I see my clients like a tapestry - they come with holes, tears and damage to their fabric, and together we craft a new work of art with texture and color and design, using what was once flaws as our pattern and form. Over time, my clients gain beautiful designs in their tapestry of wisdom so that what was once a wound or trauma now becomes a part of their beauty, wisdom, strength and skills. 

I believe that both counseling and coaching are a personal growth process that happens in stages and is conducted by a team effort between myself and my client and can be focused stages to this overall work.

Sometimes clients come to me for help with just one of these parts of the work. I keep the stages very distinctly separate because it is vital for an individual to have the correct focus when entering these transformational experiences.

There are many variations on definitions of counseling and therapy, so it’s important to be clear about what is meant by each when considering engaging in either experience.  

I use the term therapy and counseling interchangeably, and my definition of counseling/therapy is derived  from the perspective of my own practice.  

Therapy/counseling with me is a process or healing journey in which we work together to defining the problem(s), or wound(s), cleaning it/them up, healing it/them and stabilizing the client. 

My therapy clients and I explore the areas of pain that he or she holds and together we clarify the problem(s). Next, we confront and heal the pain through a variety of powerful therapeutic experiences. This involves a release of the painful energy as well as a restorative process.

 When that chunk of healing is resolved, what once was a wound now becomes a scar. We take the information that we gain from this process and make a game plan for growth and a better way of life for the client. 

At this point, some clients choose to end the therapy experience or work on another therapeutic issue until a consistently stable and healthy mental and emotional state is achieved. 

Coaching is what we do with after this healing – it is a more refined growth process that allows a client to build upon their healthy, stable foundation and help them achieve a more fulfilling lifestyle. 

During coaching, we identify strengths and clarify the big picture, often finding strengths the client may have forgotten or thought that they lost or didn’t trust anymore and also finding new strengths, even hidden gems that they were unknown to them before the discovery process began. 

Coaching is the process of determining what’s next in a person’s life, setting goals, making a game plan, including lining out the steps to reach those goals. 

A big part of the coaching process is learning and practicing skills for self-management, self-care and self-love. 

This includes managing and caring for one’s emotions, thoughts and behaviors in a balanced, holistic way.  

Coaching is about personal growth and development, the transition of moving past survival towards a thriving stage in their lives.