ecotherapist • spiritual ecologist • photographer
My name is Brittany Kleinschnitz (they/them). I am a queer, non-binary photographer, writer, Spiritual Ecologist, and Clinical Social Work Associate living in so-called Portland, Oregon on ancestral Molalla land.
I am also a sibling, a dancer, a first-gen college student, a yoga practitioner, an auntie, a Naturalist, a child, a friend to many, a tarot reader, an amateur astrologer, a griever, an herbalist, a homemaker, an environmentalist, an activist, a lover, a psychonaut, a star, a river.
I specialize in somatic trauma therapy, mindfulness, and grief and death work - namely Ecological grief and anxiety.
In all my practice I work at the intersections of environmentalism/ecology, spirituality, and healing traditions. This includes "ecotherapy" - a therapeutic modality and orientation that acknowledges and values connection with nature (and recognition of ourselves as nature) as fundamental to our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
All of my work centers the intelligence, aliveness, and beauty of the more-than-human world, and seeks to support folks in "re-membering" their unique place of belonging in the web of life.
about me
my story
My journey in the mental health field began after working in wildlife biology and ecology for a number of years. After being intimate with the living world in this way, I soon realized that our environmental "problems" are actually social ones. At the same time, I was moving through difficult experiences in my own life and found meaning and connection in cultivating my relationship with the living world. It was this connection that saved my life. The confluence of these experiences is what brought me to social work.
My MSW specialized in working in Indigenous and Rural communities. My focus during the program was on the interactions between environmental and social justice issues and the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health benefits of connecting with the Earth. During my MSW I mainly worked in school-based settings with K-12th graders, including with alternative high schools and community schools.
After graduating I moved to Bend, Oregon to work in wilderness therapy. In this setting, I worked with high-needs adolescents and young adults in a remote landscape. It was here that I gained more experience with these populations, started to hone my attachment-based skills, and was first exposed to Brainspotting as a highly effective trauma processing modality.
I currently work at the Center at Heron Hill, an outpatient eco and animal assisted therapy group practice located on a 60 acre horse farm outside of the city. The land includes trails, creeks, meadows, as well as horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, and pigs. My practice has expanded to work across the lifespan, and I mainly work with adolescents, young adults, and adults.
education, training, & certifications
⋗ Somatic Experiencing, Beginning I + 2
July, September 2023
⋗ Brainspotting Level 1 + 2
September 2022, February 2023
⋗ Ecotherapy Level 1
Earth Body Institute
November 2022
⋗ Yoga Calm: Social Emotional Yoga for Children & Youth
June 2021
⋗ MSW Social Work
Humboldt State University, CA
⋗ Pupil Personnel Services Credential
Humboldt State University, CA
⋗ A.S. Natural Resources
Columbia College, CA
⋗ B.A. Visual Arts and Literature
Bennington College, VT
