Counselor says Mind-Body Bridging eases burden in therapy

Nikki Olsen, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, told a public meeting that she has used Mind-Body Bridging (MBB) in her clinical practice for about four years and that the approach has “eased a burden” in her therapy work.

Olsen said she began training in MBB after attending a domestic violence training roughly four years ago, was certified soon after and has “been using it pretty much solely in my practice since that time.” She described MBB as a set of practices and skills that clients can use daily and said it does not imply clients are “broken” or “damaged.”

“They're not broken. They're not damaged,” Olsen said. She added that MBB provides “a common language” for clinicians and clients to address obstacles to daily functioning and that “you don't have to have anything wrong with you to be using mind body bridging.”

Olsen told the meeting that the modality draws from multiple therapeutic approaches and “streamlines” sessions by putting more of the active work on clients. “It doesn't involve a lot of work on the therapist part. You really put the work back on your clients and helps them to really be in charge of their own session,” she said, adding that the clinician serves “as a guide” to teach the skills.

She characterized the method as useful to other counselors and beneficial as everyday life skills for people coping with day-to-day turmoil.

No formal action, vote or policy decision was recorded in the transcript related to Olsen's remarks.