Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie.
Natalie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in the Southern California desert town of Palmdale with my mother, father, and brother. My mother’s work as the Director of a Sexual Assault Response Services unit sparked my early interest in supporting survivors. While I knew I didn’t have the ability/desire to do the same kind of frontline work as my mom, watching her build an entire forensic program inspired me, and got me interested in being the support person after difficult events.
When I was 18, I attended UC Santa Barbara, where I pursued a degree in Feminist Studies. During college, I also explored my love for dance, performing with campus orgs, local dance companies, and teaching dance to students in after-school programs and alternative juvenile hall programs.
After graduation, I moved to the Bay Area and served as a Notre Dame AmeriCorps (NDA) volunteer under my Site Director, turned friend, Pat McCormick. It was through my role as a mentor to high school students that I first encountered therapy through my supervisor, Judy Romero, LMFT. Additionally, I worked as an events coordinator for a local mental health organization. I later became the Site Director for the NDA San Francisco branch, and recruited volunteers as well as built partnerships with various schools and community organizations. At the same time, I taught dance and danced professionally with a demanding company, an experience that led me to reevaluate my career path in dance.
When I moved back to Southern California, I continued working as the NDA Site Director for Los Angeles and San Diego. I considered joining the LA branch of the company I had danced with in the Bay Area, but luckily, I connected with a woman who would become my mentor, Stephanie Tack, who helped me see a new path. She discouraged me from rejoining the company and introduced me to somatic therapy. Hearing my interest in somatics, she advised me to become a licensed therapist if I wanted to make a sustainable career. Inspired and knowing I wanted to choose a new direction for myself, I researched somatic therapy. I immediately felt excited about the approach, given my background in dance and connection with my body. I applied to Antioch University in Santa Barbara, where I was accepted to work towards my Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology.
Since graduating in 2022, I’ve worked in a variety of settings, including juvenile halls, treatment centers, schools, and community clinics. These experiences have deepened my understanding of the mental health field, and have also inspired me to create my own private practice, where I can offer the presence, care, and attention that people truly deserve. I’ve also returned to dance spaces that make me feel happy and supported, which is a cool reminder of how my journey began.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Going into grad school, I had never actually been to therapy. I was constantly on the go, holding everything in, and terrified of slowing down because that’s when my emotions would catch up to me. My schedule was packed, I moved at 100 miles per hour, and I rarely shared my struggles with anyone. When I learned therapy was a requirement for my master’s program, I was TERRIFIED, but I’m so thankful now that I went.
Therapy became a space for me to process experiences I had carried alone for years. My parents divorced while I was in high school after years of tension at home. My father struggled with alcoholism throughout his life, which contributed to health issues and eventually his death in my early 20s. I watched my mother survive cancer when I was a child, and then hold the weight of vicarious trauma from her work as a forensic nurse. I saw my brother navigate his own challenges in the military. On top of that, I wrestled with questions about my identity as someone who is half-Caucasian, half-Mexican, while also being hyper-independent and learning to listen to and communicate my own needs.
Additionally, I worked multiple jobs before and during grad school. The dance company I was on that made me pivot into the therapy world was extremely demanding. Rehearsals were intense, with a minimum of 12 hours per week, and much more during show weeks. The company demanded perfection and sometimes used intimidation as motivation. I once did 400 burpees as a “punishment.” I had been non-stop for years, and therapy forced me to finally slow down.
Starting therapy during the pandemic was one of the most challenging experiences of my life. Processing so much in isolation was difficult, but I was lucky to have the support of my best friend, Jackie, and my best friend turned partner, Bruno. That period led to profound personal growth, where I ended an important, long-term relationship, learned to advocate for myself, and began to trust and express who I really am.
For the first time in a long time, I felt calm and safe enough to take risks like traveling and starting my own business. Those struggles and transformations shaped me into the person and therapist I am today, giving me the confidence and empathy to walk alongside others as they navigate their own journeys of change, healing, and growth.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Reina Therapy ?
Reina Therapy provides trauma-informed, body-centered therapy across California. I believe true healing comes from understanding and releasing the impact of past experiences on both the mind and body. My goal is to help clients cultivate inner safety, tune into their bodies, and experience peace and empowerment. I also emphasize that healing doesn’t have to happen in isolation, and building trusting connections in a supportive community is an essential part of the process.
In sessions, I guide clients to notice their physical sensations and emotional responses, exploring how the stories they tell shape their experiences. We use mindfulness and movement to access feelings that words alone sometimes cannot reach. Though somatics sounds like a fancy word, in short, it describes our mind-body connection, and draws on long-standing traditions from Eastern, Native American, and African healing practices that tend to emphasize the wisdom of the body in healing.
I’m committed to helping clients reconnect with their inner nobility, or the inherent honesty, bravery, and kindness I believe we all carry, which can be lost after trauma, neglect, violence, or unpredictability in the home. I understand how challenging experiences can make people feel disconnected from their worth and strength, especially when they occur in childhood or adolescence. I tailor therapy to each individual, considering their strengths, history, culture, and environment. I serve as both a cheerleader and a guide, supporting clients as they step into their own power and live more authentic, empowered lives.
I also offer workshops on Trauma and the Body and Self-Care and Somatic Movement, combining psychoeducation, somatic exercises, and discussion to help participants understand trauma’s impact on the body and develop accessible self-care strategies.
Reina Therapy is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist practice (#136910), under the supervision of Nicole Botaitis, LMFT #47319, LPCC #227, of Botaitis Therapy Group (https://www.santabarbaratherapist.com) in Santa Barbara, CA.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Shameless plug, but my own Podcast What Moves Us (on Spotify, Apple and Podbean), focuses on people who have found healing through movement. I am passionate about spreading the message that healing is accessible and movement is one of the major ways we can do that!
Other podcasts I love are Other People’s Problems with Dr. Hillary McBride because it takes you into actual therapy sessions, and Where Should We Begin by Ester Perel (really, anything created by her is fantastic).
Additionally, I love the books My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem, and Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. I’m currently reading Decolonizing Therapy by Jennifer Mullan, PsyD which is beautiful and sad. Each of these books has challenged my perception on what therapy can and should be, and has helped me get closer to the type of clinician I’d like to be. Also, Burnout and Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski are incredible as well.
Pricing:
- $150/ 55 minute session
- Sliding scale available, inquire for more information!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://reinatherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reinatherapy/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-reina/
