Beyond Talk Therapy…
Integrative Workshops and Individual Sessions
Non-clinical, non-diagnostic practices that support healing, exploration, growth, wayfinding, clarity and meaning-making
Featured Experiences
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Ritual in Counseling: Ethical, Cultural, and Clinical Implications Workshop (CEUs 2hrs.)
Rituals hold the potential to intensify healing, clarity, creativity, and motivation. In this workshop, you'll explore the timeless practice of ritual and discover the essential elements that give it meaning and power. You’ll learn to design and use rituals that support your clients’ intentions and facilitate movement towards greater levels of healing and fulfillment.
Participants will receive a mini ritual kit containing items that can be used to assist clients in creating personalized rituals. Items include candle, small gem stones, small bowl, altar cloth, shaker, small bowls, dissolvable paper, in a muslin bag.
Watch this video to learn more!
Where – In person and virtually at Swan River Yoga
(New Orleans, Midcity)
When – Saturday June 13th, 3:00-5:00pm
Teacher– Carol Benoit, PhD
Cost to Attend – $67.50Approved by LCA
1 hr Ethics
1 Hr Social & Cultural Foundations
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Sacred Geometry Workshop: Design Your Life
Architecture, art, spirituality and science converge in the ancient yet timeless realm of Sacred Geometry. Sacred geometry encodes endless wisdom and beauty offering nourishment that is available to us in every moment.
Experience mind expansion through immersion into the timeless realm of sacred geometry. In this workshop we will use all of our senses to experience the power of shape and form. Learn to see things in new ways as you apply the ancient principles of balance, harmony and coherence. No art experience required!
Where – Swan River Yoga (Midcity)
When– Saturday June 27th, 4-5:30pm
Teachers – Carol Benoit, PhD
Cost to Attend – $45 -
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Creating Ritual for Health + Wellness Workshop
Creating Rituals for Health + Wellness is an experiential 90-minute workshop that explores how ritual can help us bring greater intention, meaning, and purpose to our lives.
Drawing from psychology, mindfulness, symbolism, and cross-cultural traditions, participants will learn how rituals have been used throughout history to support change, mark transitions, and strengthen commitment to what matters most. Through guided reflection and creative exercises, participants will identify an area of life they wish to cultivate or transform and design a personalized ritual aligned with their values and goals.
Participants will receive a mini ritual kit containing items that can be used to create personalized rituals. Items include candle, small gem stones, small bowl, altar cloth, shaker, small bowls, dissolvable paper, in a muslin bag.
Watch this video to learn more!
Where – Swan River Yoga (Midcity)
When – Saturday July 11 4:00-5:30
Teacher – Carol Benoit, PhD
Cost to Attend – $45 -
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Therapeutic Yoga
Trauma-informed, individualized yoga instruction and guidance.
Teacher – Charles Bourg, LPC
Cost – $130/ Session -
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Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage is more than travel—it is a journey with intention, a movement through the outer world that invites change in the inner one. Whether rooted in spiritual tradition, personal transition, grief, healing, or creative renewal, pilgrimage creates space to step away from the familiar and listen deeply.
Drawing on my own years of pilgrimage experience as well as research on the transformative impact of pilgrimage, I offer grounded, compassionate guidance to assist in shaping your journey. My role is to to support and guide you before, during, and after your journey so that your pilgrimage becomes not just a meaningful experience but a lasting source of clarity, insight, resiliency, integration, and transformation.
Teachers – Carol Benoit, PhD
Cost – $125 / session, $300 / 3 sessions -
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Walk and Talk Therapy
Take your therapy outside and integrate your process into real life. Experience the powerful benefits of walk and talk therapy, the new research-based take on traditional therapy.
Clinician – Charles Bourg, LPC
Cost – $130/ Session -
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Meditation + Mindfulness
Meditation is not one-size-fits all. In these personalized sessions, I assist you in discovering the style of meditation that best fits your temperament, intentions for practicing, and life circumstances—whether you’re seeking relaxation, emotional balance, spiritual growth, or support with challenges like stress or anxiety. Together we’ll build a realistic, meaningful practice, and I’ll offer guidance along the way to help you understand your experiences and integrate meditation into your everyday life.
Teachers – Carol Benoit, PhD
and Charles Bourg, LPC
Cost – $120 / Session
Ritual in Counseling:
Ethical, Cultural, + Clinical Implications Workshop
Social Work and LPC Continuing Education Units – 2 hours (1 hour of Clinical and 1 hour of Ethics)
Rituals hold the potential to intensify healing, clarity, creativity, and motivation. In this workshop, you'll explore the timeless practice of ritual and discover the essential elements that give it meaning and power. You’ll learn to design and use rituals that support your clients’ intentions and facilitate movement towards greater levels of healing and fulfillment.
