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therapy & support

in a sensory-mindful environment
neurodivergence • trauma • chronic health

Green leaf background representing The Hope Preserve's organic process tailored to each individual to address trauma as well as personal potential which can be very vulnerable

address trauma &
potential

Green leaf background representing The Hope Preserve's organic process tailored to each individual to help you nurture your nervous system as you heal and grow.

cultivate your life
to support
your truest self

Green leaf background representing The Hope Preserve's organic process tailored to each individual to help our neurodivergent and burned out therapy clients cultivate their lives to support their truest selves.

nurture your nervous system

You Deserve Practical Support

Sweeping Chinese watercolor painting with calming grays and greens, representing the peaceful and supportive environment at The Hope Preserve, framed by a cozy, inviting couch and vibrant tropical leaves.

Traditionally, the cool brain/body-based therapies we use (and love) focus on helping you grow from the inside out.

But it’s hard to fully enjoy the fruit of those exciting changes when your home environment, relationships, finances, career, health, or fatigue seem to be working against your new way of being.

Our super-personalized services help you figure out what you need, how to get there (realistically for you), and help you set up your external reality to support your inner growth.

So you can feel like yourself, inside and out.

Services

We’ve Made a Special Place Just for You

A soft image of a warm and inviting therapy room, encouraging visitors to schedule a consultation at The Hope Preserve in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Around here, you’re celebrated as you are. We are particularly fond of neurodivergent, traumatized, and brain-foggy exhausted brains and love supporting you with our easy processes, sensory-aware spaces, and non-pathologizing understanding.

We don’t think you should have to jump through hoops to be around us, and we believe support that’s accommodating for neurodivergent and overtaxed brains is really just supportive for all brains. So come as you are. Everyone can benefit from a little nervous system love, and we welcome all.

Deep Inner Work Customized to You

Geometrical wooden wall art surrounded by deep green plants and anchoring a singing bowl display, representing the customized unique therapy experience at The Hope Preserve.

We’re trained to help you experience deep change and to experience the world (and your own mind and emotions) as a less harsh place.

But that deep, mind/body-based work is only safe and productive when tailored to your pace, and to your brain’s sense of comfort and acceptance of it. In other words, when it’s trauma-sensitive.

This is your space and time to fill up with your words, emotions, sensations, deep sighs, or whatever you want on a given day.

So come vent, complain, do EMDR or other trauma work, make yourself laugh, strategize, roll your eyes. We’ll help you navigate when, how, and if things like meditative work, breathing, somatic (mind/body) work, storytelling, narrative work, and other trauma work feel right to you, session by session, and moment by moment.

What we mean when we say…

  • First off, we have to acknowledge that everyone has different sensory needs. Some folks need higher sensory stimulation, and some folks needs less. Our space is more attuned to providing a gentle sensory experience, honoring the reality that most public spaces are overstimulating.

    Here’s what we’re working on addressing to help ease your visit with us:

    • Lighting - we avoid use of fluorescent lights, and use diffused, softer lighting instead of overhead lights as much as we can

    • Visual noise - we try to keep clutter and “loud” prints to a minimum, filling our space with plants and natural materials we find more soothing

    • Sounds - our cushy rugs and plants help absorb noise, we have noise-cancelling headphones available to borrow, and we have signage reminding folks to keep conversations low and to avoid digital noises in the office

    • Smells - we use unscented or non-synthetic cleaners as much as possible and avoid scented candles and use of nebulized/ultrasonic essential oils; we use charcoal/HEPA/UV-C filters to help the air feel fresh

    • Tactile - we have weighted blankets, pads, and pillows, and various fidgets for you to use. We invite you to wear whatever is comfortable, sit on the floor, curl up in your seat, and just be in your body however feels comfortable to you

    • Spatial - our waiting room has seating available in different areas, letting you choose what to face and what to have your back against, and is as nervous-system-friendly as we can make a public space. We’re aiming for non-threatening - by staggering seats and avoiding folks directly facing each other, and creating physical and visual barriers to sit behind

  • Executive function is our higher-level functioning that helps us strategize, prioritize, focus, manage our emotions, problem-solve, make decisions, and remember what we’re doing or saying right now.

    In short, to us being executive-function-friendly means that we try to help you conserve your mental and emotional energy when you’re with us. You’re carrying enough mental and emotional load trying to keep all the plates spinning everywhere else in your life.

    A quick way for us tank your executive function would be to stress you out, make it difficult to get in touch with us, difficult to find us, and leave you guessing as to what will happen when you get here.

    But we think therapy feels better and goes better when you can find some rest in the process. Plus we’ve learned brains are most open to the change and growth you’ve been longing for when they feel safe and met where they are.

