The Wellness Center
Creating Change Conference 2018
Welcome to the 2018 Creating Change Conference, organized and hosted by the National LGBTQ Task Force. Freed Bodyworks in honored to be co-sponsoring and managing the official conference Wellness Center this year, and we've assembled the most incredible team of healers, therapists, organizers, and activists to make sure you're cared for mind, body, and soul while you're engaging with our communities and creating meaningful change.
Meet The Wellness Center Team
Alicia Elan (she/her or they/them) is a sex educator and recovering academic dedicated to dismantling all systems that value some lives over other.
Angela Black (she/her) is Freed Bodyworks' Admin & Operations Assistant. She wants to meet you where you are and go from there.
As a massage therapist and personal trainer, Aries Indenbaum (they/them) seeks to assist clients in finding more comfort in their bodies. Outside of work, they teach partnered dance, emcee, and geek out about Steven Universe.
Bethany Henderson (she/her) is a social worker in a health care institution, primarily working with transgender adolescents and young adults
Dr. Brandon Sloan (he/him) is a physical therapist, massage therapist, gyrotonic instructor, current student of the Feldenkrais Method, and a beginner meditation instructor/ healing space facilitator. He practices in Boston.
Charlie Trotman (they/them) is an intuitive healer who does psychic readings by way of palm touching. They are also a touch healer and lead guided meditations.
As a therapist, Emma Kupferman (she/her) uses a strengths-based approach to empower clients to create they change they seek to live their most full, authentic lives. She specializes in body positivity, exploration of polyamory and ethical non-monogamy, sex therapy, and gender identity.
Frances Reed (they/them) is a genderqueer massage therapist and the founding owner of Freed Bodyworks. They specialize in serving gender non-conforming clients, especially those in any and all stages of transforming their bodies.
Gabriel Joffe (they/them) is a Boston-based massage therapist who is passionate about providing affirming bodywork for the LGBTQAI community and integrating healing work into our movements for liberation. Gabriel also works at a social justice organization that conducts research to support movement strategy.
J Sheffield (they/them) is a queer, non-binary massage therapist at Freed Bodyworks who is also building a sliding scale practice focused on holding space for trauma. They strive to make bodywork a form of accessible and affirming self-and-community care for queer and trans communities and activists. J comes from artistic, organizing, and non-profit backgrounds where they focused on accountability in regards to race and queerness.
Jemel Johnson-Smith (she/her)
Jessica Whittington (she/her) has been practicing yoga since 2003 and started teaching in 2008. She is a natural healer, and she loves taking the yoga discipline outside of the studio setting when possible to share her gifts with non-traditional students. She always takes great care to create safe and welcoming spaces to practice.
Karina Hernandez (they/them) is a critical educator, activist, and organizer who utilizes the Black Queer Feminist lens to share knowledge, transform communities, and restore their communities.
Kelli Cronin (she/her) works with adults and older adolescents, with special focus on LGBTQ+, gender-diverse and relationship-nonconforming individuals, veterans, and people affected by the criminal justice system.
La Sarmiento (they/them) is a genderqueer, pilipino-american, bodyworking, Reiki-ing, uke-playing servant of the dharma. They serve as leader for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Sangha and the People of Color Sangha within the Washington Insight Meditation Community. They also provide mindfulness training and mentorship to teens through Inward Bound Mindfulness Education.
Melanie Williams (she/her) is a fat, queer, body-positive yoga teacher, spiritually-motivated activist, and Freed Bodyworks' Practice Manager.
Michael Vigorito (he/him) is a sexual health psychotherapist, author and consultant. He has specialized training in co-occurring disorders, domestic violence, mindfulness, and clients living with HIV/AIDS.
Poonam Srivastava (she/her) is a healer basing her practice on the power of love. Healing happens on the individual, the community, and the planetary level, making her an activist.
Rachelle Rosario (she/her) is an intuitive healer and social justice warrior in the streets and a sex educator for the sheets.
Rosemary Moulton (she/her) aims to help people arrive at their own answers and live their most authentic lives using the power of a therapeutic, healing relationship. She specializes in aging, chronic pain/illness, disability, LGBTQIA identity, grief/loss, anxiety, and alternative lifestyles.
