Welcome to a space where your gentle spirit can thrive.
You feel dried up, burned out, world weary, and unfulfilled. You are over-extended and disillusioned with society. You struggle to maintain hope that there is a different kind of life available to you. It is hard to give yourself permission to slow down and tend to your emotional needs.
Starting therapy means getting clear about your desires and needs and taking steps toward a life that supports your values. Instead of getting stuck in old emotions, you will learn to partner with yourself in a way that nurtures and honors your unique needs. This frees up valuable energy for you to let your sensitive, empathic soul thrive in this world. In essence, you will walk the path of returning home where you will find peace and clarity.
If you have a large heart and feel deeply, it can be easy to learn to tend to your emotional needs by yourself. You worry about being "too much" and don't want to burden others. Or, you focus on what other people and systems need from you and completely ignore what you want or desire. If your high sensitivity and empathy are creating heaviness, overwhelm, or loneliness, you are not alone.
I am Beth Kaufman -
- a fellow highly sensitive soul navigating this world. PrairieSong Healing Arts was birthed from my desire to create a space to honor women's intuition, dreams, and the creative life spark we each carry inside.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC). I received my M.A. in Counseling from Eastern Mennonite University and my B.S. in Music Therapy from Indiana University. I am a Fellow of the Association of Music & Imagery and completed training for The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery & Music through the Atlantis Institute of Consciousness. My previous work includes utilizing music therapy in a non-profit hospice and working in college counseling centers at James Madison University and the University of Virginia.
Ever since I can remember, I have loved to hear peoples' stories.
I grew up on a dairy farm in rural South Dakota - a sparse, cold environment that demanded a protective shell to survive the elements. Raised in the Mennonite church and collectivist culture, I learned to put the needs of the community before my own. It wasn't until my late 20's that I woke up to how I was living everybody else's story instead of my own. I shed old narratives that were no longer serving me and came home to desires that I had long held inside of me. The journey was terrifying and beautiful. I was fortunate to find guides along the way that could see the truth behind my protective shell. I feel honored to now be a guide for others and want to pay it forward in the work I do as a counselor.
I offer a gentle strength, nurturing presence, and non-pathologizing lens. In short, your way of coping in this world has its' own intelligence and my role is to help you develop your root system so that any unhelpful ways of coping are no longer necessary or needed.
I purposefully keep my practice small so that I am present to each and every one of my clients. I do this as a way to honor my own sensitivities in this world.
I bring my intuition, creativity, and deep desire for your own healing experience. I bring 12 years of experience holding space for others. I bring a focus on depth and exploring what is not seen with the naked eye.
Working with me means having someone in your life who will encourage you to connect with your deepest wants and desires.
I guide you to overcome obstacles by getting clear on how you want to express your innate, sensitive nature in this world.
I see what you long for, yearn for, ache for, and allow space for this to be honored. I will be with you as you grieve whatever losses arise when you get clear about what you want. My work is to help guide you home - to help you remember and reconnect with your inherent joy and vitality.