    That’s why we aim to make your time with us feel like a sigh of relief from start to finish, not just with a soothing sensory environment, but in how we aim to make you feel welcome, seen, and heard. And in how we openly address how draining systemic oppression is. And in how we set up our scheduling and physical space to be easy to navigate.

    It seems to us that receiving therapy and support, of all things, should help teach your nervous system what it’s like not to have to fight against everything all the time, just to take care of routine needs.

  • Neurodivergence is a large umbrella term that includes:

    • ADHD, autism, giftedness, OCD, etc.

    • Complex PTSD (cPTSD)

    • Most mental health diagnoses, including those beyond the basic anxiety and depression experiences

    • Most neural diagnoses such as Tourette's, dyslexia, synesthesia

    • Traumatic brain injuries

    • Highly sensitive persons (HSPs)

    • Empaths

    • Etc.!

    Originally the term neurodivergent meant diverging from the “normal” (neurotypical) brain.

    We find that old meaning pretty judgy and pathologizing, so we reclaim use of this term and celebrate accommodating our needs and addressing our traumatic & systemic injuries rather than trying to find ways to shoehorn ourselves “better” into neuro-normative, performative behavior or appearance.

Specialties
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Supportive Therapy For:

Hardship & Trauma

  • Adulting is hard

  • Feeling stuck

  • The life you know doesn't fit anymore

  • Betrayed or left behind

  • Feel like you should have been able to move on by now

  • Feeling walked over

  • Feeling you don't matter

  • Health concerns

Spiritual Evolution & Trauma

  • Spiritual abuse & religious trauma

  • Crises or disintegration of faith, and the disorientation of not having a built in compass and the security of all the answers anymore

  • Deconstruction (is not a dirty word around here)

  • Missing the community of faith groups

  • Disillusionment

Personal Development

  • Finding/using your personal voice

  • Second-guessing or self-doubt

  • Difficulty making decisions

  • Relationship difficulty/patterns

  • Inner battles

  • Fearing what others think

  • Being hard on yourself

  • Body image & self-love

  • Codependence and attachment concerns

Career/Creative Development

  • Identifying what energizes you

  • Finding what’s holding you back

  • Navigating the vulnerablity and pressure to show up online

  • Artistic/creative development

  • Clarifying your sense of purpose

  • Connecting with your authentic expression

Adult Autism, ADHD, AuDHD, OCD

Neurodivergence - especially late-diagnosed.
Trauma, abuse, betrayal, and neglect.
Chronic pain & illness.
So much overlap.

Some of what we see our neurodivergent and complex trauma survivors going through:

  • Difficulty adulting - and the shame that goes with that

  • Not being able to connect with people and feel the sense of belonging that would make such a huge difference

  • Pressure to have “normal” habits, routines, interactions, and functioning like other people

  • Grief and anger after a lifetime of shoehorning yourself into the neurotypical hectic, performative lifestyle in order to survive socially, financially, relationally, etc.

  • Ready to nourish yourself with some accommodations and support for your unique way of being

  • Feel stuck in you career path, relationships, or areas of life where you’d always hoped to thrive

  • Feel "behind" for your age

  • Have started to learn that your early life experiences contributed to your current struggle in life, but it’s still not better

  • Feel out of conrol in some areas of life while killing it in others

  • Your inner critic somehow hasn’t healed you yet 👀

We’re particularly experienced with folks who have dealt with

  • high-control groups/religions.

  • complex or dysfunctional family situations

  • sexual, emotional, and spiritual abuse and manipulation

***Note: Neurodivergence is a big umbrella term that includes ADHD, autism, giftedness, complex PTSD, OCD, most mental health diagnoses, many neural diagnoses like Tourette's/dyslexia/synesthesia, traumatic brain injuries, etc.

Macro photo of palm leaf, symbolizing hope, growth, and healing at The Hope Preserve.

