Ashley “Bird” Sandau, MA, LMHCA, R-DMT
Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate, Registered- Dance/movement Therapist
(she/her)
I believe healing doesn’t only happen in conversation; sometimes it begins in a quiet breath, a subtle shift in posture, or the realization that your body has been holding a story your words haven’t yet found.
I am the founder of The Embodynest PLLC, an extension of my passion for movement, healing, and connection. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) and Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT) in Washington State, working with older teens and adults who are curious about themselves and willing to explore what healing might look like beyond the surface.
The nest is both symbol and practice: a place of safety and transformation, somewhere you can arrive, restore, and gather strength before taking flight again in your own way. My intention is to create that kind of landing space with you: a grounded, attuned container where you feel seen, supported, and embodied.
My approach is experiential and rooted in lived experience, meaning we pay attention to what is happening in real time in your body, emotions, and relationships. It is relational-cultural, acknowledging that we shape and are shaped by connection. It is multicultural and feminist in orientation, honoring identity, power, and context while staying strengths-based and liberation-focused. And it is integrally informed, attuned to what is emerging and ready to be revealed in your life’s unfolding.
The Embodynest is a blend of somatic psychotherapy, dance/movement therapy, and integrative clinical modalities designed to support you in reclaiming your body’s voice and wisdom. While movement is welcome here, it is never required. Some sessions may look like traditional talk therapy. Others may incorporate breath, sensation tracking, imagery, expressive arts, or gentle movement. You lead the way. We move at the pace of your nervous system, not productivity culture.
I tend to be a good fit for people who are open to exploration, those who are curious about their patterns, their resilience, their relational dynamics, and the deeper intelligence of their bodies. I am less interested in labeling and more interested in understanding how your strategies once protected you and how they may be asking to evolve.
I earned my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University, where I explored and deepened my understanding of the healing potential of the expressive arts. Before becoming a clinician, I was a collegiate educator, and I continue to create and perform as a movement artist, both of which profoundly inform my work. My ongoing creative practice keeps me curious, humble, and embodied in the therapy room.
No matter where life finds you physically, your healing space can always be cultivated within your body and within the nests you build through resourcing and support. It is an honor to walk alongside you as you learn to listen inward, reclaim your voice, and expand into fuller ways of being. I don’t believe therapy is about fixing you; it’s about creating enough steadiness and curiosity for change to unfold. I bring my human presence to this work with intention and care, continually tending my own grounding so I can meet you with thoughtfulness and attunement. Together, we create the conditions for growth rather than forcing it.
Areas of Focus
Addiction
Anxiety
Depression
Emotional Regulation / Nervous System Support
Grief & Loss
Identity
Intuition & Discernment
LGBTQ Identity
Neurodivergence
PTSD / C-PTSD
Relationships & Attachment
Self Esteem
Somatics / Embodiment
Stress
Transitions
Trauma & Abuse
Vitality / Aliveness
Fees
I offer:
50-90-minute initial intake session — $200 (90791)
50-minute psychotherapy session — $150 (90837)
45-minute psychotherapy session — $120 (90834)
30-minute psychotherapy session — $95 (90832)
In an effort to increase accessibility, I reserve a limited number of sliding scale sessions for clients experiencing financial constraints. Reduced-fee appointments are offered based on financial need and availability within my caseload and are determined collaboratively. Please inquire for current availability.
In-person studio/office sessions can be arranged when they support your counseling goals and based upon availability.
Insurance
I am in network with:
Lifewise
Premera
Location
I am currently offering virtual sessions in Washington state.
Scheduling Information
I look forward to connecting with you. You can reach me by:
Email: bird@embodynest.com
Phone: 360-464-1974
Website: www.embodynest.com
“In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.
When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
To fill the spaces
Where my body’s been.
We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
To keep things whole.”