What’s holistic coaching?

Holistic refers to looking at the whole, the big picture. I believe that we are all energy and connected, that our intentions and beliefs are key components of our current state, and that wellness cannot be achieved or maintained by looking at only one isolated issue, illness or goal. Body, mind and spirit all come together to create our health and happiness.

Thus, I help people by looking at things from different angles. I could be considered a stress management coach, an anxiety reduction coach, a self-love coach, or maybe just a happiness coach. These are my overriding goals for my clients. I also focus on the energy system…removing blockages that keep the body and mind from operating at their full potential. If you’re blocked and run down it won’t matter what your intentions are, you won’t be able to maintain focus on them to shift them into reality.

Why an HSP coach?

I specialize in working with Highly Sensitive Persons (HSP). As an HSP myself, I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by the environment and social conditions, to experience intense emotions, to feel like no one understands you and be aware that others think you are weird, unreasonable or a bit crazy. My understanding and personal experience are assets during coaching sessions as we explore just what the trait is and what it means to live in a world in which 80% of the people don’t get us.

It’s possible to not only survive, but thrive as an HSP and I’ll help you develop coping strategies to calm your nervous system so life is less overwhelming, to learn how to explain your trait to others and strengthen relationships, and to develop a deep sense of self-acceptance, self-validation, self-compassion, and self-love. You’ll shift your sensitivities into strengths and recognize that it’s really your Super Power!

Even if you already have a good understanding of the Highly Sensitive trait and even have some tools in your toolbox for coping with overwhelm, I can understand and see your issues and goals from a perspective different than a non-HSP coach. I get it.

If you’re not Highly Sensitive, but experiencing stress and overwhelm and want to learn to love yourself, my HSP trait and experience allow me to help you in ways non-HSPs might not.

Are we a good fit?

My services can help you if…

~ Your emotions are often hard to handle, you get overwhelmed easily/often, people don’t ‘get’ you, you want to crawl under a blanket to keep the world at bay

~ You are so stressed that you rarely find yourself smiling anymore, or are always exhausted and can’t muster enough energy to do the things you like or have to do

~ You lack motivation or passion and feel like you’re drifting

~ You’re not sleeping well, not eating well, and feel anxious a lot of the time

~ You’re just not feeling joyful …something’s missing

~ You have chronic pain (headaches, neck or back pain, joint pain, extreme tension) or conditions (digestion, fibromyalgia, stomach pain) that nothing seems to help

~ You feel unworthy or unlovable.

Your Journey

While coaching focuses on the present and creating shifts and plans for going forward, thus tending to be more short term than counseling, the ability to create lasting change requires some commitment and time. A session or two can provide some food for thought and a few tools, but without that commitment to putting things into practice and taking the time to do so, it’s easy for that change to wane. As with all things, you get out what you put in.

Therefore, in order to support your significant, lasting change I don’t schedule coaching one session at a time. Instead I offer a comprehensive coaching program to make sure you achieve your goals, or a couple of shorter mini-coaching programs as an option to get you started.

I’ve found 60 minute sessions to be frustrating…they’re just not long enough for maximum progress. We start shifting, then it’s time to wrap up. So, most sessions are scheduled for 2 hours each time. With the comprehensive program they will begin with a weekly schedule, then likely shift to every other week when it feels right. Then we’ll have one or two monthly follow ups to fine tune and check consistency of progress.

The full program allows for establishing goals and developing some tools for calming the nervous system and reducing overwhelm. We’ll identify what’s blocking you from achieving your goals then use a variety of techniques to remove these blocks. Throughout these sessions you’ll start recognizing and shifting patterns and develop a healthy new way of living your life. If you’re Highly Sensitive you’ll learn more about the trait, and yourself as an HSP, and how to share the trait with others and strengthen relationships. Eventually you’ll go deeper into your patterns and focus on creating self-acceptance and self-love and learn how to live from your authentic self.

The work

Using a holistic approach, sessions may include a combination of mindfulness and stress management techniques which can be used at home, identification of and shifting limiting self-talk and unconscious thought patterns, positive lifestyle changes and reinforcement of what’s working. I really value the use of Tapping (EFT) which I usually use in sessions and can teach you to use on your own. We can also incorporate energy healing sessions to help release blockages.

Because we’re focusing on the present and making change going forward, you will receive suggestions of things to be working on between sessions in order maximize your growth. Just talking for a couple of hours and hoping things will change is not an effective strategy. If you’re not quite ready to commit to the work on your own, now’s not the right time for you to begin your journey.

