Psychotherapy
with Soul.
Jessica “Chiara” Viscomi, MA, LMFT, SEP
(CA #104851)
I help creatives, movers & shakers, and seekers
reconnect to their mind, body, and soul.
“The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious.
If you have a deep scar, that is a door; if you have an old, old story, that is a door.
If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door.
If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.”
—Clarissa Pinkola Estés
When it’s time for a deeper, fuller life.
Depth therapy may be a fit for you if you’re:
● Feeling like something has been missing
in traditional talk therapy—or life
● Looking to get a deeper perspective
—not just tips, tricks, and “quick fixes”
● Wanting tailored support
for the highs, lows, and intense challenges of being an artist (actor, musician, writer, etc.) or creative
● Craving increased connection
to creativity, the unconscious, your body, myth, art, images, symbols, and dreams
● Tired of living on autopilot
and wanting to reconnect with your body and soul
Get to the heart of the matter with depth therapy.
Many different life circumstances may bring you to a therapist’s door:
Creative blocks • Artists’ mental health • Deepening creativity • Narcissistic abuse recovery • Codependency recovery • Relational, attachment, and complex trauma (cPTSD) recovery • Stress management • Depression • Anxiety • Burnout • Life transitions • Navigating major life decisions • Questioning identity • Relationship challenges • Grief and loss • Spiritual or existential matters • Integrating kundalini/mystical experiences • Experiences of harm in past therapy • Seeking greater fulfillment in life
I help people navigate issues such as these as a licensed psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner trained in:
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Depth therapy brings together age-old wisdom, the groundbreaking work of psychology pioneers such as Carl Jung, and current neuroscience research.
“Depth therapy” is actually an umbrella term that describes a range of approaches, including transpersonal, Jungian, and archetypal psychology.
The common threads that weave through all of these approaches are an interest in the unconscious (the part of our psyche that lies under the surface of everyday awareness) and an emphasis on the soul (the part of the psyche where the personal and transpersonal, or spiritual, interface).
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“Somatics” refers to the study of the body, which can be viewed as not separate from the mind but rather a continuation of it.
I weave several body-based modalities into my work, including Somatic Experiencing®, a gentle but powerful way of addressing stress and trauma. I also use movement, dance, and breathwork in my somatic psychotherapy practice.
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Expressive arts therapy includes everything from visual arts (i.e., drawing, collage, painting, photography) to writing, poetry, music, movement, storytelling, sand tray, and drama.
All of these mediums can serve as potent tools to help you reconnect to your deepest self, as art therapy gets to the heart of the matter.
Put another way, entering the world of images, sounds, and stories can bring about a deep level of insight and growth as the wisdom beyond the rational intellect is accessed.
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Specialties.
Below are some of my specialties—and how I work with them from a modern depth therapy perspective.
Welcome, traveler.
I’m Chiara: California licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT #104851), psychology writer, and artist.
I came up in the performing arts in New York City before completing my clinical training as a therapist in San Francisco. I'm now thrilled to be rooted in Los Angeles.
Over the years, I've studied many therapeutic traditions—Jungian, somatic, transpersonal, and expressive arts therapy—drawn to what each illuminates about the human experience and how we “get through this thing called life,” as Prince said.
On my journey, I longed for an integrative style of therapy that unified the best of these therapeutic traditions:
• A therapy that incorporates the mind, body, and soul
• A therapy grounded in the sanctity of the therapeutic relationship, where the therapist is real, warm, and human. (Not the poker-faced, “one-person” model of therapy.)
• A therapy that draws from ancient wisdom traditions and depth psychology pioneers like Carl Jung—while being anchored in the realities, challenges, and demands of modern times
• A trauma-competent (not just trauma-informed) therapy that addresses the weight of oppressive systems on the inner and outer life
...So I've made it my life's work, my biggest art project, to create that therapy. Welcome to Modern Depth Therapy.
Featured Substack article: “What Is Modern Depth Therapy?”
“Modern Depth Therapy isn’t just the name of my private psychotherapy practice. It’s a living philosophy of the craft of psychotherapy, borne out of personal and professional experience. Ultimately, it’s a response to psychotherapy’s increasing overreliance on science that often comes at the expense of soul, relationship, and a more expansive, worldly view of healing.
Equally, it’s also a response to the stilted, “one-person,” hierarchical therapy model frequently exemplified in traditional depth therapy (or depth at the expense of relationship). Last but not least, it’s a response calibrated to today’s unique concerns and challenges, viewed through a social justice-informed and trauma-competent lens. Modern Depth Therapy serves to bridge the gaps between different psychology traditions, the needs of the soul, and the realities of our time…”