Mindfulness Skills Group: Healing and Connection Through Awareness
Every friday noon to 1pm EST
Meets virtualy, email for the Microsoft Teams link
michael@wayfinderholisticmentalhealth.com
Donation-Based
Healing doesn’t have to happen alone. Many people find that while individual therapy helps them explore their story and build insight, there’s something uniquely powerful about healing in connection with others. This Mindfulness Skills Group offers a supportive, accesible way to strengthen your emotional wellbeing, build internal resources, and experience the sense of belonging that comes from growing together.
This group is designed especially for adults who are healing from trauma, depression, anxiety, and other difficult life experiences, though anyone looking to improve their emotional and mental health can benefit. Together, we’ll explore mindfulness practices and therapeutic skills that help you:
Be more present and grounded in daily life
Understand and regulate emotions and moods
Communicate and connect in healthier, more authentic ways
Build tolerance for distress and discomfort
Develop greater compassion for yourself and others
These are skills that everyone needs and learning them in a group setting can be especially empowering. You’ll discover that you’re far from alone in your struggles. The shared experience, understanding, and validation from others who “get it” often become a healing force in themselves.
Through guided exercises, discussion, and practical tools, you’ll learn to slow down, listen inward, and connect more fully with yourself, your emotions, and the people around you. The goal isn’t perfection or constant calm; it’s cultivating awareness, acceptance, and choice.
Our Mindfulness Skills Group is an excellent complement to individual therapy, offering a chance to practice and deepen the skills you’re already developing. It’s also a wonderful option for anyone who wants to feel more balanced, connected, and resilient.
Healing happens in relationship, with ourselves, and with others. This group is a space to experience both.
The group is donation-based, and virtual in order to make it accesible to everyone who is interested and can benefit.
To join the Mindfulness Skills Group or to get more information email me at michael@wayfinderholisticmentalhealth.com
Walk and Talk Therapy in Akron, Ohio: Healing in Motion
Sometimes healing feels easier when you don’t have to sit across from someone in an office. For many adults, the simple act of walking outdoors—feeling the air, hearing the birds, noticing the rhythm of your steps—can make opening up and processing emotions feel more natural. Walk and Talk Therapy (also known as Hiking Therapy) brings the benefits of traditional counseling into the calming presence of nature.
In our work together, we’ll meet on local trails and parks in and around Akron, Ohio. As we walk side by side, our conversations unfold in a setting that supports movement, reflection, and grounding. Walking can help reduce anxiety, ease tension in the body, and make it easier to explore thoughts and feelings at your own pace. Many clients find that being outdoors helps them feel less “stuck” and more connected—to themselves, their surroundings, and their healing process.
Blue Hen Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Walk and Talk Therapy is especially supportive for adults navigating stress, anxiety, trauma recovery, or life transitions. The natural environment offers both privacy and a sense of spaciousness that can make therapy feel less intimidating and more restorative. The gentle motion of walking helps the body regulate while the mind processes—allowing healing to happen in a calm, organic way.
Whether we’re taking a quiet walk through one of Akron’s scenic parks or exploring a nearby trail, each session is tailored to your comfort and needs. You set the pace—literally and emotionally.
Healing doesn’t always have to happen indoors. Sometimes the most powerful conversations happen while moving forward, step by step, surrounded by nature.
EMDR Therapy for Complex Trauma: Healing from the Inside Out
If you’re an adult living with the lasting effects of complex trauma, you know that healing isn’t always as simple as “moving on.” You may find yourself stuck in survival mode—feeling anxious, on edge, or disconnected, even when you know the danger has passed. These patterns are not your fault. They’re signs that your nervous system is still holding onto pain from the past. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy offers a gentle and effective way to help your mind and body release what’s been holding you back.
EMDR is a trauma-focused therapy that helps your brain process painful or overwhelming experiences in a new way. Instead of talking about the past in detail, EMDR uses guided eye movements or other forms of gentle bilateral stimulation to support your brain’s natural healing process. This allows you to reprocess difficult memories so they no longer carry the same emotional intensity. Over time, your nervous system learns that the trauma is truly over—and you can begin to feel more grounded, calm, and safe in the present.
For adults healing from complex trauma, EMDR can be life-changing. It helps reduce triggers, build emotional regulation, and strengthen your connection to your body and sense of self. Many people notice that as they progress through EMDR therapy, the memories that once felt overwhelming begin to lose their power. You may find it easier to trust, rest, and experience joy again.
EMDR therapy isn’t about forgetting your past—it’s about transforming your relationship to it. With the right support, healing from complex trauma is absolutely possible. If you’re ready to feel more present, empowered, and whole, EMDR therapy for complex trauma can be a powerful next step on your journey toward lasting recovery.
What Happens in Therapy?
If you’ve never been to therapy before, it’s natural to wonder what actually happens in a session. While every person’s journey is unique, therapy is ultimately a safe space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with the support of a trained professional.
In our work together, we’ll begin by identifying your goals—what you’d like to change, heal, or better understand. From there, sessions often include talking through challenges, learning new coping tools, and practicing strategies to manage stress, emotions, or difficult situations.
Depending on your needs, I may integrate approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness practices, or breathwork. Sometimes therapy looks like structured skill-building, and other times it’s simply having a compassionate space to process what you’re going through.
At its heart, therapy is about connection, understanding, and growth. It’s a place where you don’t have to carry your struggles alone and where healing and growth happen step by step.
What to Expect in Your First Therapy Session
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Starting therapy can feel both hopeful and a little intimidating—you may not know what to expect. The first meeting, often called the intake session, is all about setting the foundation for our work together.
During this session, we’ll begin by talking through what brings you to therapy and what you’d like to get out of it. You’ll have the chance to share your story at your own pace—there’s no pressure to cover everything at once. I’ll ask some questions about your history, current challenges, and goals so I can better understand how to best support your journey.
We’ll also go over practical things like scheduling, confidentiality, and what the therapy process looks like. This is a time for you to ask questions, too—about me, my approach, or what therapy might feel like moving forward.
Most importantly, the intake session is about creating a safe, supportive space where you can begin to feel comfortable. Think of it as the first step in building a partnership focused on your healing and growth.