Participants will receive a mini ritual kit containing items that can be used to assist clients in creating personalized rituals. Items include candle, small gem stones, small bowl, altar cloth, shaker, small bowls, dissolvable paper, in a muslin bag.
*Workshop can be attended virtually or in-person, click the tabs below to learn more about virtual participation.
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Ritual in Counseling Agenda
PART I: Theory, Research, Social/Cultural Foundations, and Helping Relationship (60 minutes)
3:00–3:10 — Welcome and Introduction
Define ritual
3:10–3:25 — Why Ritual Matters: Theoretical Foundations
Ritual from a counseling perspective-Theories and Ritual
Research support
Populations and uses
3:25–3:40 — Social and Cultural Foundations
Rituals occur in every culture and spiritual tradition
Exploration of the research and scholarly literature
Clinical considerations
Discussion of culturally responsive practice
3:40–4:00 — The Helping Relationship and “Nuts and Bolts” of Ritual Design
Introduce a simple framework for constructing rituals
Demonstrate examples
Demonstrate sample objects participants may use with clients
Explain important concepts re: ritual
PART II: Ethics Hour (60 minutes)
4:00-4:10 — Why Ritual Requires Ethical Care
Ritual can be powerful and emotionally evocative
Ethical use requires attention to
Cultural humility
Spiritual sensitivity
4:10–4:25 — Ethical Principles and Relevant Counseling Codes
Review relevant ethical standards in ACA and NASW codes of ethics
4:25–4:40 — Ethical Risks and How to Avoid Them
Potential pitfalls
4:40–4:55 — Ethical Case Studies and Discussion
For each case, participants discussWhat are the ethical concerns?
What would be a more appropriate approach
How could the intervention be modified
4:55–5:00 — Closing and Questions
Workshop Evaluation and Certificate of Attendance is accessed online
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When – Saturday June 13th 3-5:00pm
Where – Swan River Yoga (Midcity)*
*Virtual attendance available for mental healthcare professionals!
Cost of Attendance – $67.50
**Registration includes mini ritual kit containing items to get you started (alter cloth, candle, small gem stones, small bowls, dissolvable paper, intention cards, etc.)
***For those who want to attend virtually, I can email them to arrange for pick up or mailing of the kit.
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Presented by Carol Benoit, PhD, LPC-S.
Approved by Nita Baucom, LCSW-BACS, a LABSWE authorized pre-approval entity.
Sacred Geometry Workshop: Design Your Life
Sacred geometry explores the patterns and proportions that quietly shape the natural world and our experience of it. This class offers a mind expanding exploration of sacred geometry for beginners and beyond. In this class we will delve into the underlying structures of crystals, leaves, shells, our bodies, and the universe. With guided visualization, slow and gentle movement, and drawing, let’s enter into the mystery!
Carol Benoit is a longtime practitioner and teacher in the healing arts with over thirty years of experience in contemplative and embodied practices. Her work weaves together scientific understanding and experiential wisdom, shaped by her background in occupational therapy and counseling. In her sacred geometry classes, she invites participants to experience pattern and proportion as a living language—one that connects perception, nature, and meaning.
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Experiential learning
Guided drawing and coloring
Slow, gentle movement
Appreciating and savoring sacred art from around the world
Guided visualization
Deepening awareness of shape characteristics
Beneficial use of sacred geometry in everyday life
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When – Saturday June 27th, 4-5:30pm
Where – Swan River Yoga (Midcity)
Cost of Attendance – $45
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For over 30 years Carol has gained knowledge and experience as a counselor, occupational therapist, educator, and researcher. Learn more about her at the bottom of this page.
Creating Rituals for Health + Wellness Workshop
Initiate a new pattern in your life with the power of ritual.
Creating Rituals for Health + Wellness is an experiential 90-minute workshop that explores how ritual can help us bring greater intention, meaning, and purpose to our lives.
Drawing from psychology, mindfulness, symbolism, and cross-cultural traditions, participants will learn how rituals have been used throughout history to support change, mark transitions, and strengthen commitment to what matters most. Through guided reflection and creative exercises, participants will identify an area of life they wish to cultivate or transform and design a personalized ritual aligned with their values and goals.
Participants will receive a mini ritual kit containing items that can be used to create personalized rituals. Items include candle, small gem stones, small bowl, altar cloth, shaker, small bowls, dissolvable paper, in a muslin bag.
