Rosa Blair, a San Juan Island native, has returned to serve her community as a licensed counselor and in private practice. You may know her as a landscaper, fruit tree arborist, artist, teacher, or manager of the SJI Farmers Market. Transitioning from these community roles to that of holistic counselor and healer has been a long path. “With a 37 year history on San Juan Island, I am intimately familiar with the nuanced personality, strengths, and challenges of island life. I want our community to be strong, healthy, and empowered, on an individual and collective level”.

She earned a BA in Spanish from Reed College, and a MS in Counseling from Prescott College. Her clinical training was completed in Santa Fe, NM. There she worked at Zephyrus, the SW region’s only outpatient clinic dedicated to the holistic treatment and prevention of eating disorders, and oversaw the art therapy program. She then worked under the guidance of a phenomenal counselor and healer of Lakota descent who specializes in abuse, addiction, gender, couple/family, and indigenous issues.

Rosa trained and worked at Gerard’s House, a grief center dedicated to supporting children and families who have lost loved ones, and became a certified Grief Facilitator. Inspired by her work at Gerard’s House, she studied with the Grief Recovery Institute and became a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist.

In addition, she was also blessed to work with Tewa Women United, a non-profit organization that provides support for Native American families struggling with issues related to alcoholism, suicide, domestic and sexual violence, and cultural identity loss. Her counseling approach is integrative and intuitive, stemming from a diverse background of life experiences. These experiences have provided a richness and humility to her understanding of the human condition. “As humans we are beautifully flawed. We all go through periods of instability, overwhelm, anxiety, depression, shame, and excessive stress, colored by our own unique life experiences. Sometimes we can manage it on our own, and sometimes we need help. We all need and deserve respect, support, and increased tools. We would all benefit from knowing and tending to ourselves better”.

Rosa works with individuals, couples, and families, and has a special affinity for adolescents! She’s also excited to give back to the community through short term, low cost Therapeutic Classes ($10 per class!) on a variety of themes including communication, co-dependence, stress-management, intuition, somatic awareness, and more.

You can check out her website for more information and resources at www.wiseselfcounsleling.com