APPROACH

My Philosophy

I believe that the mind and body already hold the tools to find stability, make sense of things, and move forward with more ease. Healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken—it’s about creating the conditions for your system to restore balance, integrate experiences, and grow in a way that feels natural and lasting.

Much like regenerative medicine supports the body's ability to heal itself, my approach to mental health honors the body’s innate intelligence—helping you rewire patterns, reconnect with yourself, and build resilience from the inside out.

Drawing from multiple Somatic, Relational and Experiential therapies and practices,  I weave together an approach that honors the intelligence of your body. I bridge the practical and the creative—blending deep nervous system work with expressive, movement-based healing to create real, embodied change. Each modality serves as a pathway to greater awareness, integration, and ease, helping you move towards wholeness in a way that feels organic and deeply embodied.

The Principles that Guide Our Work

  • By grounding in your physical self, you tap into a source of wisdom, resilience, and clarity that fuels transformation.

  • Meeting yourself with kindness—especially in moments of struggle—cultivates the safety and strength needed to confront your truths and grow into your fullness

  • What you notice, you can shift. Change begins by paying attention. Noticing where your attention goes, how you react, and what you hold onto allows you to shift your focus and create new possibilities.

  • Growth requires space. Shedding old stories, expectations, and unhelpful patterns allows you to move forward with peace, creativity, and authentic connection.

  • How you move through the world  changes how you feel in it. Our physical state is the lens through which we think, act, and connect. Your posture, breath, and movement influence your emotions, relationships, and self-perception. Presence isn’t just a state of mind—it’s a full-body experience.

  • Your truest self is beyond doubt. By quieting the noise of self-judgment and fear, you can reconnect to your deeper truths and the vibrancy of being fully present.

Modalities and Offerings

  • Somatic Psychotherapy

    “The only way the mind is made real is through the actions of the body it is embedded in”- Christine Caldwell. 

    Somatic psychotherapy is a body-based approach to healing that recognizes the deep connection between mind, body, and nervous system regulation. My work is informed by polyvagal theory, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Hakomi, Contemplative Psychology, Gestalt Therapy, and human-centered psychotherapy, integrating multiple perspectives on how we heal.

    Rather than relying solely on talking and analyzing, we engage the body directly—through movement, breath, sensation, and awareness—to access and process emotions, patterns, and trauma responses stored in the nervous system. By working with the body’s innate intelligence, we shift survival-based reactions into more regulated states, allowing for healing that is felt, not just understood.

    Trained in The Moving Cycle by Christine Caldwell at Naropa University, I help clients reconnect with their bodies, release old patterns, and build resilience from the inside out. Somatic psychotherapy works alongside traditional talk therapy and CBT approaches by engaging the body’s wisdom, allowing for a deeper, more lasting transformation than cognitive insight alone.

    MORE INFO

  • Dance/Movement Therapy

    “The primary objective is to develop greater expressive capacity through expansion of movement repertoire.”
    — Dr. Amber Gray

    Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT) is a body-based therapeutic approach that uses movement as a tool for emotional healing, self-discovery, and nervous system regulation. Movement and emotion are deeply connected—our bodies hold experiences, express what words often can’t, and shape how we feel. DMT helps you tap into this connection, using movement to process emotions, shift stuck patterns, and build a deeper relationship with yourself.

    Tenets of Dance/Movement Therapy

    1. The Body and Mind Are Inseparable

    2. Body Movement Reflects Inner Emotional States

    3. Changes in Movement Can Lead to Changes in the Psyche
    (Amber Gray, from Fran Levy, 1992, Dance/Movement Therapy)

    In my practice, I draw from Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and Feldenkrais-based principles to deepen the work of Dance/Movement Therapy. Laban’s framework helps explore how movement patterns and spatial awareness reflect psychological and emotional states, while Feldenkrais-informed approaches focus on refining movement efficiency, increasing adaptability, and supporting nervous system regulation.

    More Info- ADTA

  • Dance/Movement Therapy Cont'd

    Instead of only talking through challenges, we bring awareness to how your body moves, holds tension, and responds to emotions. This might look like subtle shifts in posture, breath, and gestures or more expressive movement explorations. There’s no choreography, no expectation to perform—just an opportunity to explore and move in a way that feels natural to you, through small embodied shifts or full-body movement,

    What It Does

    Regulates the nervous system, shifting from survival states into ease and presence.

    Uncovers and reshapes movement patterns that reflect emotional and relational habits.

    Helps process emotions non-verbally, especially when talking feels overwhelming or limiting.

