About Me

Hi, I’m Sarah Hagedorn (she/they), and Clarity Somatic Therapies is my private practice. I am a somatic MA-level counselor in Oregon and Massachusetts. I’m so happy to be in a position to offer the tools I have learned over the last 15 years studying physical and mental health, nervous system regulation, trauma healing, and body-based resiliency. The foundation of my practice is Somatic Experiencing (SE), Peter Levine’s body-oriented approach to healing trauma and other stress disorders. I bring an attachment lens to my SE work in the form of Dynamic Attachment Repatterning (DARe), allowing my adult clients to renegotiate survival and attachment needs that are often at odds in childhood. I am also a licensed massage therapist (LMT) with a specialization in craniosacral therapy (CST) and somato-emotional trauma release (SETR) dialogue. My integrated mind-body approach allows me to work on any or all levels you choose: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I approach mental health diagnoses through the lens of our physiology and am fascinated by the significant role the body can play in resolving symptoms of anxiety, depression, dissociation, and trauma.

I’ve been an integrative practitioner for more than a decade, supporting my clients as a craniosacral therapist since 2009, as a life coach since 2012, and as a trauma therapist since 2018. Currently I am finishing up the last of my supervised hours required for licensing in Oregon and Massachusetts. As a registered Professional Counselor Associate, I am supervised by Ariana Lloyd, LICSW and consult regularly with advanced practitioners of SE and DARe.

Sarah Hagedorn, MA, LMT, Professional Counselor Associate

Why I Do This Work

I became a somatic therapist after experiencing the healing and resilience of my own body and psyche through the body-centered approaches I sought out, including Somatic Experiencing and Craniosacral Therapy. I learned first-hand how memories (both verbal and pre-verbal) can live in the body and how to release them without causing overwhelm or retraumatization. I felt the shift towards regulation in my nervous system and witnessed my increased tolerance for stress, both positive and negative. I learned I could think, feel emotions, and tolerate sensations in my body, all without checking out or getting overwhelmed. As a therapist using this work with others, I have helped many clients free themselves from long-standing emotional and physical patterns, befriend their bodies, and gain access to their own grounded power and wisdom. I am continuously awed by the capacity we all have for embodied resilience when given the chance—and the tools.

What You Can Expect From Me

My commitment to my clients is to be present, transparent, flexible, curious, informed, and excited about the possibilities awaiting you. I will journey beside you to find answers and do my own homework as needed to ensure your best care. I will honor your wisdom and insight alongside any strategies and psychoeducation I offer about your body and your mind. I will continue to nudge you towards healing and regulation, all the time using invitational language to which you can always say no. I will move at your body’s desired pace, which may be a little different than your mind’s. I will recognize we live in different bodies with different experiences, gender expressions, cultures, socio-historical contexts, traumas, biases, and experiences of safety, attachment, and security. I am committed to doing my own social justice and equity work around this, and there will always be space between us for these discussions. If you have any questions or requests around this, please feel free to contact me.

ONGOING Somatic education and certifications

I am a lifelong learner and will always be taking one class or another during our work together! Here is my most significant course work, past and present.

  • Dynamic Attachment Repatterning Experience (DARe), Diane Poole Heller’s Somatic Attachment Program (Jan-Dec 2021)

  • Advanced Level Practitioner-in-Training of Somatic Experiencing®, Peter Levine’s 3-year, 8-module trauma resolution training (2019-2021)

  • 60-credit Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, Lesley University in Cambridge, MA (2015-2018)

  • Psychosynthesis Transpersonal Coaching & Counseling Programs, The Synthesis Center, Amherst, MA (2012-2014)

  • Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) in MA (2011) and OR (2019)

  • 1,400 hours of bodywork training, specializing in Craniosacral Therapy (CST) and Somato-Emotional Trauma Release. Etienne Peirsmann, Santa Fe (2008-2009) and Carole Gray, Portland (2019-2020)

  • Master Level Reiki Practitioner and Teacher Training (2008-2011)