AWHOLESOMEME
A Holistic Integrative Therapy ExperienceYou are not a mystery to be solved. You are a nervous system that has been carrying more than anyone thought to ask about.
You have already spent too long carrying this alone. This is where that changes.
A trauma-informed healing practice in Toms River, NJ, welcoming women and teens from Lakewood, Jackson, and nearby Ocean County communities — where the work is built entirely around you.
What if the missing piece isn't you, but healing that is built around truly seeing you.
You know something needs to change. You have known for a while.
Maybe you have tried therapy before. Maybe you have read the books, done the work, searched for answers that never quite landed. And still your body holds the tension. Still the nervous system braces. Still part of you wonders if you will ever truly feel at home within yourself.
That feeling is not a sign that healing is impossible. It is a sign that you have not yet found the right room.
Nobody warned you it could feel like this. And nobody told you that what you are feeling makes complete sense.
This is that room. And Chani is ready when you are.
What I Hold Space For
You only need to recognize yourself somewhere in what follows.
Trauma & PTSD
When the past keeps showing up in your present — in your body, your relationships, your sense of safety.
Anxiety
That constant hum of worry and tension that follows you everywhere.
Depression
There is a version of you beneath the weight. I help you find your way back to her.
Addiction & Recovery
Beneath every pattern of escape is a pain that deserves care, not judgment.
Abuse & Assault
Held here with complete belief, complete safety, and no pressure to say more than you are ready to say.
Dissociation, OSDD & DID
Specialized, trauma-informed care that honors every part of your experience.
Women's Health, Postpartum & Birth Trauma
What you are feeling about motherhood does not make you a bad mother. It makes you an honest one.
Autoimmune & Unexplained Medical History
When your body keeps sending signals that medicine alone has not been able to answer.
At A Wholesome Me, that question is not the end of the conversation. It is the beginning of your healing.
There aren't enough words to describe how amazing Chani is. When I started working with her I was in a really deep depression after a complete breakdown and honestly didn't feel like myself anymore. She used a combination of different approaches to find what actually worked best for me, and overtime helped me work through years of unhealed trauma. Because of her support, patience, and guidance I feel healthy, emotionally stable and completely back to myself again. I'm truly grateful for everything she's helped me through.
How We Work Together
Integrative therapy for women and teens in Ocean County, NJ
No two sessions look the same. Drawing from IFS, somatic therapy, EMDR, expressive arts, sandtray, and energy work, the approach shifts with you, always following your nervous system, your body, and your readiness.
Somatic Therapy
Rooted in the wisdom of the body.
IFS (Internal Family Systems)
A kinder relationship with every part of yourself.
EMDR
So memories no longer hold power over your present.
Expressive & Creative Arts Therapy
When words alone cannot reach it.
Sand Tray Therapy
Giving voice to what lives beneath the surface.
Energy Work
Working with the body's own innate wisdom.
You don't have to fit into a box or a protocol. At A Wholesome Me, the healing is built around you.
Explore All My ApproachesHealing in Community
Sometimes the most profound healing happens not alone, but alongside others who truly understand. A Wholesome Me offers small, intentional therapeutic groups for women. Each carefully held. Each built around you.
Explore My GroupsChani is incredible. From the very beginning, she created an environment that felt safe, supportive, and genuinely caring. Her professionalism, patience, and ability to truly listen made a tremendous difference in my experience. Chani deeply cares, not just about progress, but also about the person behind it all. She is thoughtful, compassionate, and incredibly skilled in guiding conversations and helping navigate difficult situations with clarity and understanding. I am truly grateful for the support, insight, and encouragement I received, and I would highly recommend Chani to anyone looking for someone who is both highly knowledgeable and genuinely invested in the people they work with.
The Person Behind The Practice
Some therapists find this work through a textbook. I found it through life.
I am Chani Gerstel, LPC. For more than 15 years I have sat with women carrying more than anyone should ever have to carry, in silence, alone, and still showing up fully for everyone around them.
I know what it looks like when a woman is ready. When she has tried everything and is finally willing to try something different. When the exhaustion of surviving has become greater than the fear of being truly seen.
If that is where you are right now, do not wait. The right time is not later. It is now.
This practice was built for you. I am here. And I am ready when you are.
