Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Eiten.
Hi Liz, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For many trauma survivors, finding truly effective and empathetic care can feel like an endless search. There are plenty of trauma-informed practitioners out there, but it really takes someone with advanced training in trauma processing—and a genuine holistic approach—to really help. That’s what inspired me to start Boketto Center. As a trauma survivor myself, I struggled to find therapists who didn’t just talk about trauma but embraced healing the whole person—the mind, body, and spirit. I needed more than just talk therapy. Healing had to honor all parts of my experience: how trauma impacted my body, my relationships, and my connection to spirit.
At the same time, having worked in some toxic workplaces, I decided to go out on my own into solo private practice. I started having therapists reach out to me to see if I was hiring as they liked my approach and what I was offering. In that I saw another gap—a need for a safe, trauma-informed environment not just for clients, but for therapists too.
From those two important insights, Boketto Center was founded. Our foundation is built on safety, stability, and authenticity—not only for the people who come to us for support, but also for the therapists and for the center as a whole.
After getting inquiries from other therapists, I started carefully hiring therapists who shared not only a passion for trauma healing but also valued their own personal growth. I believe that self-awareness and our own healing journeys are essential to providing great care. Over time, Boketto Center has grown to offer more than individual therapy—we now provide groups and wellness workshops that reflect our trauma-informed, holistic, and social justice-oriented values.
In 2024, we took another big step by launching our Therapy for All Fund, which helps break down financial barriers so folks from marginalized communities can access the care they deserve.
Today, Boketto Center is a place where trauma is treated with its full complexity in mind, where healing is accessible, and where both clients and therapists are truly supported. It’s a story rooted in lived experience, resilience, and a deep commitment to compassionate care.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the hardest and most painful struggles running Boketto Center is watching how deeply undervalued our therapists are—and how that reality steals access to the trauma care people desperately need. Our team is made up of master’s-level clinicians with advanced trauma training who are committed to ongoing continuing education—an important investment we make to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and highest quality of care they provide. These are compassionate professionals pouring their hearts into incredibly difficult work. Yet insurance companies treat their expertise like a commodity—they don’t pay us fairly, refuse to negotiate rates, and put harsh limits on the kinds of therapy we can offer.
It eats at me when I think about clients needing EMDR, a powerful trauma therapy. As of this year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, for example, only reimburses us for EMDR when the client has a PTSD diagnosis—ignoring the overwhelming clinical evidence that EMDR helps with anxiety, depression, and more. These restrictions don’t just frustrate therapists—they harm the very people seeking help. It’s a system that doesn’t allow therapists to truly treat clients effectively and also fails to provide the services that clients need to heal.
This systemic undervaluing forces us to only partner with insurance plans that allow our therapists to keep showing up authentically and sustainably. But that means too many people still can’t access the healing they need. It’s a gap that calls us to action—fueling our advocacy work to change policies, raise awareness, and create a future where trauma care is truly accessible for all.
That’s why we launched our Therapy for All Fund—to fill that gap and create real access for those who fall through the cracks. While it’s only a small part of the solution, it’s one of our ways of fighting back, saying loud and clear that trauma care matters, that our therapists deserve resp
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mission: We empower trauma survivors to embark on their healing transformation through trauma-informed therapies that nurture the integration of mind, body, and spirit–fostering holistic wellbeing and resilience. We are committed to nurturing psychotherapists by cultivating a trauma-informed work environment, promoting self-care, and offering advanced training that supports ethical and competent care.
Vision: Our vision is to create a world where individual and collective trauma is healed and well-being is promoted for all. We believe in the transformative power of holistic therapies and social justice practices that honor and nurture the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit. We strive to heal not just individuals but entire organizations, working together to break the cycle of trauma and build a future marked by resilience, inclusivity, and equity for generations to come.
Core Values: Compassion, empowerment, resiliency, healing, wellness, inclusivity, social justice, intersectional feminism, clear is kind communication.
What sets us apart: All of our therapists have advanced trauma training in various areas including EMDR, Safe and Sound Protocol, Flash Technique, Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), somatic therapies, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and psychedelic-assisted therapies. We also offer holistic wellness groups and events at our office to further enhance the safe community we want to offer. We know that healing happens in community, and we are excited to expand our wellness groups and be a community hub for healing and wellness.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always a very creative kid with a deep love for the arts, especially drawing and photography—which I eventually pursued to earn my BFA. Whether it was drawing, painting, storytelling, or capturing moments through my camera lens, expressing myself creatively allowed me to feel connected to the world. Alongside that, I had a unique passion for dog sled racing and the Iditarod, the longest dog sled race in the world, held in Alaska. I was fascinated by Susan Butcher and other female dog sled racers, admiring their extraordinary ability to excel in a male-dominated environment. The idea of strength, endurance, and harmony between humans and animals in such a challenging environment captivated me from a young age.
But creativity wasn’t the only thing that shaped me. I grew up with my grandmother, a truly revolutionary woman and creative for her time. Her strength, courage, and unwavering commitment to human rights profoundly influenced me. Living with her instilled in me a strong sensitivity to fairness and a burning desire to challenge injustice wherever I saw it. She taught me to question the status quo and, perhaps most importantly, to always prioritize our shared humanity above all else. That foundation has been the driving force behind my work and the values I carry with me today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bokettocenter.com
- Instagram: @bokettocenter
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/bokettocenter
