Meet your therapist: Carly Parsons, LCSW (she/her)

Hi there, I’m Carly. Welcome.

I know the importance of finding a good fit with a therapist with whom you can feel both connected to and challenged by, and who will respect the pace you need to feel comfortable opening up. I have firsthand experience and understanding of the impact of chronic and traumatic stress over time and how it impacts the ways we view ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we see the world. Informed by my own lived experience and professional training, I hope to be a supportive and safe enough resource for you to honor your life experiences, transform your trauma, and connect to a more embodied life.

I am passionate about working with adults who have experienced complex traumas such as sexual assault, religious trauma, domestic abuse, attachment trauma, intergenerational trauma, and discrimination and oppression. I enjoy supporting clients in navigating identity and faith exploration and transition. I embrace an affirming and well-informed view of LGBTQ+ identities and relationships, and I see many of our internal struggles and inherent wisdom through a social justice lens. My approach is informed by queer and feminist theory and practice, and I aim to practice from a decolonizing and depathologizing framework. Ultimately, I prioritize your lived experience and believe that no specialization will take the place of a secure therapeutic relationship and your own internal wisdom.

Throughout my own healing journey, I have found permission to experience embodied connection to myself and the world around me. Outside of the therapy space, I experience embodiment through exploring Southern Utah’s red rock, rejuvenation by traveling to new places and learning about cultures outside my own, calmness and curiosity by reading a good book and playing with my dogs, and connection in good conversation and laughs with people I love. Over delicious food of course!

What is Embody Counseling?

Trauma can lead us to feel like we just can’t shake our past. We often experience feeling the following:

  • Easily startled, unsafe and uncomfortable

  • Disconnected from the present moment, our surroundings, and/or our body

  • Trouble trusting other people and our own decision-making

  • Somatic symptoms like body tension, chronic pain, trouble breathing, and trouble sleeping

  • Difficulty remembering important events or recent experiences

  • Depressed mood and low motivation

  • Insecurity, self-blame, and shame

  • Perfectionism and people-pleasing

  • Irritable, on-edge, and trouble resting

  • Stuck in old patterns or living inauthentically

Accessing trauma-informed, embodiment-based counseling can be an important resource in getting unstuck. A traditional approach to counseling emphasizes talking and meaning-making. With an embodiment-based approach, you are invited into healing by moving beyond what can be verbalized and into a connected experience with your body sensations, where stored emotions and memories are often held. By becoming familiar with your “internal landscape”, you can begin to see emotions and body sensations as a guiding compass in the present moment, and as the powerful survival responses that they really are.

With the support of Embody Counseling, you can learn self-soothing skills and transform unwanted patterns, trauma memories, and stuck points into compassionate care for yourself and connection to a more empowered you.