Our Unique Therapy Environment

Gentle Sensory Experiences & Non-Judgy Vibe

  • we maintain a gentle sensory environment attuned to stress, overwhelm, and high sensitivity

  • non-pathologizing, welcoming atmosphere - we support you right where you are rather than seeing you as a problem to be fixed

  • we celebrate with you when you feel better, not when other people think you’re more productive or “fun” to be around

Executive Function Support

  • accommodations in your life and home that make your life and healing process easier

  • body-doubling sessions to help you get the things done you’ve been avoiding or want to procrastinate

  • therapy should feel doable for you, so we strive for a calm, steady, supportive process that doesn’t drain your emotional or mental energy, and actually enhances your life

Types of Therapy for Adults & Teens

  • Individual Therapy

    IFS Parts Work, Brainspotting, EMDR, Sandtray, Neurofeedback

    𖥸 Reconnect with yourself and others
    𖥸 Access and live from the core of who you really are
    𖥸 Expand compassion for self and other
    𖥸 Understand and know what to do with your complexity, emotions, and behaviors
    𖥸 Process trauma and diminish its influence in decisions, relationships, career, fun, etc

  • Relationship Therapy

    Emotionally Focused Therapy

    𖥸 Understand what's happening inside when you get hurt and hurt each other

    𖥸 Process and care for the needs beneath those hurts

    𖥸 Learn how to speak for those needs in a way that draws you close rather than pushing each other away

    𖥸 Rebuild the foundation of trust and respect

  • ADHD / Executive Function Support

    IFS Parts Work, Practical Life Strategies

    𖥸 Feel understood in your nuance and complexity living in a neurotypical world

    𖥸 Change your relationship with the shame that burdens painful cycles of overwhelm, defeat, and procrastination

    𖥸 Compassionate guidance implementing supportive executive function accommodations for greater ease in your home, work, and relationships

  • Group Therapy

    Dungeons & Dragons Therapy Groups and Pottery Therapy Groups

    𖥸 Work on interaction dynamics & social anxiety

    𖥸 A great way to explore a part of yourself through creative expression

    𖥸 Group collaboration while focusing on the gameplay (DND) or individual work (pottery) lends structure and comfort to the therapy process

Getting Acquainted
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Tour the Office

Meet Our Team

  • Penny Reif The Hope Preserve Counseling HSP DND Nerd Therapy

    Penny Reif, MS

    Brainspotting + Nerd Culture + DND + Autism/ADHD + Religious Trauma

  • Profile photo of our therapist Cindy Patterson, LMFT. Cindy is a middle-aged white woman wearing a blue sweater over a crisp white shirt and has medium-length brown hair with gentle, graceful waves.

    Cindy Patterson, LMFT

    IFS + Brainspotting + Trauma + Chronic Pain/Health

  • Allison Himmelstein Creative Arts Therapy Clay and Pottery Work in Therapy Sessions

    Allison Himmelstein, MS

    Brainspotting + Clay + Adventure + Artistic Blocks + Body Image

  • Jordan McRae, MA

    Brainspotting + Parts Work + Adults / Adolescents

  • Sally Marciel, LMFT

    IFS & Brainspotting Intensives + Founder

What to Expect
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Therapy Tools You Might Encounter

Therapy Techniques You Might Encounter

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS Parts Work)

  • Brainspotting & EMDR

  • Trauma processing

  • Mind/body (somatic) work

  • Sandtray Therapy

  • Dungeons & Dragons Therapy Groups

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy for Individuals & Couples

  • Centering/Grounding Exercises

  • Expressive Arts

  • Interaction cycle (feedback loops) tracking

  • Life timelines

  • Family maps (genograms)

Therapy Concepts You Might Encounter

  • Attachment theory

  • Polyvagal theory

  • Trauma/Stress Cycle

  • Neuroplasticity & Neural Integration

  • Trauma/Energy Flow

  • Intergenerational Trauma

  • Cultural Trauma

  • Birth & Pre-Birth Trauma

  • "Top-Down" & "Bottom-Up" Processing

  • Sense of Self

  • Intersectional & justice factors

  • Spoons theory (energy management)

Attitudes You Might Encounter

  • This process isn’t about trying to “fix” you, improve your attitude, or modify your behavior.

    It’s about releasing burdens and blocks to healing, finding relief, coming back to life, and unfurling more and more of who you gloriously are. And sure, once you’re feeling better your outlook and choices may feel a little sunnier, but it will have come from you - from caring for yourself and tending to your needs rather than performing or conforming to appease some cultural standard.

  • Brain/body/spirit/emotion-based rather than thought or behavior-based

    Yes, you’ll end up learning what to do with your big emotions, negative cognitions, and shame-ey beliefs, which may help you feel less at the mercy of undesired habits or stuckness. But it happens organically through a loving understanding of your unique self & values rather than trying to fit a generic picture of what “healthy” is supposed to be.

  • We don’t need you to perform or "mask" around here

    You don’t have to give eye contact, you can put your shoes on the couch, you can slump into the pillows, you can burrow under the weighted blanket, you can play with fidgets, you can color, you can stare off into space… You don’t need to burn all that social energy that could be better spent on your healing. Take all the room you need to flow and be comfortable as you are.

What’s the next step?
How to Get Started
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