A woman sitting on a brown leather chair with crossed legs, smiling at the camera, in front of a colorful, artistic wall hanging depicting flowers, animals, and abstract shapes.

Meet Ellen, MSW, LISW | she/her | biracial-Black

Welcome! I’m a licensed clinical social worker (LISW) and a craniosacral therapist located in Columbus, Ohio. With over a decade in practice, I offer a space grounded in presence, trust, and empathy — where all parts of you are welcome.

Whether you’re processing the effects of early neglect, trauma, or the chronic weight of being “the strong one,” this is a space where your needs are no longer sidelined. Clients often describe our work together as grounding, collaborative, and deeply human. I aim to meet you right where you are, with empathy.

My approach blends somatic therapy, nature-based healing, and evidence-based practices to help you reconnect with your inner sense of ease, clarity, and self-trust.

Together, we create space to gently explore what’s been holding you back while building the capacity to move forward with greater authenticity and connection.

My own lived experience informs this work. As someone who has navigated through trauma recovery, I found that talk therapy alone wasn’t enough to resolve the protective patterns my nervous system was still holding. Perhaps like you, I could tell my story and intellectually understand it, but my body was still responding in ways that no longer served me.

This is why I offer a holistic approach to healing: the mind and body are deeply connected. When we focus on one without the other, we miss essential parts of the healing process.

After working in clinical mental health for over a decade, I began exploring how to reconnect with my own body in a deeper way. I studied somatics, the nervous system, and energetics, experiencing meaningful shifts that talk therapy alone hadn’t touched. This led me to craniosacral therapy; a gentle, hands-on modality that works with the body’s subtle rhythms and the central nervous system to support release, integration, and self-regulation.

My path also drew me toward working with energy and nature. Think about how you feel when you allow yourself to be outside! I trained as a flower essence practitioner with Delta Gardens, learning how plant-based remedies can gently support emotional and energetic balance. Essences work on a subtle level to help us shift deep patterns and return to a sense of inner coherence.

Together, these approaches form the foundation of my work: attuned, body-centered, and grounded in the belief that healing happens when we’re met with care, presence, and respect for the whole person.

If this resonates, I invite you to reach out or join my newsletter to stay connected and hear about upcoming nature-based group offerings.

Thanks for being here.

Education, Training & Certification

  • Master’s of Social Work, University of Kentucky.

    Bachelor’s of Social Work, Capital University.

  • Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW), The Counselor and Social Worker Board, since 2017.

    License Number: I.2506637

  • Certified Reiki Master, Omology.

    Flower Essence Practitioner, Delta Gardens.

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Training: EMDR Consulting.

    Internal Family Systems (IFS) Circle: IFS Institute.

    Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Portland DBT.

    CranioSacral Therapy 1 (CST1): Assessment of Central Nervous System and Fascia for Full Body Treatment: Upledger Institute

    Activate Your Inner Jaguar: Movement, Meditation + The Female Nervous System: Kimberly Ann Johnson and Guest Faculty

    The Politics of Trauma: Embodied Transformation in Times of Polarization, Grief, and Overwhelm: a 6-month embodied somatics practice with Staci Haines and guest faculty.

    Breathwork to Discover Healing and Expanded States of Awareness through Conscious Breath: a 6-month personal study of breathwork with Jennifer Patterson and guest faculty.