impact of systemic oppression on our body, mind, and relationships.

• LGBTQIA affirming care that honors your unique identity and experience.

• As a poly and kink positive therapist I embrace an empowered and expansive approach to relationships and sexuality.

• EMDR-trained and working towards certification and SSP-certified meaning I draw from evidence based somatic therapies and tailor them to your specific needs.

• I am fluent in English and Spanish, and love working in Spanglish.

• I believe in therapy as a way to experiment with new ways of being in a gentle, warm, and curious therapeutic relationship and at a slow and sustainable pace.

2ND GENERATION • WHITE • DOMINICAN AMERICAN • PANSEXUAL • CISGENDER • WOMAN

SPECIALTIES: KINK & POLY POSITIVE • LGBTQIA+ • INTERGENERATIONAL PATTERNS • IMMIGRANT FAMILIES • WHITE LATINE ACCOUNTABILITY

I OFFER

RELATIONSHIP THERAPY

Support for people in diverse relationship orientations to strengthen communication, deepen connection and safety, and repair relational ruptures.

SAFE & SOUND PROTOCOL + EMDR

Trauma-focused therapies that use sound and bilateral stimulation to reconnect with a sense of embodied safety to process and uproot painful thoughts, sensations, and feelings.

PSYCHOTHERAPY

A co-created relationship rooted in physical and emotional safety. We will explore and express your inner world, build insight into your unconscious patterns, & create sustainable change.

Available through G&STC for New York State Therapy Participants Only. HealthFirst Accepted.

TRAUMA INFORMED • SOMATIC • RELATIONAL • PSYCHODYNAMIC

PRACTICE SAFE CONNECTION • POLY & KINK POSITIVE

TARGETS CORE BELIEFS FOR LONG TERM CHANGE

LET'S WORK TOGETHER

BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION CALL BELOW

Therapy and consultation available via The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS EMDR?

• Eye movement • left to right eye movements where the clinician uses 2 fingers to guide the participant's eyes from looking all the way to the left to the right and back and forth at different speeds. We can also use auditory and physical ways of facilitating this left to right movement, also called bilateral stimulation.

• Desensitization • exposure to the activating memory, thought, feeling, and/or sensation while using fast left to right eye movements

• Reprocessing • we use slow left to right eye movements to replace the original negative belief with a neutral or positive belief about the self that leads to long term changes in symptoms

While EMDR as a therapeutic modality originated in the 1980s, Indigenous healers around the world have developed and cultivated the healing techniques at the heart of EMDR since ancient times and up through today. From dancing with friends to hot girl walks to drumming with your fingers to REM sleep, our bodies instinctually use bilateral stimulation to process memories and move through difficult moments.

Intentionally integrating this wisdom into your life can look like:

• Going for a walk or going out dancing with friends

• Listening to bilateral stimulation music when experiencing emotional pain

• When you have a good meal or pleasurable experience slowly sway back and forth to "lock in" the pleasurable feeling

• Butterfly hugs and other EMDR visualization exercises such as the light stream

WHAT IS THE SAFE AND SOUND PROTOCOL?

The Safe & Sound Protocol is a listening therapy based on the theory behind somatic experiencing therapy. It uses filtered music meaning that high and low tones have been removed from the music and a safe therapeutic relationship to increase your capacity to feel safe.

SSP asserts that our bodies associate high tones, such as the high pitched crying of a baby, and low tones, such as the boom of thunder, with danger. Using filtered music trains our ears to focus on "mid-range" tones that signal safety to our bodies.

Research has found SSP to be an effective resource in preparation for EMDR. I especially recommend SSP for therapy participants that experience hypervigilance or what can feel like "superhuman" auditory senses.

WHAT IS THE COST?

I am currently only seeing people through The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center which accepts Health First, including Medicaid plans, and Aetna insurance.

If this is outside of your coverage, I recommend looking at Open Path Collective for accessible ($30-70 per session) options. Below are some additional therapy recommendations for queer people in NYC:

• Anti-Violence Project (free) for short term trauma-focused counseling and groups as well as legal help for queer survivors of violence

• McShane Center ($25+ sliding scale) for cognitive (focusing on your thoughts) and psychodynamic therapy as well as group and relationship therapy

• Identity House (free) walk in and virtual one-off counseling sessions and individualized LGBTQ+ affirming therapy referrals

Low Cost Therapy NYC has an in depth guide to free and low cost mental health services in NYC with helpful suggestions for finding specialized treatment like EMDR, DBT, psychoanalysis, etc.

Mary Pender Green also has an incredible list of low cost therapy services organized by borough with an overview of services and costs.

WHAT IS PSYCHODYNAMIC THERAPY?

Psychodynamic therapy supports therapy participants in understanding unconscious behavioral and relational patterns by exploring formative childhood experiences, defense mechanisms, and hidden fears, desires, and challenges.