Jennifer O'Malley Pearlman

My path to becoming a therapist began with a deep curiosity about how people heal and what helps us feel truly at home in ourselves. That curiosity first sparked in high school, where my volleyball coach—who was also my psychology teacher—introduced me to the power of understanding the mind.

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After earning my degree in psychology from Northeastern University, I felt called to explore healing in a more embodied way. I moved to New Mexico to study bodywork at a healing arts school, where I learned how the body holds stories that words sometimes can’t reach. The work was transformative, and it shaped how I see healing—not just as a mental process, but as something deeply connected to our physical and emotional experience.

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When I pursued my master’s degree in counseling, I began weaving these worlds together. For years, I worked at a family center providing therapy while also maintaining a bodywork practice offering Craniosacral Therapy—a gentle, powerful way to help the body release deep tension and emotions. Before COVID, I kept two offices in a suite—one for counseling, one for bodywork—a reflection of how naturally those two paths have always intertwined in my life.

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When the world shifted, so did my practice. I transitioned fully online and began integrating body-based awareness into virtual sessions. This approach—drawing from Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, Somatic CBT, DBT, and EMDR principles—continues to help clients reconnect with themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and create more ease in their relationships and daily lives.

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Alongside my clinical work, I serve as an adjunct professor in a graduate counseling program, teaching future therapists to integrate presence, attunement, and somatic awareness into their practice. I’ve also trained for 17 years with my teacher Dharma Mittra, whose teachings in yoga, meditation, and discipline have shaped me more than anything else. That devotion and daily practice continue to guide both my personal and professional path.

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After many years in New Jersey, I moved to California and am now rooted here, continuing my work with individuals seeking healing that feels deep, intuitive, and transformational. I believe therapy is not just about feeling better—it’s about becoming more whole, grounded, and free to live authentically.

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If you feel drawn to begin your own healing journey, I’d be honored to walk beside you.