Ellen Ottman (she/her)

Founder of Stillpoint Therapy Collective, LMFT #124702

Ellen, founder and somatic therapist at Stillpoint Therapy Collective, smiling outside in natural light.

Most of us have been conditioned since childhood to ignore the messages our bodies are trying to communicate. The headache from too much screen time, the stomach knots before a family dinner, the shoulder tension during conflict—these sensations hold valuable information. If you’ve spent years pushing through discomfort but still experience chronic pain, digestive issues, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, depression, or burnout, your body may be calling for attention in ways beyond words.

In therapy, we practice slowing down, listening to your body, and building awareness of the emotions and sensations that shape your experience. Through this process, you can reconnect with yourself, strengthen relationships, and engage with the world in a more meaningful way.

Change begins with awareness. I offer a warm, LGBTQ+ affirming, trauma-informed space where we honor both what hurts and what’s resilient. My approach is gentle, collaborative, and body-based, drawing from Somatic Therapy, Brainspotting, and relational approaches. I also support preparation and integration for ketamine-assisted therapy.

Schedule a Consultation With Ellen

Specialties:

I offer Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy, and Ketamine-Assisted Therapy in California.

  • “I'm writing this review 5 years after I finished working with Ellen, because she was that life-changing as my therapist. In our sessions, she made me feel welcome, she asked me questions, gave me plenty of space to vent and grieve and think out loud, affirmed how I was feeling, offered helpful gentle reframes, created conditions for me to make emotionally intense discoveries in a safe environment, and just provided a consistent warm presence and thoughtfulness. I feel the reverberations of what I learned with Ellen all the time, years later, and I feel them growing stronger with each life event or realization. Thank you Ellen!”

    - Emily

  • "Everyone at Stillpoint Therapy is fantastic, I'm always confident when I refer patients here for counseling services. Highly recommend."

    - Isaac

  • “Ellen is a remarkable clinician and mentor: generous, wise, and filled with integrity.”

    - Tina

FAQs

  • Individual Therapy $225/session

    Couples Therapy $275/session

  • I reserve a limited number of low-fee and sliding scale openings. These spots exist based on need and availability. If my full fee does not feel accessible to you at this time, please reach out and we will collaborate to find a fee that works for both of us.

  • I help adults navigate trauma, anxiety, dissociation, chronic tension or pain, burnout, and relationship patterns. My work is LGBTQ+ affirming and somatic, blending body-based awareness with talk therapy to support regulation, meaning-making, and more choice in daily life and relationships.

  • Somatic therapy is body-based care. We track sensations, posture, breath, and nervous-system cues—not just thoughts—so you can release protective patterns and feel more grounded. It complements talk therapy by engaging the whole system and often helps when insight alone hasn’t created lasting change.

  • Yes. My practice is queer- and trans-affirming. I see individuals and some couples navigating identity, intimacy, repair after conflict, and life transitions. I bring a warm, nonjudgmental approach that respects culture, context, and lived experience.

Learn more about ellen

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live. And it is worth pausing to ask: Are the stories you are telling yourself nourishing you? Are they brave? Are they generous? Do they allow for change, for growth, for the breaking and remaking of the self? If not, let them go and rewrite them with care. You are the author, after all.”

Joan Didion