Sienna Forest (she/her)

As someone who has suffered from anxiety my whole life, I became very interested in this topic as a therapist. I specialize in using mindfulness and somatic techniques, including exercise interventions, to help ease anxiety and stress responses within the body. We cannot address anxiety without first addressing the physiological symptoms that arise from it.

As a species that survives and thrives through interconnection and communication, I am very interested in working with folks experiencing disconnection in their relationships. I work through the lens of relational-cultural theory and emotionally-focused therapy in order to help folks reattune with their attachment bonds, emotional states, and patterns of behavior within relationship.

I have worked with adolescents and young adults ages 14 to 24, and I love to collaborate with this population because of their raw emotional awareness, their honesty, and their passion for life. I currently run therapeutic climbing groups for teenage girls and nonbinary youth at Agility Boulders in Capitola, CA. If you are interested in these groups, please visit my website for more information at siennaforesttherapy.com!

I practice under the lens of relational-cultural therapy (RCT), where chronic disconnection is viewed as a primary source of mental health issues. RCT stresses the importance of an egalitarian, non-hierarchical approach to therapy, and in this way, it closely aligns with feminist therapy. RCT places humankind firmly within the context of community, family, and culture.

As a clinician, I offer walk-and-talk therapy in natural settings to clients who express interest in alternative therapeutic modalities. I have often found that clients are able to open up in new and insightful ways when we are walking side-by-side, and I believe that nature holds such power to heal. I only offer these services to folks living in Santa Cruz County.

I firmly believe that, as Dr. Bessel van der Kolk famously states, "the body keeps the score". Mindfulness practices, including meditation, yoga, and climbing, have been scientifically studied and shown to help reduce depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions. I incorporate mindfulness-based therapy practices into every one of my sessions because I have found that it helps to access deeper levels of awareness and acceptance.

As someone who practices consensual nonmonogamy in my own relationships, I have a vested interest in supporting others in my community. Therapists often lack training in working with the CNM community, and I want to provide affirming and non-pathologizing care for folks in open/poly relationships.