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Learn to design and use rituals that support your intentions
Discover the essential elements that give rituals meaning and power
Move towards greater levels of healing and fulfillment
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When – Saturday, July 11th 4-5:30pm
Where – Swan River Yoga (Midcity)
Cost of Attendance – $45
*Registration includes mini ritual kit containing items to get you started (alter cloth, candle, intention cards, etc.)
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Therapeutic Yoga
Trauma-informed, individualized yoga instruction and guidance.
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Cost – / Session
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Pilgrimage
A guided journey of meaning, intention, and integration.
Pilgrimage is more than travel—it is a journey with intention, a movement through the outer world that invites change in the inner one. Whether rooted in spiritual tradition, personal transition, grief, healing, or creative renewal, pilgrimage creates space to step away from the familiar and listen deeply.
Drawing on my own years of pilgrimage experience as well as research on the transformative impact of pilgrimage, I offer grounded, compassionate guidance to assist in shaping your journey. My role is to to support and guide you before, during, and after your journey so that your pilgrimage becomes not just a meaningful experience but a lasting source of clarity, insight, resiliency, integration, and transformation.
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Pilgrimage can take many forms. It may involve walking an ancient path, traveling to a place that holds symbolic meaning, or creating a journey around a life transition or question. Pilgrimage can be a group, couple, or solo experience. What makes it a pilgrimage is intention—the choice to step out of routine and enter a journey designed to open reflection, healing, and growth.
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Pilgrimage may be called for at times of transition, grief, or when seeking clarity or direction. It can mark a threshold or new chapter, renew vitality, fill a longing for meaning, or establish a felt connection to the self, humanity, and the universe.
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If you feel called toward a journey, I would be honored to help you shape a pilgrimage that reflects your path and supports the transformation you’re ready to step into.
Before the journey…
Clarification of your intention or life question
Identification of meaningful locations or routes
Emotional, psychological preparation
Creating simple personal rituals for the journey
During the journey…
Practices for reflection and presence while traveling
Ways to work with challenges, uncertainty, or strong emotions
Methods for deepening awareness of symbols, encounters, and inner shifts
After the journey…
Making meaning from your experience
Translating insights into everyday life
Navigating next steps
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$125 / session
$300 / 3 sessions
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Walk + Talk Therapy
Take your therapy outside and integrate your process into real life. Experience the powerful benefits of walk and talk therapy, the new research-based take on traditional therapy.
-
Cost – / Session
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Meditation + Mindfulness
Meditation is not one-size-fits all. In these personalized sessions, I assist you in discovering the style of meditation that best fits your temperament, intentions for practicing, and life circumstances—whether you’re seeking relaxation, emotional balance, spiritual growth, or support with challenges like stress or anxiety. Together we’ll build a realistic, meaningful practice, and I’ll offer guidance along the way to help you understand your experiences and integrate meditation into your everyday life.
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$120 / Session
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Our Evidence-Based Care Philosophy
We specialize in approaches that have proven results:
Collaborative Approach – Every client is an active partner; together, we identify personal and individualized goals, practices, and tools, strategies.
Culturally Sensitive and Inclusive – We honor and respect the identities, backgrounds, traditions and values of all.
Strengths-Focused – We help you recognize and build on your own inner and outer resources accessing resilience, social support, and passions.
Goal-Oriented – Sessions are structured to empower you with new skills, strategies and insights. Progress is tracked collaboratively.
Carol Benoit, LPCS, PhD
Carol has spent more than three decades working in the healing arts as an occupational therapist, counselor, and lifelong student of contemplative practice. Her approach is deeply integrative, informed by training and experience in meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and other traditional healing systems that emphasize the unity of mind and body. Her quest for learning has taken her to many parts of the world to research and experience the healing arts of many cultures. She has also completed extensive training in the Hakomi Method, a somatic psychotherapy that uses mindful awareness and loving-kindness presence. Throughout her career, she has been drawn to approaches that support not just symptom relief, but meaningful, embodied change. Her work reflects a respect for both clinical knowledge and the wisdom found in reflective, experiential practices that support meaningful embodied change. She explores the ways these perspectives can come together in service of whole-person well-being.
Charles Bourg, LPC
With a background as a licensed professional counselor and certified yoga teacher, he brings a deeply embodied and trauma-informed approach to supporting others. His work is guided not only by clinical knowledge, but by a strong intuitive attunement and a respect for each person’s unique pace and story. A lifelong mover and dancer, he values the wisdom of the body as an essential part of healing and self-understanding. His spiritual life has been shaped by pilgrimage in India and an ongoing study of the world’s religious and contemplative traditions, which inform his inclusive and meaning-centered perspective. He is especially passionate about serving marginalized communities, including individuals experiencing homelessness. Across all settings, he is committed to offering a grounded, compassionate presence that honors the whole person.