Choosing a person to walk through difficult places with is an important choice. You need to be able to trust that person’s skill as a guide. So here’s some information about me to help you decide if I’m the guide for you.

My Strong Suits

I consider my strongest personal assets to be my heart, my intuition, my spiritual connection and my practicality. Professionally, I have been teaching in one form or another since I got out of college in the early seventies (longer if you count teaching the dolls!) I have been serving the community as a counselor and hypnotherapist since the early nineties and that experience makes a big difference in people’s results. My ability to create stories is another talent that stretches back into childhood and helps me present ideas in a way people can hear using both explanations and powerful imagery. I am the author of Magic Child, all about love and power from the inside out.

My Clients’ Perspective

People who work with me tell me they feel like I really care about them—because I do. I’m not afraid to be human and share my journey when it’s relevant. We cry and laugh together. I want them to know they’re not alone. I’ve noticed that one of the worst parts of difficult life passages is the perception that you’re somehow crazy or that nobody else but you feels this way. People feel a little better when they realize that their feelings are normal. They often tell me they feel safe and they are surprised by how quickly they begin accessing feelings of peace and relaxation. One client’s remark recently is typical. “I can’t believe how much better I feel and it’s only been 3 sessions!” Stress Relief is a natural consequence of therapy with me.

My Intuitive Style

I have learned to trust my intuition completely when I’m working with a client. This shows up most dramatically when I’m doing a soul reading or guiding the person on a journey using hypnotherapy. It’s become routine for me to hear that I described what the person was already imagining before I said anything. I never use scripts in hypnotherapy. Instead I follow the energy intuitively, somehow getting them right to the place they most need to go, often making things up along the way to assist them.

Healing by Integrating

I believe that the healing process works best when body, mind, heart and soul are all integrated. So I always ask clients about their spirituality. I’m not interested in converting anybody. I want to work within whatever framework is meaningful to you. For me, knowing that there is a higher power than my conscious “let’s fix it” mentality is very reassuring. I know that this power is the source of my intuitive guidance and I am practiced at surrendering control. As a result, magic often happens.

Practical Magic

Maybe it’s the Capricorn in me; maybe my experience as the oldest of 8; or maybe my experience as a teacher. I don’t know the cause, but I know that I’m very practical and I make sure that my clients walk out the door with action steps. It’s important that the time we spend together is translating into change for the better in everyday life. So I suggest ways to bring the changes home. It’s a valuable grounding contrast to some of the deep waters you’ll travel in when you’re working with me.

Specialized Training

My training is outside the box. My college education and degree are in teaching. My counseling training comes through a wide array of trainings, seminars and books, with a heavy emphasis on expressive arts as well as my personal therapy experiences. I’m certified as a body centered therapist and a conscious relationship coach through the Hendricks Institute. I’m certified as a hypnotherapist through the American Institute of Hypnotherapy, although my skill comes not from training but as a gift that has flowed through me, enhanced by experience. I’m an ordained minister through Unity Community of Central Oregon but not associated with a particular church or doctrine. This training rests on a lifetime of spiritual exploration and enables me to address my clients’ spiritual concerns in a language they are comfortable with.

If you want someone with a clinical approach who will diagnose you or take your insurance, I’m not the right person for you. If you want someone who will connect with you and create an experience as we go along that is tailored for your needs, then I might be just perfect. But to be sure, I’m going to give you 15 minutes of my time by phone or Skype, absolutely free of charge. You can ask any questions and get a sense of whether we’re a match.

In addition, I have a talented intern, who you can learn more about by clicking here. With a whole team, the likelihood that one of us will be able to help you increases and that’s our goal!