INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
For many, seeking professional help can feel daunting. Choosing to see a therapist is a courageous step and can be the first of many toward making the changes you would like to see in your life.
I work with clients going through life transitions, those struggling with anxiety, depression, loss and those seeking to add more meaning and dimension to their lives.
I am trained in a variety of therapeutic approaches and tailor my work to fit each clients individual needs.
COUPLES COUNSELING
It is inevitable that a marriage or relationship will face challenging times. Most people wait too long to seek help. Having the courage and the necessary skills to go towards a problem, to face it, is critical in maintaining a healthy, loving and satisfying relationship. Clearly identifying and addressing unmet needs, lingering hurts, unresolved conflicts and the toll these have taken is essential to moving forward. So is learning new skills. My approach creates a ‘safe’ environment to address:
- Goals and Desired Outcomes
- Obstacles to reaching goals
- Complaints, resentments, disappointments
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Increasing personal and couple awareness
- Providing specific suggestions resulting in behavioral change,
Clients have reported that I quickly get to the heart of the matter. I’ve been told that my feedback and suggestions often evoke ‘aha’ moments resulting in a softening of hard held positions, increasing warmth and connection. This softening, creates a space to shape a more meaningful, satisfying and loving relationship.
ADULT CHILDREN AND PARENTS
There are often unresolved conflicts between adult children and parents. Many are seeking counseling to address and work through conflicts, pain and disappointments in order to see if they can feel closer and more connected.
Of course we cannot change the past, however, we can change our relationship to the past. If we tackle those daunting issues, addressing hurts, anger and disappointments, we can shape the present to create a different, more satisfying and closer future relationship.
My approach creates an environment to name, listen, hear and respond in a more mindful, productive way than before. This has resulted in the healing of wounds, renewed connections and a more relaxed, happier family time.
PARENTING ADVISOR
Two areas in which we have not received training is being married and being a parent. Mostly what we know is from our own experience growing up, what occurred in our own or friends’ families and what we have observed. It is not surprising that, in certain situations, we can we can feel at a loss about what what to do..which can be overwhelming.
I help parents with the challenges of parenting. The first step is understanding the nature and complexity of your particular situation. By listening, providing guidance and support, I assist you in understanding your child/children more deeply. Specific suggestions are offered which are both practical and creative.
Parents have reported an increase in their confidence to parent which has resulted in their ability to parent more effectively. The new skills resulted in a significant reduction in conflict, tension, anxiety and a happier, more cooperative life as a family.
DIVORCE COACHING
Divorce is hard. It creates so much uncertainty which often feels scary and painful. Carefully selecting a divorce process and choosing an experienced Coach to help navigate the emotional complexities increases your chances for a ‘healthy’ divorce.
I offer tools and methods that help open, and keep open, communication. This allows each client to be heard, for interests and needs to be met and for conflicts to be resolved in a mutually respectful way.
For those clients with children, I offer co-parent coaching. This provides an opportunity to improve communication between parents as their parenting relationship moves forward. I help clients, specifically, prepare themselves and their children for life after divorce by assisting them in developing an effective, workable co-parenting plan and working on post-divorce communication.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL COACHING
Personal Relationship Coaching
You may find yourself struggling in an important personal relationship and not know how to talk about what is bothering you. You may feel awkward, stuck, angry or too upset. You may find yourself repeatedly having the same unsatisfactory exchange over and over again with little or no idea about how to handle the conversation differently.
Increasing your personal awareness, addressing your feelings and the feelings of others in a ‘constructive’ way reduces frustration, it softens anger and clears the way to move forward to having a satisfying conversation and working through relationship difficulties.
In your work with me, you will learn specific, constructive ways to address the ‘hard stuff.’ You will learn about your personal style, what you do that advances a difficult conversation and what you do that impedes it, often making things worse. Knowing what to say, what not to say and how to say ‘it’ can be learned. I teach just that. I help you to clearly identify the problem, identify the obstacles to making progress and provide specific feedback and coaching tips to have a different kind of conversation resulting in a very different outcome.
Professional Coaching
You may long for change in your work life and feel unsure or overwhelmed about how to go about making a change and what to change to.
I will help you delve into the complexities of your particular situation, exploring your wants and needs, identifying your hopes and fears and moving forward with a plan. We will examine your strengths and weaknesses and build on your strengths. We will identify the necessary steps to get you where you want to go, explore the obstacles and provide specific tasks and coaching tips to overcome these obstacles in order to reach your goal.