Ann Saffi Biasetti
PhD, LCSW-R, CEDS, C-IAYT
“I am most interested in guiding people to achieve long-lasting recovery, healing and growth.”
I have been a practicing Psychotherapist for over 34 years. I hold a PhD in Psychology with a Transpersonal concentration and am licensed as a Clinical Social Worker. Before I go further into all my shiny credentials, what is most important for you to know is that I truly LOVE what I do and feel blessed to have loved it for all these years. Not many people get to say that about their work in this lifetime. Part of the reason I love what I do is because I get to witness the transformative change that happens when people are guided back to their embodied self, whole, connected, safe and re-engaged in life again. As a somatic therapist and coach, I am fully engaged in session with you (no blank slate approach!). I believe effective therapy requires a partnership and the ability for the therapist to be a present, attentive co-regulator of the process.
About Me
walking the talk
My Approach
As a Somatic Psychotherapist, my approach to therapy is unique and informed by multiple trainings I have done throughout my clinical career. My research, training, and passion for self-compassion practice and the power it has to change up your nervous system, your relationship with yourself, others and your life, frames all the work I do. My approach is not just about talking about your life but rather, helping you to step back into it in an embodied way, in order to re-discover something new and different; and to help empower you toward action and lasting growth and change. I also “walk what I talk,” meaning I practice all that I guide my clients toward. Those who know me best know they can find me on my yoga mat each morning in practice and in meditation to center and ground my day so that I may be present with myself and my body as I ask you to do that for yourself. I have a deep spiritual practice guided by my studies in Eastern philosophy and religions, especially in Buddhist studies and mindfulness practice.
befriending your body
My Research & Publications
After 20 years as a practicing Clinical Social Worker, I decided to go back to school to complete my Doctoral degree. I was blessed to attend The Institute for Transpersonal Psychology (now Sofia University) where I grew and was encouraged to research what was most important and fulfilling, not just to my mind but to my heart as well. My doctoral research explored the role of self-compassion in eating disorder recovery. My first book, born from this qualitative research study was, Befriending Your Body: A Self-Compassionate Approach to Freeing Yourself from Disordered Eating. It was released through Shambhala Publications in August 2018 and has had—and continues to have—a consistent reach to those who need it most across the United States and around the world. This book eventually turned into the praised Befriending Your Body Program™ for Healing Your Relationship With Your Body, Food and Self. I originated this program back in 2019 and it spans the world helping folks to heal through embodiment and self-compassion. I also have certified over 30 professionals in the work as well. You can read all about the BFYB Program here.
My second publication, the Awakening Self-Compassion Card Deck: 52 Practices for Self-Care, Healing and Growth, was released through Shambhala Publications December 2021. I am currently writing my next manuscript based on an independent qualitative study on the role of Body Forgiveness® & Embodiment.
How My Training Informs My Work
As a Transpersonal Psychologist, I view each and every client I see as whole. My role is to help you find your way back to this wholeness. I practice through a trauma-informed, holistic, neuropsychotherapy lens, helping you to investigate and make sense of what you are experiencing in your nervous system, sensations you feel in your body, your emotions, and your thoughts; and we learn together how to understand and hold all of this through self-compassion.
The somatic interventions I use are informed and framed through my Certified Advanced Training as a Polyvagal-informed Therapist (Stephen Porges and Deb Dana), a Level 3 Certified Somatic IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapist, along with my extensive training as a Certified Yoga Therapist, Certified Mindfulness Therapist, Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher, and Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) Practitioner. MABT is an evidenced-based program created by researcher Dr. Cynthia Price. It is a program to build interoceptive awareness skills, helping you to access and use them in your daily life.
My extensive training as a Certified Yoga Therapist 18 years ago, as well as a Transpersonal Psychologist, offered me an in-depth study of mind/body integration through a holistic, spiritual viewpoint, different than any Western Psychotherapy training. This knowledge has allowed me the opportunity and ability to create a unique way to work, different than most somatic practitioners.
Teaching & Consulting
I love to teach, and I teach and train professionals extensively on embodiment, somatic practices and interventions, especially on topics such as: self-compassion in the recovery process; brain-based somatic skills for recovery; somatic trauma-informed skills for eating disorder recovery; embodied self-compassion; and many more!
I provide clinical consultation and training for individuals, small professional groups, and to organizations. I have presented extensively on the above topics and more, and I love to introduce and teach professionals another way to be with their clients and themselves!
As a Certified Yoga Therapist, I teach and train yoga teachers and yoga therapists in the healing power of Restorative Yoga and Yoga Therapeutics, as well as provide weekly classes and ongoing workshops at Yoga Mandali in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Certifications & Credentials
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(On staff as a Clinical Associate and Instructor)
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Certified through IAEDP — The International Association Of Eating Disorders Professionals Foundation
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Advanced Certification Training through the Polyvagal Institute
Polyvagal Foundation Training — with Deb Dana
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For the SSP Program details, or to learn more about the SSP, please see here.
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Certified through the Institute of Meditation and Psychotherapy (IMP)
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Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Trained Teacher through The Center For Mindful Self-Compassion (on staff as a teacher in the Advanced Training for MSC teachers and in the Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy Program).
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