Hi, I'm Simone Isadora Levine (she/her)

these letters might mean something to you....

MA, LPC, LMHC, NCC

or maybe these titles are more helpful...

Licensed Psychotherapist Wilderness Rite of Passage Guide Soulwork Companion
Fellow Human Being

Working Together

What if you didn't have to work so hard to be yourself?

To hold everything together, meet everyone else's expectations, or make sense of every thought and feeling. Perhaps there's room to slow down, listen more closely, and discover what you've been carrying, what you've outgrown, and what might be ready to emerge.

Maybe you're thoughtful, self-aware, and pretty good at holding things together. But beneath the surface, there's a lot going on. You second-guess yourself, struggle with boundaries, feel overwhelmed by emotions, or find yourself repeating patterns you understand but can't quite seem to change. Maybe you've spent years feeling different, misunderstood, or exhausted by the effort of fitting into a world that doesn't always fit you.

Or perhaps you're simply navigating a difficult chapter, questioning what comes next, or longing for a deeper connection to yourself and the world around you.

Whatever brings you here, I believe there's wisdom in how you've learned to navigate this life, even when those same strategies leave you longing for something different.

Getting curious about what lies beneath

My approach is holistic, rooted in the understanding that our minds, bodies, spirits, nervous systems, relationships, and lived experiences are deeply interconnected. I'm particularly interested in the ways we've learned to adapt, not only through childhood experiences, relationships, and trauma, but also through the beliefs, expectations, and survival strategies passed down through our families, cultures, and ancestral lineages.

Maybe you learned to be the responsible one, the achiever, the caretaker, or the person who never needed much. Maybe you've spent years trying to fit into expectations that were never really yours to begin with. I believe our struggles can't be separated from the larger systems we live within, including the ways power, oppression, and cultural conditioning shape our sense of self and belonging.

My clinical work integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic approaches, ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), mindfulness, and ecopsychology. We move beyond simply understanding our patterns intellectually, making space to explore the parts of ourselves that carry fear, shame, grief, or the pressure to keep it all together. We also get curious about the ways we seek relief when life feels like too much, whether through numbing, distraction, overworking, withdrawing, or behaviors that offer comfort in the moment but leave us feeling stuck. Rather than judging these responses, we explore what they're trying to protect us from and what they might need.

Sometimes that means tending to old wounds, sometimes it means finding new ways to navigate difficult emotions, and other times it means learning to honor our needs, strengths, and natural rhythms.

Spacious, grounded, and very human

We might talk things through, move with what the body is holding, or sit quietly and notice what arises. There’s room to laugh, cry, rage at the unfairness of it all, or simply be with what’s here. I'm not the kind of therapist who just nods silently. I'll be right there with you, bringing curiosity, warmth, and humor, cheering you on, gently challenging you, and occasionally cursing right alongside you.

Drawing on two decades of experience as an international experiential educator, group facilitator, leadership trainer, yoga and mindfulness teacher, therapist, and wilderness rite of passage guide, I bring curiosity, warmth, humor, and a deep appreciation for the beautiful messiness of being human to everything I offer.

Whether we're exploring old wounds in therapy, questions of meaning and spirit through soulwork, or life's transitions in the wilderness, the setting may change, but the heart of my work remains the same.

I'm here to walk alongside you, help you reconnect with your own wisdom, and create space for whatever is ready to unfold.

"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” - Pema Chodron

The Winding Road Here

A work in progress (aren't we all?)

I've been on a winding journey through these 40-ish years of life. Some chapters have been full and abundant, others painful and seemingly endless. There have been times when I've felt wildly alive and others when I've moved through the world like a walking zombie, distracted, disconnected, and numb.

I've also spent plenty of years on the client side of the therapy room, learning firsthand what it feels like to be truly met by another human being, and what it feels like when that connection is missing. Those experiences have shaped the therapist I am today. In many ways, I try to show up as the therapist I've needed myself.

I've learned from an extraordinary collection of teachers along the way: therapists, healers, clients, family, friends, housemates, colleagues, ex-partners, strangers, and yes, actual teachers. While my education and training have given me valuable frameworks, it's the messiness of living, loving, losing, questioning, and beginning again that has taught me the most.

I'll be the first to tell you that I don't have it all figured out, and I hope I never will. That's part of the beauty of being human. We're always in process, always becoming.

Roots, belonging & the things that shape me

I'm a white, cisgender, heteroflexible, able-bodied, neurodiverdent woman who was raised culturally and religiously Jewish. These days, my spiritual life is a beautiful mishmash of Jewish ancestry, Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, yoga, and a deep reverence for the natural world. I find spirit in the trees and in a drop of rain that becomes the ocean.

My Jewish lineage carries stories of persecution, displacement, loss, and resilience. I hold those histories close while recognizing that they don't give me an understanding of experiences I haven't lived. I know there are ways my identities afford me privilege, and I remain committed to examining my own blind spots and the ways systems of oppression, including white supremacy and patriarchy, shape our lives. I won't pretend to know your experience, but I will keep listening, questioning, and learning.

Community and belonging are deeply important to me. Not just as sources of support when life gets hard, but for the simple joy of being alive together. Some of my most meaningful moments involve gathering with others, sharing stories, singing, laughing, grieving, and celebrating the beautiful messiness of being human.

A little magic, a little realism

My disposition rests in joy, celebration, and a healthy balance of magic and realism. I can go deep and hold space for the shadow, but I also believe in laughter, play, pleasure, and finding beauty right alongside the hard stuff.

Outside of my professional life, I love yoga, cooking, reading, spending time with animals, and getting outside as much as possible. A few of my faves are hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, biking, scuba diving (the ocean is my happy place), traveling, and driving my campervan/"mobile office" anywhere I can get it without crossing an ocean (yet!).

The Formal Stuff

Education

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, University of the Cumberlands
MA in International Education, New York University
BA in Intercultural Communication, DePaul University

Trainings & Certifications

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 2
Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS)
Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Level 1
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intensive
Motivational Interviewing, Level 1
Gottman Level 1 & 2 (currently in process)
Parts Work & Polyvagal Theory for Treating Complex Trauma
School of Lost Borders lineage apprenticeship
Registered Yoga Teacher - 500 hours
Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training
Collaborative Problem Solving, Level 1
Wilderness First Responder

Specialties

Anxiety
Depression
ADHD
Trauma and CPTSD
Relationship Issues (including non-traditional relationships)
Women's Issues
Grief
Cultural Adjustment (immigrants, third culture kids, expatriates, refugees, etc.)
Psychedelic Integration
Eco-Anxiety
LGBTQIA+
Multicultural Counseling