Courtney Howlett, M.OMSc.
Director of Embody Somatic Programming • Trauma-Informed Osteopath
Courtney Howlett, M.OMSc.
Director of Embody Somatic Programming, Trauma-Informed Osteopath
Courtney Howlett is a trauma-informed osteopath and the Director of Embody Somatic Programming at eFIT. Her work begins with an understanding that is particularly important in mental health care: feeling connected to our bodies is not always easy.
After trauma, prolonged stress, or years spent coping with difficult emotions, some people learn to disconnect from physical sensations, ignore their bodies' cues, or remain in a near-constant state of physiological activation. Others may feel overwhelmed by what they notice when they turn their attention inward. Courtney understands that reconnecting with the body cannot be forced. It needs to happen gradually, with choice, curiosity, and respect for where each person is starting.
This philosophy is at the heart of Embody, the somatic component of the Evolve Therapy Program.
Courtney brings together her training as an osteopath with extensive study in somatics, breathwork, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, therapeutics, and movement. Within Embody, these practices are thoughtfully integrated to help members develop greater awareness of their physiological states and learn practical ways of responding to what their nervous systems need. A class might involve breathwork, gentle mobility and movement, grounding, mindfulness, or simply becoming more aware of physical sensations and cues that can be difficult to notice when someone has spent years overriding them.
The objective is not to achieve a perfectly calm nervous system. It is to build greater capacity to recognize what is happening internally and develop a wider range of ways to respond. Over time, members can begin learning what activation, settling, tension, fatigue, comfort, or safety feel like in their own bodies and develop tools for moving between different physiological states with greater flexibility.
Courtney leads Embody classes throughout the week alongside Dr. Katherine Gardhouse and is responsible for training new coaches in the delivery of Embody programming. As Director, she helps ensure that the principles underlying the program remain consistent as the team grows: practices should be adaptable, trauma-informed, grounded in respect for individual differences, and responsive to what members are experiencing rather than requiring everyone to participate in the same way.
That adaptability is particularly important to Courtney. Somatic practices can sometimes feel unfamiliar or vulnerable, especially for someone whose relationship with their body has been shaped by trauma, chronic stress, pain, body image concerns, or years of pushing through their own internal signals. Courtney creates an environment where members can participate at their own pace. There is room to modify, observe, slow down, or choose a different approach. The goal is not to perform the practice correctly, but to gradually develop greater trust in one's ability to notice and respond to the body.
Her role also extends beyond the Embody studio. Courtney works with the full integrated Evolve Therapy Team to support a nervous-system-forward approach across the Evolve Therapy Program. Psychological work can evoke powerful emotions. Movement can provide meaningful physical challenge. Everyday life can require activation, recovery, connection, and rest. Courtney helps the team remain attentive to the physiological experience accompanying these different forms of work and to the importance of building regulation and recovery into care.
In this way, Embody complements rather than replaces psychotherapy. Members may come to understand their histories and emotional patterns through psychological work while simultaneously developing greater awareness of how those experiences show up physiologically. The Evolve Therapy Program creates space to work from both directions.
Courtney brings a soothing, grounded, and deeply respectful presence to this process. She does not ask members to override their bodies in the pursuit of wellness. She helps them become curious about what their bodies may be communicating and gradually develop more options for responding.
Within the Evolve Therapy Program, Courtney helps create a different possibility for people who have spent years feeling disconnected from, overwhelmed by, or at odds with their bodies: coming back into the body can happen gently, and it can happen at your own pace.