Here’s to your journey, your newest adventure to your new Self!

Personal Investment:

6 sixty minutes sessions: $850

4 two hour sessions: $1100

Full program: 12 two hour sessions plus one future followup: $4000 in 3 monthly payments or $3600 up front

Navigating Sensitivities in our Challenging World

Have you been told often that you’re “just too sensitive” or “over-reactive”? Is it hard for you to function in noisy surroundings and chaos? Maybe you’re affected profoundly by violence, injustice or even general lack of respect. Do you find relief and even pleasure in removing yourself from social situations and get tired of hearing that you “should get out there more and be social”? You may be a Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP.

For decades I lived my life as an HSP without being identified as such, always feeling different and misunderstood and somehow “wrong” for being so sensitive and reactive and not receiving joy from the same things as so many others. Even having earned a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology, it wasn’t until several years ago that I discovered that there were many others like me…15-20% of the population. Because we feel different and don’t see and respond to life the same way as is the “norm” it’s easy for us to remain under the radar and assume we’re alone and no one understands us.

More than 10 years ago I attempted to watch Gladiator. I made it just moments into the first arena scene and had to leave the room and spent over an hour bawling, lamenting that humanity is so unloving and uncaring and there’s no hope for us all! It took me a week to get over Amistad, and Saving Private Ryan was, and will remain, the last war movie I’ve ever seen. Movies can be very difficult for me, especially if I’m not prepared. I don’t watch tv and avoid most news broadcasts. It also takes a long time for me to come to terms with situations in which I feel slighted or disrespected; I just don’t understand HOW people can act in certain ways. I can start to feel anxiety creep in when in a large group or noisy event. Yep, I checked Yes to almost all of the HSP test items. No surprise, but very validating! It helped me realize that I’m Highly Sensitive, but not such an outlier.

What can an HSP do to manage anxiety and overwhelm?

Sensitivities can lead a person to feel overwhelmed with life, sometimes incapacitated and wondering what the point of it all is. I have, though, throughout the years, learned to acknowledge and accept my Highly Sensitive nature, to honor this part of me, give it space and credence, and make choices that allow me not only to function, but to get great joy out of life.

Self-care is of utmost importance for HSPs, whether that’s incorporating regular yoga, meditation, exercise, breath work, time in nature or any mindful practice. Learning to set boundaries…physically, emotionally and energetically, is also very important.

It’s also helpful to spend time with other Highly Sensitives…people who get you. With other HSPs, we don’t have to explain ourselves or worry about being seen as odd, over-reactive or unreasonable. If you’d like to connect with others, you can join my MeetUp group. We have a free virtual social gathering every other week, just to hang out with each other; since it’s virtual, you’re welcome to join us from anywhere, not just Central Oregon.

My understanding of HSPs, and my experience as one, allows me to understand other Highly Sensitivess and their challenges and experiences of the world. It also helps me work with non-HSPs by being more aware of nuances and considering factors that non-HSPs might not. It helps me help others with setting boundaries and recognizing potential obstacles and issues invisible to some. And it creates in me a great empathy, helpful in working with all clients.

It is possible to be a Highly Sensitive Person and still thrive. I’d love to help you find that balance, between sensitivity and joyous experience of life.

I offer sessions to help you develop your toolbox for minimizing overwhelm and understanding/embracing sensitivity. If you’re not up for a coaching program and just want some tips on managing stress and sensitivity, this could be the plan for you.

Personal Investment:

4 sixty minute sessions…$440

Striving for Balance

We are all energy. Emotions are energy. Thoughts are energy. My view of and approach with energy work is eclectic and all-encompassing and I don’t generally follow one style strictly, but listen to what the client’s system is telling me and provide the guidance it’s asking for. Technically, I’ve been trained in CranioSacral Therapy and Acupressure and incorporate elements of these, as well as Reiki and Chakra Balancing. But, no two sessions are alike, as I listen to what’s presented and needed and guide accordingly. I also like to have my clients participate in the process, as it’s ultimately them who are doing the healing…I’m just a guide and conduit.

Energy work helps to remove blockages and recreate a free-flowing system. It aids in balancing the body’s systems and overall function and can help with myriad issues from headaches and musculoskeletal pain to overall muscle tension, an overwhelmed or stressed state to fatigue, physical illness to emotional discord, and countless others. The experience of the energy shifts can be very grounding and highly relaxing, or energizing and is appropriate for all ages…infants to seniors, and nearly all physical conditions. The ultimate goal is to reset your body’s balance and leave you feeling more centered and empowered and able to manifest the life you wish to lead.

