Slow your mind.
Ease your body.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and nervous system support for women navigating:
→ Chronic pain
→ Anxiety
→ Stress & burnout
At Restward, we offer a modern, refreshing, and integrative approach to supporting mind-body health and well-being.
For many years, chronic pain, anxiety, and physical signs linked to chronic stress and burnout (think IBS, persistent headaches, fatigue, and chronic muscle tension, to name a few) have been treated in a vacuum - often viewed as isolated symptoms to manage rather than broader signals for support. Simply put, we do things differently. Moving beyond the limitations of conventional treatment paths, Restward is a space where the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of mind-body health and well-being collide. We’ll deep-dive into the science of the nervous system, unravel the narratives and beliefs underlying your symptoms, and empower you with therapeutic practices and insights to carry with you for years to come. If you’re seeking a space where mind meets body, science meets intuition, and self-connection meets self-expansion - welcome! I hope you’ll feel at home here.
MEET CHRISTINE
Christine Archer, LMFT, LPCC, RYT
Restward is the embodiment of the support I craved through my own experiences with anxiety, burnout, and chronic pain.
By the time I graduated from college and landed my then-dream-job working as a journalist for the Today Show, I was intimately familiar with overriding my body’s signals and needs in favor of giving everyone and everything 110%. Over time, as I continued to push against my body my body pushed back harder - leaving me most days feeling increasingly anxious, exhausted, and in pain. All the while, my inner dialogue sounded a little something like this: Just push through. Mind over matter. And the real doozy: You’re fine. You’re fine. You’re fine.
But truthfully, I wasn’t fine. I didn’t know that it was okay to slow down. I didn’t know that there were options beyond trying to rationalize my way out of anxiety and medicate my way through pain. I certainly didn’t know that there was a whole world of knowledge and support available that would foundationally shift my relationship with my own mind and body for many years to come.
Fast forward a decade and now I am fully immersed in that world. What started as a tiptoe into the world of mindfulness and yoga has evolved into a love of the nervous system and deep-dive into the mind-body connection. I feel endlessly lucky to spend my days doing my now-dream-job: being a therapist and guide for other women moving through their own experiences of anxiety, chronic pain, burnout, and stress-related symptoms. If you’re curious to learn more about how we might work together, continue onwards below. You’re always welcome to reach out with additional questions or book a consultation too.
WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
Therapy
A spiral into your inner-world. My work is grounded in Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) and often weaves in practices drawing from mindfulness, yoga, self-compassion, and therapeutic writing. Through a process of unraveling and repatterning, we will move toward accessing more ease in your body and explore patterns and ways of relating to yourself that may be keeping you stuck. I work well with empaths, helpers and caretakers, high-achievers, people-pleasers, entrepreneurs and creatives, spiritually-curious types, and mothers/mothers-to-be. Therapy is available to California and Colorado residents.
Coaching
A direct and goal-oriented approach. We will create a personalized plan to support you in significantly improving or relieving symptoms associated with anxiety, chronic pain, persistent stress, and burnout. With an emphasis on nervous system education and practical tools for support, coaching is ideal for those seeking a new framework for understanding their symptoms, a roadmap for weekly practice and integration, and a gentle dose of accountability throughout the process. Typically shorter-term in nature and offered in a weekly session format, coaching is available to those living in the United States and abroad.
Gentle Intensives
Coming soon! Intensives are an immersive therapeutic experience designed to support self-growth and transformation in a shorter period of time. Ranging from a half-day to two days in length, intensives are a good fit for those who are eager to make big shifts swiftly or find it tricky to fit weekly sessions into their schedules. Beginning January 2025, I will be booking a limited number of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) Gentle Intensives. Whether you’re brand new to PRT or are seasoned in the approach, join our waitlist to stay in the loop about availability and learn how intensives may support you.
MY APPROACH
Curious to know more about how I work?
Here are some of the modalities and influences that inform my offerings here at Restward:
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My roots as a therapist. PRT is a modern, evidence-based approach that blends somatic practices, cognitive techniques and nervous system education to shift the brain’s response to pain and reduce or eliminate many chronic pain symptoms. While pain is the name, PRT is also an effective approach for anxiety, many non-pain chronic symptoms, and physical symptoms linked to stress and burnout. I am certified as an advanced practitioner of PRT and trained extensively under Alan Gordon and team at the Pain Psychology Center for several years.