Sarah Mindel (she/her)
Tamara Pincus (she/her) is a certified sex therapist and psychotherapist specializing in working with kinky, poly, and LGBTQ clients.
Tavi Hawn (they/them) guides their private gender therapist practice with compassion, dedication, and an anti-oppression lens. Some of their specialties include trauma recovery, addressing negative self-talk, and managing anxiety and depression. The best part of what they do is celebrating a person's growth and witnessing their courage as they create the kind of life they've been hoping for.
Tele Darden (she/her) loves supporting the change makers of hearts, minds, bodies, spirits and communities in their healing so they can become stronger, more effective, more compassionate resources for the populations they serve.
Vanessa Crowley (she/her) is a queer, trans mystic and radical healer. Both in life and in practice she strives for authenticity, liberation, and connecting with healing as a purposeful spiritual vocation.
A social worker since 2002, Victoria Stubbs (she/her) understands the significance of the therapeutic process and offers an empathic, welcoming space for personal exploration. She has an affinity for working with people of color and members of the LGBTQIA community, and specializes in working with women who are coming out later in life.
Wes Livezey (he/him) is a trans teen interested in the healing power of bodywork and the importance of trans specific care.
Zia Amador (he/him) is a biker, artist, barista and Stranger Things nerd hailing from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Wellness Center FAQ
Where is the Wellness Center located?
The Wellness Center occupies two rooms at the Mariott Wardman Park, where the Creating Change Conference is being held. Our space can be found at the top of the escalators on the mezzanine level, overlooking the lobby, in the Coolidge and Harding rooms.
When is the Wellness Center open?
The Wellness Center itself will be open for self-service and one-on-one sessions from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day of the conference. Some group sessions hosted by the Wellness Center will fall outside of these hours.
What services are available?
We have a vast number of self-serve and one-one-one healing sessions available. They include but are not limited to:
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chair and table massage
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Thai massage
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Reiki/energy work
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psychic/oracle card reading
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talk therapy/mental health care
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yoga
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meditation
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chakra balancing and aura cleansing
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breath work/pranayama
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crystal and sound healing
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qui gong
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physical therapy
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aromatherapy
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hot tea, coloring books, and nap space
How do I sign up for a one-on-one session with a practitioner?
We will have sign-up sheets for all available practitioners at the welcome table within the Wellness Center each day. Sessions will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Will there be a wait list if one-on-one sessions fill up?
There will not be a formal wait list. If you are in need of a session and there isn't one available on the sign up sheet, you are welcome to relax in our space to see if something opens up. We can not guarentee that waiting at the center will mean a session will become available to you and recommend taking advantage of our self-serve wellness options or group sessions while you enjoy the remainder of the conference.
How long will one-on-one sessions last?
Most one-on-one sessions will be 15 minutes long. Mental health/talk therapy will last for the duration necessary to ensure your care.
Do I need to undress for my bodywork session?
All sessions are performed clothed, whether it's massage or another form of body or energywork.
Is there a maximum number of people who can attend a group session?
We don't anticipate having to turn anyone away from group sessions. Our room can hold up to 100 participants at a time. However, if we do fill the room, participation will be granted on a first come, first served basis. Additionally, we have a limited number of yoga mats, yoga props, meditation cushions, and other resources available to us, which will be allocated on a first come, first served and need-based basis.
Can I join a group session late?
We will not allow late admittance to group sessions. Please arrive on time!
Can/should I bring my own yoga mat?
If you happened to bring a yoga mat to the conference and would like to attend a group yoga session, we recommend that you bring it with you. We have a very limited number of yoga mats to lend, which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Are any of the group sessions identity-specific? What does that mean?
On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, our 4:45 p.m. group sessions will be identity specific. This means that only those holding these identities will be invited to attend. These sessions include:
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Thurs., 4:45, Stretch Your Bound Chest with Frances Reed - FTM and transmasculine folx ONLY
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Fri., 4:45, All Level Yoga with Jessica Whittington - MTF and transfeminine folx ONLY
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Sat., 4:45, Movement Relaxation with Brandon Sloan - People of Color (POC) folx ONLY