Elizabeth McCarthy is bringing her practice to Ruscombe after being in the field of psychology for 20 years in a variety of settings. She has worked in the ER, outreach, group homes, and outpatient community mental health. McCarthy received a Masters in Science from Johns Hopkins University in Clinical Community Counseling and was granted a license in clinical counseling. She worked in the clinical community psychiatry program at Johns Hopkins Bayview for five years before a brief pause to begin raising a family. She then returned to practice, providing individual and group therapy to those with symptoms of trauma, bi-polar, depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. In 2018, she completed her 200 hour yoga teacher certification. Most recently she completed her Foundational training in Trauma Sensitive Yoga and Nature-Informed Therapy. She is currently growing her private practice to specialize in wellness approaches including: Somatic approaches such as Poly-Vagal Nerve Theory; Yoga, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and the many aspects of Mindfulness; Parts work, such as Internal Family Systems; Dialectical Behavior Therapy; Mindfulness Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Transpersonal Psychology, and Nature Informed Therapy.
She continues to learn the most from her clients, and strives to connect with them through a lens of compassion, integration, and openness. Her goal is to create a unique growth experience tailored to each individual to guide them through the process of finding their inner strength and wisdom to walk a positive path on their healing journey, find happiness in their lives, thrive, and create and attain personal goals.
Why did you choose to practice at Ruscombe?
The heritage of the space and inhabitants, present and past; the family atmosphere; the outdoor space; the design of the building, the welcoming kitchen and gathering areas, the eclectic healing community with a unification of alternative healing practices; and my own curiosity to expand my understanding of these practices. I’m a somatically-oriented mental health therapist, so everyone in the community may get a referral from me:))
What brought you to your practice/Why did you feel called to this path?
We are all connected, and part of my purpose is to help others find ways to foster healing within themselves by looking inward and outward, just as we breathe, we can find peace. The body and nature hold abundant gifts that can help us grow and heal. Deepak Chopra wrote his book The Healing Self after I named my practice a Healing Self, and his quote aligns with my beliefs:
“The dividing line between what happens automatically and what happens voluntarily isn’t fixed. Choices matter, and thus the healing self comes into play. On its own the body knows how to survive; it’s up to us to teach it how to thrive.”
Aside from your work/practice, what hobbies or interests do you have?
Hiking, gardening, knitting/crochet, canning and crafting with food, herbs, etc; biking, camping, sitting/meditating in nature; yoga; time with family, friends, and my cats; listening to music, especially live; volunteering, cooking.
Are you reading/listening to/watching anything that you are totally loving right now?
- Reading Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance
- Learning Yoga from Arielle Schwartz
- Just made a really funky Chocolate Lava Cake