    Builds self-trust, confidence, and connection by integrating mind and body.

    Encourages freedom, expression, and play in a way that feels authentic to you.

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  • EMDR

    “Go with that”

    In EMDR there are 8 phases which are designed to help you process traumatic or disturbing experiences that are stuck and stored in the brain and body. We use the language stuck and stored because when unprocessed, the memory of these events can cause the distressing and confusing symptoms you are experiencing presently.  We recognize trauma to include any event that you perceive to have been threatening and remains disturbing and upsetting to you.

    EMDR is an integrated trauma treatment modality that compliments Somatic modalities and adds a slightly different structure and integration of other schools of thought including: psychodynamic (exploring childhood experiences); cognitive therapy (working with thoughts), and behaviorism (focus on changing behaviors). Furthermore, this modality heightens the body-based experiential aspect of work we are already doing because it integrates BLS. BLS is bilateral dual attention stimulation which can look like eye movements or tapping. This mechanism really supports the body and brain to do what it naturally does. 

    EMDR can be particularly helpful for those who have experienced: rape, sexual abuse, natural disasters, auto accidents, combat, oppression, distressing childhood experiences and disturbing interpersonal interactions. 

    Stefanie is certified with EMDRIA and is currently a EMDR- Consultant In Training. 

    MORE INFO

This work is both practical and creative—

  • rooted in science,

  • informed by clinical intuition

  • and deeply connected to the wisdom of the body.

Kind Words

  • Anonymous

    "The manner in which all things came to a screeching halt in Covid shutdown for my student was mind blowing. She is a TAG, 2E empathic who feels so deeply when in most situations especially given crisis situations. Stefanie's weekly Zoom group meeting to support my student and others alike, was an incredibly helpful experience! She took time for each student, had mindful convos and fun exercises!”

  • LFR, Minister, Group Leader

    “Stefanie Raccuglia is a warm vibrant soul.  She worked with my son for many years using movement to facilitate his own self-expression.  In the process, she helped him experience himself as beautiful & talented, and supported me as the parent of a talented neuro-atypical child.  She’s made a huge difference in our family’s life.“

  • Shelly Gainsley, Operations Director, The Health Partnership

    “Stefanie works with our agency in a few spaces... she does a group with our care coordinators to talk about client work and support for the care team in what they need to do their best work. She also facilitates a group of our team supervisors. We love the mindfulness she brings to the groups and does a great job holding space for what is needed in each moment. We all love the work Stefanie does and looking forward to continuing with her in 2022!“

The Principles that Guide Our Work

Your Body is
Your Power. 

By grounding in your physical self, you tap into a source of wisdom, resilience, and clarity that fuels transformation.

Letting Go
Creates Space

Growth requires space. Shedding old stories, expectations, and unhelpful patterns allows you to move forward
with peace, creativity, and authentic connection.

  • By grounding in your physical self, you tap into a source of wisdom, resilience, and clarity that fuels transformation.

  • Meeting yourself with kindness—especially in moments of struggle—cultivates the safety and strength needed to confront your truths and grow into your fullness

  • What you notice, you can shift. Change begins by paying attention. Noticing where your attention goes, how you react, and what you hold onto allows you to shift your focus and create new possibilities.

  • Growth requires space. Shedding old stories, expectations, and unhelpful patterns allows you to move forward with peace, creativity, and authentic connection.

  • How you move through the world  changes how you feel in it. Our physical state is the lens through which we think, act, and connect. Your posture, breath, and movement influence your emotions, relationships, and self-perception. Presence isn’t just a state of mind—it’s a full-body experience.

  • Your truest self is beyond doubt. By quieting the noise of self-judgment and fear, you can reconnect to your deeper truths and the vibrancy of being fully present.

Growth Starts with Self-Compassion 

Meeting yourself with kindness—especially in moments of struggle—cultivates the safety and strength needed to confront your truths and grow into your fullness

Embodiment Shapes Experience

How you move through the world  changes how you feel in it. Our physical state is the lens through which we think, act, and connect. Your posture, breath, and movement influence your emotions, relationships, and self-perception. Presence isn’t just a state of mind—it’s a full-body experience.

AWARENESS CREATES POSSIBILITY

What you notice, you can shift. Change begins by paying attention. Noticing where your attention goes, how you react, and what you hold onto allows you to shift your focus and create new possibilities.

CLARITY LIVES
BEYOND FEAR

Your truest self is beyond doubt. By quieting the noise of self-judgment and fear, you can reconnect to your deeper truths and the vibrancy of being fully present.