How I Show Up For Others. How About You?

What draws you to the healing field? Perhaps it’s a deep desire to understand yourself, to mend old wounds, or to guide others toward peace and connection. Maybe it’s a personal story—a moment of struggle or triumph—that shapes the way you approach this work. As a therapist, I believe our paths to healing are as unique as our stories, and I’m curious about what informs your approach. For me, my journey as a somatic and attachment-based therapist is deeply personal, woven from the threads of my own life’s challenges and triumphs.

As a former foster child, I know the weight of emotional and physical wounds, and as a divorced single mother of three who later remarried and blended a family of six children, I’ve lived the complexities of navigating survival energy and relational overwhelm. These experiences fuel my passion for guiding clients of all ages toward healing, helping them reconnect with their bodies and relationships to find peace and connection.

The blending of our two families was not always smooth—there were days filled with overwhelming emotions, where we braced against ourselves or one another, caught in a survival energy that made connection feel impossible. Over the years, as we learned to notice each other’s needs and our own internal struggles, something subtle yet profound shifted. We grew, slowly finding ways to soften, regulate, and rebuild trust. This journey of rupture and repair informs every session I hold, reminding me of the resilience we can cultivate when we honor both body and heart.

My professional training with Somatic Experiencing International (SEI) has been a cornerstone of my practice. SEI’s rigorous, evidence-based program taught me to help clients release trapped survival energy and restore nervous system balance through skills like tracking sensations, titration, and co-regulation. The world-class faculty modeled presence and precision, guiding me to shift from directive habits to a naturalistic facilitation that trusts the body’s innate wisdom. This transformative training deepened my conviction in the body’s capacity to heal, and I wholeheartedly recommend SEI’s program to anyone considering somatic practice—it’s an unparalleled opportunity to grow as both a clinician and a human being.

Equally impactful has been my training with DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning Experience), an attachment-based program that enriched my ability to address relational wounds. DARe’s experiential approach, grounded in attachment theory, taught me to foster secure connections by exploring early patterns and creating corrective experiences. The hands-on training was both challenging and deeply rewarding, equipping me with tools like attuned presence and boundary work. This program has empowered me to help clients build trust and emotional security, transforming their relationships with themselves and others.

Together, SEI and DARe have shaped my holistic, client-centered practice, blending somatic and attachment-based approaches. I’m honored to offer telehealth services that make healing accessible, walking alongside clients as they navigate their own journeys toward wholeness, just as I have in my own life. With every session, I strive to create a safe, nurturing space where you can explore, heal, and rediscover your capacity for joy and connection—because I believe that healing is not just possible, but within reach for us all.

Kristi M. Estrada, LPC-S, NCC, SEP

As the founder of Healing Servant in Phoenix, AZ, I’m a compassionate somatic therapist and trauma-informed advocate. With over 30 years of experience in child welfare, foster care, and human trafficking, I specialize in Trauma Restorative Care™, blending somatic and attachment-based therapies to help individuals heal and reclaim joy.

My passion for this work isn’t just professional—it’s personal. I’ve walked my own path through the complexities of generational trauma, learning firsthand how patterns of pain and survival can echo across families and shape who we become. My journey has taught me that healing is possible and that we can transform even deeply rooted wounds into spaces of resilience, compassion, and hope.

A lifelong learner, I hold certifications in Somatic Experiencing and Trauma Stress Studies. I mentor therapists, speak on trauma recovery, and advocate for vulnerable communities. It’s my most profound belief that no one has to walk their healing journey alone.

If you’re ready to begin—or continue—your own healing, I’d be honored to walk beside you. Let’s explore what’s possible together. Contact me for a free consultation at www.healingservant.com.