If you’re a therapist who’s hungry to develop your somatic skills, why not make the summer a time to dig in a little deeper? I’ve got some openings for 1:1 consultation. Learn more.
In this short guided video, I offer a simple orienting practice that you can use for yourself as a therapist (or anyone!) and with your clients.
Orienting is about what we pay attention to. Learning to pay attention on purpose to our environment can help us to feel more present, decrease anxiety or distraction, feel a greater sense of safety, and feel more connected to ourselves.
It can help us relax and support nervous system regulation. When we’re more present, it helps us engage with with what’s in front of us better, whether that’s a therapy session, a family visit, a job interview, meeting a new person, talking a walk on our favorite trail, or well, pretty much anything.
Using your sense of sight to look around and connect with the environment is a powerful way to orient to the here and now.
Therapists can get in the habit of using this practice for yourself before, during or after sessions, and you can use it with your clients to help them regulate, refocus, and gain new resources.
The more someone is in distress, the simpler we want to keep it. Sticking to naming colors out loud, for example. Giving more direction, staying concrete. When a person is more resourced, we can get more nuanced and creative. We can go beyond orienting for regulation and presence and go for playfulness and imagination.
As always, if you’re a therapist who is newer to somatic work, I encourage you to try this out for yourself until you are comfortable with it and have a sense of how you might use it with your clients. And if you’re interested in getting support for developing this kind of work, I’d be happy to explore options with you.
Please share about your experience, your reflections and your questions!
© 2025 Annabelle Coote
This article and video is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be considered as therapeutic, legal, ethical, clinical, health or any other business or clinical practice advice.
