Berns Galloway

My first professional incarnation was as an elementary teacher in New Brunswick and Northwest Territories, Canada. After 12 years of being in front of the classroom my focus shifted to psychotherapeutic group work. I studied various humanistic approaches and bodywork at PD Seminars, then earned a Masters degree from the University of Victoria in 1995. I have worked as a mental health therapist for a non-profit community agency, providing short term therapy to adults, training and supervising volunteers, and supervising graduate students' practica. I also have a private practice. Somatic Experiencing® entered my life in 2000 and has since been a major focus in my professional orientation. Incorporating SE® bodywork/touch has deepened my experience and strengthened the impact of the therapeutic process. Early in this learning process I was privileged to be part of a gifted training team working with First Nations peoples here on Vancouver Island. The depth of the trauma and commitment to change foreshadowed the transformation through the healing process. I am grateful and humbled to have witnessed this. They reinforced how organic somatic work is, the power of connection, and the necessity of embodying the full range of life's energy. Collaboration and connection is key. We are not meant to go-it alone.