Today we’d like to introduce you to Odelia Morovati.
Hi Odelia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From as far back as I can remember, I’ve had the desire to work in the mental health field, specifically with children. Even as a child, I was always naturally curious about how the brain works- what drives people to make the choices they make and be the way they are. I would look at bullies, for example, and just intuitively sense that they were probably hurting deep down inside. I could easily pick up on other’s feelings and had a way of seeing beyond people’s reactions and triggers. That continuous, natural curiosity ultimately led me to pursue a career as a therapist and brought me to doing the work I do today. My consistent goal in this field is to ultimately find more ways to help people remove blocks and start seeing themselves for who they authentically are, with a compassionate lens.
I was pretty young when I first got started practicing therapy, which led me to work harder to prove myself. As a trainee, I was placed at a non-profit outpatient clinic, specifically working with at-risk youth who experienced trauma and attachment injuries. Working at that clinic changed my trajectory in the type of experience I would be gaining and ultimately the type of work I would be doing. During my time there, I worked a lot with adopted/foster youth, which helped me gain a better understanding of attachment theory and how our brains are wired as children- how our early attachments ultimately affect us as adults and how we view ourselves and others.
I also began to see the limitations of talk therapy, especially while working with children. As I learned more about neuroscience and trauma, I came to realize the powerful effects of play and expressive arts therapy; not only for children but for teens and adults too, helping them process their childhood traumas and to bring unconscious material to the surface in a safe way. In the same manner, I also became extensively trained in EMDR, another modality that goes beyond talk therapy, using body-based techniques and your brain’s own natural capacity to change the way traumatic memories are stored in the brain. Using various creative interventions in the therapy room has always been a passion of mine, and I look forward to continue to find more ways to integrate that into sessions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Although I am extremely passionate about the work I do, I definitely wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road! I think we all have hardships we experience throughout our lifetime, that ultimately shape us into who we are. Being first generation in my family to go to college and grad school, there was a certain pressure to “make it.” I had to work my way through paying for my own education, while dealing with a lot of self-doubt and often experiencing “imposter’s syndrome.” I had to work through letting go of the perfectionist mindset and trust in the wisdom that would follow the mistakes and road bumps. And that is still a work in progress!
I have also gone through some major physical health crises over the last decade, which exposed some deeper-rooted traumas stemming from my childhood that I had never worked through. I believe suffering can lead us to a place where we can either ignore all the pain, or take a deeper look and acknowledge our shadow parts, commit to healing our traumas, and step more so into our wholeness. Experiencing chronic pain made it difficult to work at times and show up in the ways I’ve wanted to. However, it has also opened up my eyes to the importance of self-care and self-compassion, especially being in this field. Showing up for ourselves continuously, I believe, is a lifelong journey-we’re never quite finished working on ourselves. I do personally feel that going through my own healing journey has humbled me and allowed me to ultimately have more empathy for my clients and what they are experiencing. It has also only deepened my desire to work with others in helping them break free from the emotional hijack of traumatic experiences.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Safe Roots Counseling?
Although my background has been in working with children, my practice is currently focused on supporting teens and adults to work through and unpack childhood traumas and attachment injuries, which ultimately effects our overall sense of worth and how we show up in the world as adults. Having experience working with children and understanding what causes them hurt and pain, has led my passion in helping individuals tend to and heal their wounded inner child. So many of our adult behaviors and choices stem from unresolved and often unconscious childhood experiences. In combination with EMDR therapy, inner child healing can allow us to access past repressed emotions and memories, empowering us to go back to, nurture, and listen to our younger parts of ourselves by showing them they are deserving of unconditional love.
I also specialize in working with parents of children who have experienced significant traumas or attachment injuries, including adoptive and foster youth. I’m passionate in providing the tools and skills necessary to help parents navigate towards how to empathetically show up for their child-to ultimately help them foster feelings of safety and connectedness, which is vital to a child’s healing process.
To sum up, I really enjoying incorporating any creative interventions in sessions, such as art, music, and sand-tray therapy, which can help people resolve deeper issues and gain insight into their own unconscious patterns. I truly believe in the resilience of the human spirit and that we all have the resources within us to grow and heal.
On a side note, one of my most proud ventures is co-developing an affirmation and journaling IOS app, called “Affirm Me”. We poured our heart and soul into this, wanting to empower others to experience the benefits of journaling/affirmations practice, and help integrate a more mindful way to use technology. We have been offering all features for free during the pandemic to hopefully bring some relief and healing for people during these tough times.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I am currently doing all telehealth sessions through my private practice, offered to anyone in the State of California, using a secure HIPAA platform. I initially thought this would be a difficult transition, as I am usually all about in-person connections, but I’ve been really grateful for how it has panned out. It has worked out significantly better than I anticipated for most of my clients, some even being able to do deeper work, possibly attributed to being in the comfort of their own home. My kitten also tends to video bomb my sessions sometimes, which my clients love! I will probably eventually transition back to in office, while also keeping telehealth for those who prefer it. I am looking forward to being able to do more in-person sessions, to incorporate more expressive arts and reconnect with my work with younger children.
I am also working on getting certified in playing crystal singing bowls and facilitating sound baths, which is a form of meditation that utilizes the frequencies produced from ambient sounds to bring a state of relaxation to the mind and body. I started playing singing bowls to help with my own physical and emotional healing, and as a way to wind down. I’ve always had a huge passion for music and have been fascinated with the healing effects of sound. I’m excited for what the future holds, hoping to start offering group sessions, specifically geared for teachers and healthcare workers, to provide a space where they can put work stressors aside for just an hour and show up for themselves.
Pricing:
- • Initial phone consultation (10-15 minutes): FREE
- • Telehealth psychotherapy session (~50 minutes): $150 – sliding scale available.
- • Currently in network with Cigna and United Healthcare insurances.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: saferootscounseling.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/affirmmeapp?utm_medium=copy_link
- Other: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/affirm-me-daily-affirmations/id1269438066
