Adriel McCluer, MA, LMFT, ESMHL (she/her/hers)
Located in Santa Cruz, California, the traditional territory known as Popeloutchom by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
Methods
My work as a Holistic Psychotherapist begins with developing an authentic relationship with you based on trust and safety. Whether we are indoors or out, our work together may involve talking, movement, breath, meditation, guided visualization, and expressive arts.
Outdoor Ecotherapy sessions, in open spaces throughout Santa Cruz County, integrate the rest of the natural world as part of your wholeness, resilience, and well-being.
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, in the Santa Cruz mountains, involves horses as co-therapist, and is subtle, relationship-based work with safety and respect for all as integral elements of wellness.
Learn how to listen to and trust your inner wisdom, build new skills, discover hope and a sense of belonging, as you navigate your unique life's journey.
Specialties
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy
Mindfulness, Movement and Meditation
I offer somatic (body based), transpersonal (spiritual), and trauma-informed practices in my work.
I primarily see individual adults, with special interest in supporting:
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Life-transitions, expected and unexpected
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Developing Self-Acceptance, Self-Esteem, and Self-Advocacy
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Caregivers of any kind, therapists, social workers
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Parents/family of special needs children
My practice is inclusive of Black, Indigenous, People of Color and the LGBTQIA+ community.
A little more about me
Having grown up in Santa Cruz, I am grateful to call this special place home, and to be able to support the community that has supported me over the years. This is my second career... after 15 years creating technical athletic apparel, my life changed when I began volunteering at DreamPower Horsemanship in Gilroy, CA. The healing transformations I saw inspired me to go back to school to learn about how being in connection with the rest of the natural world can help us find our individual wholeness, sense of well-being, belonging and greater purpose. Over a decade later I am deeply inspired by the study of ecopsychology, and I have learned that an important aspect of wellness and belonging is in creating a reciprocal relationship with the world we live in.
I treasure my time outdoors every day, gardening, walking my dog, playing in the ocean, hiking in the woods, and picking up trash while exploring all the natural beauty this Earth has to offer. I also enjoy biking to work, meditation and yoga practices, cooking healthy meals and spending time with my loved ones (human and other-than-human).
Maisy sometimes joins sessions
Education and Certifications
MA in Holistic Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, a program that integrates Somatic and Transpersonal Psychologies, with an emphasis in Buddhist Psychology.
BA in Design Studies with a minor in Art History and Visual Culture from San Jose State University
Professional certifications:
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Professional Clinical Ecotherapist through the Earthbody Institute
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Registered Yoga Instructor through Mount Madonna Institute with additional trainings in trauma informed yoga
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Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International