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IFS is the mystical-meets-practical therapeutic approach that I was always seeking. Grounded in the idea that each person contains an ecosystem of parts taking on particular roles (think self-critical parts, overthinking parts, and people-pleasing parts, to name just a few) IFS aims to bring connection and understanding to your inner-landscape and make space for what is core, essential, and most meaningful to you. I am training as an Internal Family Systems Level 1 practitioner through the IFS Institute.
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Where ancient wisdom meets modern science. Yoga, mindfulness and self-compassion offer a well of knowledge and practices for nervous system nourishment and mind-body well-being. For those interested, I offer the option to weave yoga psychology, philosophy, breathwork and restorative movement into sessions. Mindfulness and self-compassion are also foundational to my work with anxiety, chronic pain, and symptoms of stress and burnout. I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2017 and am currently enrolled in an advanced 300-hour therapeutic yoga training for mental health providers through Stanford University and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).
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Like I said…I’m a journalist turned therapist, a.k.a. a lifelong lover of words and storytelling. Both personally and professionally, I have witnessed how clarifying and cathartic therapeutic writing can be. Drawing from a variety of writing practices I’ve explored over the years, this style of writing is messy, raw, and unfiltered. If you want to release perfectionism, free your mind from overthinking, and connect with deeper layers of feeling, therapeutic writing may be a good complement to our sessions together.
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Quite simply, a huge source of inspiration for my work comes from day-to-day moments and experiences that exist outside of any framework or modality. I believe that engaging in the practice of self-exploration and personal growth is an innately creative process - one that is as much an art as it is a science. Some of the things that kindle creative inspiration in my own life include: spending time in nature, exploring new hobbies (film photography being my most recent), reading, and taking space for quiet and rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Wonderful! Our next step will be to hop on a free 20-minute consultation call so that I can learn a bit more about you and get us set up for sessions. If you’re feeling ready to schedule a consultation you can do so here.
If you are interested in therapy sessions and have questions about your out-of-network insurance benefits (more on this below) I also recommend reaching out to your insurance company prior to our consult call to honor our time together and allow us to focus our consultation time on you.
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Sure can. I’m currently able to offer therapy only to California and Colorado residents. If you live in another state or outside of the U.S., we may be able to work together in a coaching capacity.
Coaching is also different than therapy in that no mental health diagnosis is given nor treated as a part of the process. Our work together is typically focused and goal-driven. High-risk needs and concerns are not a fit for coaching and appropriate referrals will be made if needed. If you have additional questions about therapy or coaching, feel free to send me an email and I’m happy to help! -
At the moment I only offer virtual sessions and truly love being able to connect with my clients in all different corners of the world. Since we’re meeting virtually, find a quiet space, get cozy, and settle in. Animal friends are always welcome - you’ll likely meet my pup, Topa, at some point too!
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My current rate for individual therapy and coaching is $250 per session. Sessions are 50 minutes in length.
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I am an out-of-network therapy provider and do not accept insurance directly. If you have out-of-network mental health benefits available to you through your plan, I’m happy to provide you with a monthly superbill for therapy services to submit to your insurance company. If you’re uncertain whether you have out-of-network benefits or want to explore your benefits further, I recommend reaching out to your insurance company prior to our consultation. Please note that if we are working together in a coaching capacity, unfortunately most insurance plans will not offer any form of reimbursement for coaching sessions.
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I am currently scheduling sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10am - 6pm U.S. Eastern time.
For therapy clients - When beginning sessions, I schedule with clients on a weekly, ongoing basis for a minimum of four months. One of my greatest hopes is that our work together helps you to create meaningful, sustainable change in your life. This process is best supported by an in-depth approach, consistent engagement with the therapeutic process, and developing a strong relationship between the two of us. After at least four months of weekly sessions, we can reevaluate session frequency and determine if less frequent sessions may be appropriate at that point.
For coaching clients - Sessions are scheduled on a weekly basis for the duration of the coaching process. Coaching tends to be shorter term in nature, with the exact time frame or number of sessions being dependent on your unique goals.
