Dara Sophia la Madrid, MSW Candidate

Many of my clients find me when they are weary of traditional "fixing" models or talk therapy, but know there is still something important that they are missing. Whether they know it or not, they are often searching for a sense of safety and sanctuary within their body. My practice helps orient people towards just that: a somatic integration and nervous system re-education—a process more akin to remembering rather than correction.

My academic training spans a variety of disciplines including philosophy, religion, classical Chinese Medicine, yoga and anatomy, shamanism, psychedelic care, and clinical social work. I use some or all of these lenses in sessions with clients to help translate the innate wisdom held within our bodies and minds into usable information to heal ourselves. 

My lived experience informs my work with clients as well, having navigated childhood sexual abuse, chronic illness, and late-diagnosed neurodivergence. I have served as a trauma resolution specialist and somatic practitioner since 2021 and now, almost six years later, I am stepping into the world of clinical therapy in pursuit of my MSW under the skillful guidance of Jamie DeNier. 

If there is one thing I have learned about myself in this life, it is that I am a nomad at heart. Thus, I divide my time between the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona and the Ponderosa Pine forests at the far edges of Mancos in Colorado. It means the world to me to live in a place where the night sky still shines. Along with being a therapist, I am a mother to one special little boy who reminds me to give thanks for the stars.

I am humbled to serve as a space-holder and witness to your transformation. You are worthy of the life your body craves and your heart yearns for. Let’s go find it.

Biography