Brenda Aufderhar RN, MSW, LICSW
I bring a tapestry of life experiences and skills that inform and guide how I support your inner work.
For ten years of my childhood I lived in South America and witnessed the importance of translation from English, to Spanish, to Indian dialects all for the purpose of communication. That fluency and fluidity of daily translating now informs my work with individuals, couples and groups as I find different ways to say the same thing to open understanding and connection internally within a person and their parts, as well as between individuals.
Working as a nurse in the ICU, oncology, medical and surgical floors for 10 years gave me a strong anatomy focus. Becoming diplomat certified in CranioSacral Therapy (CST) through the Upledger Institute gave me the skills to gently palpate the housing of the nervous system and the body. Instead of telling the tissue how to be, this light respectful touch listens while also offering the body options on how to move. I use this quality of listening touch when working with bodies that hold depression, anxiety, and trauma of different kinds. This inclusive, hands on way to welcome the body enhances the client’s ability to be more calmly present to their own body’s story. Observing the life changing impact of CST has fueled my passion and conviction to include the body in various ways with talk therapy and to teach others how to do the same.


In 2000 I joined a three-year training in Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy where I finetuned the ability to create safety, track client-therapist attunement and use experiments to bring more awareness to the client. During Hakomi training, I was introduced to Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) through a weekend with Dr. Richard Schwartz and continued IFS integration through one of the Hakomi instructors. I have used IFS in my work with clients for the past 20 years for both individual and group settings. I got my master’s in Social Work and as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker I have taken all three levels of IFS training, been an assistant in trainings, and am certified in IFS therapy.
IFS therapy for me is now an art form that offers a structure or map, bringing clarity of direction, when applying grace for deep healing and support for the client’s Self-leadership. As it matches the individual’s or group’s needs, I love blending IFS and body awareness in support of wholistic healing; relationally, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
“Brenda is gentle, strong, tender, intuitive, and has a connecting spirit.
She has a gift for holding and creating healing empowering spaces.”
— T.E., IFS Practitioner