Hello,  I'm Dana Nielsen.

Born and raised in San Diego, California I'm a natural water bug and feel most alive surfing, swimming, hiking and star fishing myself in the sun. I relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area when I was 18 for my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley. There, I created my own major through the Interdisciplinary Field Studies program, and focussed on the impact of democratic education and social change. During this time I became passionate about activism and education and explored how I could make an impact on the world through working at local schools and Bay Area organizations. 

In 2011 I followed my heart to Sydney, Australia for what I thought would be six months and stayed for three years. There, I worked at a government organization called Carers NSW and worked with indigenous elders, community leaders, public officials and rural Australians to bring more awareness and  support to carers and the caring role. I also deepened  my studies of yoga and began teaching at a local Sydney yoga studio. Many surf trips to Indonesia and around Australia later, I returned to the Bay Area to embark on deeper personal healing work and earn my masters degree in somatic psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies. 

I've been teaching and practicing yoga, exploring the mind body connection and facilitating trauma healing work with women and youth since I've returned to the states in 2013. I currently work as a somatic psychotherapist MFTi with the Center for Mindful Psychotherapy and have my own practice in the financial district of San Francisco. I'm passionate about working with women and girls on issues of women's empowerment and in re-integrating their intuition and embodied knowing.  More on me and my practice at www.wildwomantherapy.com