Because it’s all energy, sessions can be experienced in person or remotely…through phone or video meetings.

Personal Investment:

60 minute session: $120

4-pack: $440

Energy Work, Coaching or Both

Energy healing may be incorporated in your coaching plan or scheduled as stand-alone services. We can discuss options during your complimentary consult, and you can add services at any time. You may begin with coaching or EFT sessions then choose to try an energy healing session, or vice versa. It’s all about balance and finding the perfect fit for you.

Online Coaching

What if you could find a way to connect with someone supportive without dealing with traffic, travel time, bad weather or unexpected events occurring on your way to the office? What if you could enjoy that meeting without having to deal with the possibility of running into someone you know in the waiting room and having to explain why you’re there? And what if you don’t feel good that day or just don’t feel like you have the energy to drive to an appointment, but really want the opportunity to talk?

It’s all possible!

Online coaching is becoming increasingly popular these days. Let’s see why…

Benefits

Being able to meet with your coach from the comfort of your home or office, or even while traveling, definitely has its perks. Some find it helpful to be in their personal space…they feel comfortable and relaxed and more able to engage. Obviously, this requires being able to ensure that you’re free of disruption and distraction, but if this is possible, sessions in your own place can be very relaxed and reassuring.

Meeting virtually also eliminates travel time, gas use and the need to travel at all (or even get out of your jammies 😉 ). It’s generally easier to be on time for a meeting if you don’t have to go to someone’s office, and settling into a session when you haven’t been rushing to get there is always helpful. Also, because there’s no travel…no traffic or extra time needed to juggle around your otherwise busy days, you may even be able to fit more frequent meetings into your schedule.

Choosing a coach for online sessions increases your options exponentially. Instead of searching for a coach just in your area within a certain driving radius, you can choose one based solely upon what she offers and the feel you get from website information, testimonials and an initial phone consultation. You no longer need to worry that the one coach who seems perfect is in a different city, or even a different state.

Effectiveness

So, these points might seem great, but you may be wondering if online sessions can be as good as in person…if they really work. The answer is a whole-hearted Yes! There have been studies done to answer this very question.

“Telehealth” and “online” counseling/coaching has been occurring pretty much since the internet began, but recently its use has increased dramatically. While virtual coaching can occur through phone conversations or even email, I prefer the video chat format. This allows for eye contact and reading body language, which I find particularly important in establishing a good coach-client relationship and building trust and comfort. It doesn’t have quite the same feel as in-person sessions, but for some that can be a benefit…it’s just a bit less intensive for those who might find in-person sessions themselves anxiety-provoking. And most of the time people forget that they’re on screen and not really face to face.

Safety and Confidentiality

Because you’re in your own home, office, hotel room, etc., you are in control of your privacy. There’s no concern that someone outside of an office door can hear your inner most thoughts, no matter how loudly you might talk. I use Zoom, now that they’ve upgraded their security profile, and no one can enter a session without me admitting them, so your session is completely private.

The Highly Sensitive Child

If I’d known about High Sensitivity while I was growing up, my experiences would have been so much easier to handle…I wouldn’t have felt so odd and not understood, so different. If my parents and teachers had known about and acknowledged it, and known how to support those of us with the trait, how amazing would that have been?

It’s so important to know how to support our Highly Sensitive Children (HSC), to help them avoid feeling wrong and cast out, to be able to embrace their trait and have understanding, acceptance and validation.

I offer consultation with parents of HSC…whether you’re highly sensitive yourself, or if you’re not and have no idea what the experience is like.

If you want to be able to give your HSChild all of the tools she needs to succeed, how to empower her and help her embrace her senstivity and thrive, I’d love to help you on that journey! I’ll help you understand the HSP trait, recognize your child’s needs and create a plan for helping him thrive. My offering consists of either one 90 minute session to share about the trait and create a plan for supporting your child, or 4 consecutive 60 minute sessions, to deep dive and make sure we cover enough to give your child the best chance at thriving.

If you’re wondering whether or not your child could be highly sensitive, you can take Elaine Aron’s inventory for children.

Personal Investment:

One 90 minute consult: $170

Series of 4 sixty minute sessions: $440