Young woman with dark hair smiling outdoors with pink flowers in the background.

Kristan Baer, LICSW, MSW, SEP

Hello! I understand how much work goes into finding the right therapist and the right type of therapy. I’ve been there too! Therapy is deeply relational and there is so much good healing that can happen when you find the right fit.

In addition to being a therapist, I am a mom and share a blended family with my husband, our children (aged from adult to toddler!), and our dog, Albus. It’s a beautifully chaotic time. I love reading, mostly nonfiction, and enjoy sharing what I am reading with my clients. I have even created a resource page on here with book recommendations- check it out! I love 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles, board games, and being outside in nature, when the weather is just right. My favorite thing to do is to get in my pajamas and watch a good tv series or movie.

My Professional Background

I’m a trauma-focused therapist based in Birmingham, Alabama. I’m a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), and Lifespan Integration therapist. My approach is integrative, holistic, and compassionate. I combine body-based and relational therapies to help clients find safety and connection within themselves.

I hold both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). My experience includes years of working with survivors of sexual trauma in nonprofit and clinical settings, offering advocacy, crisis intervention, and long-term therapy. I have also worked in inpatient psychiatric settings with adolescents and adults.

As one of the few Somatic Experiencing Practitioners (SEPs) in Alabama, I bring advanced training and a deeply attuned, body-centered approach to therapy. These methods support lasting transformation by engaging both body and mind, helping clients move from survival patterns into greater ease, presence, and connection.

I am an approved Somatic Experiencing® training assistant and an approved SE individual session provider at the beginning level for credit toward certification. I enjoy supporting SE students as they navigate the learning and integration process. I am passionate about helping students deepen their understanding of the SE framework and develop confidence in applying somatic skills with clients.

My Beliefs

I believe…

Therapy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your nervous system is shaped by your life experience and continues to respond to your environment. Systemic issues contribute to your nervous system state.

You are not broken. In fact, your survival to this point shows that you are incredibly resilient & adaptive. While your nervous system has been wired throughout your life to detect threat and survive, it can be rewired to allow you to thrive in the present.

Treatment should focus on healing symptoms and not revolve around a diagnosis. In some cases, a diagnosis can be helpful in understanding yourself and in others it can be harmful and stigmatizing. I focus on nervous system healing and take diagnoses into account only when helpful.

Your attachment style can change! Research shows that Lifespan Integration can help clients with avoidant, anxious, & disorganized attachment styles move toward earned secure attachment.

My Approach

I hold space for each of my clients with warmth and compassion. I understand that healing trauma involves more than just talking about what happened. It’s about helping the body and nervous system feel safe again. Through Somatic Experiencing and Lifespan Integration, I support clients in restoring balance, building resilience, and reconnecting with a sense of vitality and ease.

The core of my practice is building a safe, supportive environment. I specialize in attachment repair, trauma, sexual trauma, women’s issues, PTSD, C-PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I work with the mind-body system to reintegrate traumatic memory and resolve the energy that becomes trapped after a traumatic event. This trapped energy can manifest as chronic illness, dissociation, revictimization, inability to hold big emotions, and repetitive unhealthy patterns in career performance, relationships, and parenting. Working with the whole mind-body system allows for rewiring of neural networks allowing for faster, long-term resolution of traumatic symptoms.

My approach integrates both somatic practice and brain based medicine, guided by the pioneering work of trauma experts like Daniel Siegel (Attachment) , Bessel van der Kolk, Janina Fisher (Structural Dissociation Model), and Pete Walker (Complex PTSD), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), and Peggy Pace (Lifespan Integration). Their books and modalities serve as key inspirations for my practice.

My training in multiple therapy models allows me to customize the therapeutic experience to fit each client. My trauma-focused somatic and experiential approach includes certification as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, level 4 training in Lifespan Integration (LI) Therapy, and training in trauma-informed yoga. This unique blend of psychotherapy and body-centered therapy encourages nervous system regulation and a restored connection with the body and the intuitive self, leading to sustainable healing and a healthier way of living.

    • 200 Hour RYT - Yoga Alliance - October 2017

    • Somatic Experiencing Beginning I - Somatic Experiencing International - July 2018

    • Somatic Experiencing Beginning II - Somatic Experiencing International - Sep 2018

    • Somatic Experiencing Beginning III - Somatic Experiencing International - Jan 2019

    • Somatic Experiencing Intermediate I - Somatic Experiencing International - April 2019

    • Somatic Experiencing Intermediate II - Somatic Experiencing International - July 2019

    • Somatic Experiencing Intermediate III - Somatic Experiencing International - Oct 2019

    • Licensed Master Social Worker - ASWB - Feb 2023

    • Lifespan Integration Level 1 - Oct 2023

    • Lifespan Integration Level 2 - Jan 2024

    • Somatic Experiencing Advanced I - Somatic Experiencing International - March 2024

    • Somatic Experiencing Advanced II - Somatic Experiencing International - Oct 2024

    • Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Certification - Somatic Experiencing International - Oct 2024

    • Lifespan Integration Level 3 - Oct 2024

    • Internal Family Systems Institute - IFS Online Circle - Jan 2025

    • Lifespan Integration Level 4 - March 2025

    • Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker - ASWB - Sep 2025

    • University of Alabama at Birmingham - Master of Social Work - MSW Clinical/Medical Social Work

    • University of Alabama at Birmingham - Bachelor of Social Work - BSW

    • Trauma

    • Complex PTSD & PTSD

    • Sexual Trauma

    • Anxiety

    • Attachment & Developmental Trauma

    • Chronic Stress & Burnout

Recovery can take place only within then context of relationships; it cannot occur in isolation.
— Judith Lewis Herman