somatic therapy and consultation for

Outsiders, Change Makers, and Healers

in Minnesota and Massachusetts

Anna C. Stern, a somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, is a white woman with short brown curly hair, glasses and a green dress in stairwell with chin cupped in her hand.

About Me

I help people align their lives with their hearts when oppressive forces tell them to stay put. Trust is central to our work, since your relationship with me will be one of the most critical factors in your healing. I will meet you with an open heart, and a lot of realness.

Together, we can shift your relationships with the problems in your life and reclaim what is most precious to you.

I'll be honest, I don't always get it right. I take my power as a professional very seriously, and am always looking for ways to limit its influence. I emphasize consent and will often ask what you most want to feel or connect to in our session. I also offer moments to pause, give feedback, or change direction during our time.

I believe that caring for each other with open hearts will change the world. That’s why I hope you will take the first step toward healing, and contact me to set up a consultation today.

Learn more about my approach

“You are beautiful just as you are and your contributions to this world are both necessary and unique. If you are ever feeling alone or unloved, please remember this.”

—Janet Bystrom

 My Values

Orange "XXX" on a black background

My practice was born out of a desire to provide affirming, open-hearted, inclusive care to the outsiders of the world. I study with a therapist who, when asked if something is normal, says “well does it bother you?” There are far too many things in this world shaped by white supremacy and all its attendant oppressions. In the face of this, I strive to stand against oppression in all its forms, and to fight for racial, body and trans liberation.

Lineage & Influences

  • Anna C. Stern, somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, is deeply influenced by the Neuroaffective Relational Model (NARM). Image shows a close-up of a single water droplet falling into still water, creating ripples, in black and white.

    Neuroaffective Relational Model (NARM)

    NARM is my central practice foundation, guiding my work to reconnect mind and body.

  • Anna C. Stern, a somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, is influenced by Stephen Porges and Deb Dana's polyvagal theory of the nervous system. Image shows a mother owl and her chicks snuggling.

    Polyvagal Theory

    Stephen Porges and Deb Dana’s theory of the nervous system informs my understanding of trauma and the body.

  • Anna C. Stern, a somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts is influenced by narrative therapy. Image shows a close-up of green olives on a branch with leaves

    Narrative Therapy

    Narrative was my first therapy home, grounding my work in postmodern, queer and feminist theories.

  • Anna C. Stern, a somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, was shaped by Janet Bystrom's mentorship throughout her career. Image shows Janet Bystrom, a white woman with close-cropped greying hair and maroon shirt making direct eye contact.

    Janet Bystrom, LICSW

    Janet Bystrom has been my teacher, mentor and friend throughout my therapy career. My work is immeasurably stronger thanks to her support, wisdom and ethics.

  • Anna C. Stern, a somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, was influenced by Fez Aswat, a wise and funny meditation teacher. He is pictured in glasses, closed-cropped hair, a salt and pepper beard and black v-neck t-shirt.

    Fez Aswat

    Fez Aswat is a wise and funny meditation and yoga teacher who supports my ability to be with what is, to laugh, and to share meditation and mindfulness skills with clients.

  • Anna C. Stern, a somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, is a lifelong meditation practioner. Image pictures a copper meditation gong with its stick inside.

    Buddishness

    I am a lifelong meditation practitioner with varying degrees of dedication. An attention to the lineage of many therapy practices in Buddhist philosophy underpins my work.

  • Anna C. Stern, somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, spent her first five years after grad school at CCSC. Image shows a child's painting of a tree full of apples, with two apples on the ground on either side of the tree trunk.

    The Collaborative

    What we water is what grows. Healing is a spiral, not a line. Every behavior has meaning, every behavior reflects a need. I carry a long list of learnings and influences from CCSC at the Home for Little Wanderers in my heart each time I sit down to work with someone. My clients, especially, challenged and supported my growth, as I hope I did theirs.

  • Anna C. Stern, somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, is deeply influenced by Transformative Justice work. Stone carving of a circular design with hands holding wrists, symbolizing unity and cooperation, set in a textured brick wall.

    Transformative Justice

    Circle practices and their impact on community, accountability, and healing processes have been life changing for me. The invitation to listen deeply, to step outside of your own experience, and to bear witness with your whole heart is unlike anything else I’ve experienced.

  • Anna C. Stern, somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, met Irene Ochoa, pictures here with curly hair, rosy tan skin and a warm smile on a red background.

    Irene Ochoa

    My first therapy teacher, long before I was a therapist. Irene didn’t teach in words, she taught with an open door. She taught with patience, quiet, and a loving heart. She taught with homemade potato flautas. She taught with her own story and her endless capacity to show up for those in vulnerable situations. Irene is the person who taught me to truly listen.

  • Anna C. Stern, somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, met Sonita as a college professor. Pictured is a dark haired, brown skinned smiling woman wearing lipstick and a striped shirt with a knowing look in her eye.

    Sonita Sarker

    If Irene taught me to listen, Sonita taught me to think, to question, to look at context and what is beneath. Sonita dismantled femininity in a bright pink power suit and three inch stilettos. Getting work back from her was an experience both terrifying and expansive, one’s work barely visible in a sea of red ink. Never telling us what to think, but how to think. I use my degree (in gender studies) that many thought was useless every single day.

  • Anna C. Stern, somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts, met Colleen through domestic violence work. Pictured here, Colleen is a white woman with light brown hair and a dark green shirt smiling in front of a plant

    Colleen Schmitt

    Colleen used her experience as a survivor of domestic violence to vision a network of safety for domestic and sexual assault survivors around the country. She built a program around the message one call to safety. She offered me both guidance and freedom as we identified and dismantled barriers to safety and resources for folks who fell through the cracks of domestic and sexual violence services.

  • Anna C. Stern, somatic therapist in Minnesota and Massachusetts grew up with Emily Cheney Neville, pictured here in a black and white photo, a white woman with floppy bangs and a pensive look, her chin in her hand.

    Emily Cheney Neville

    My grandmother was formidable and deeply loving. A prolific letter writer, her advice guided me through my childhood and teens. She used her resources to support those who needed it, never patronizing or dominating, just holding a door open for folks to step through, doing what she could, which was a lot. She was a fierce friend and advocate, and a simple and incredible baker. I make her liebkuchen every winter.