My Approach
(how I help you become more you)
Internal Family Systems
Have you ever wondered why you do what you do, or tried not to feel what you feel?
We all have a multitude of parts within us, and sometimes parts do and feel things we wish they wouldn't. But what if you could understand how each part of you learned to do what it does and feel what it feels? What if you could find compassion for every part of you, and at the same time help them let go of the burdens that keep you from being freely and fully you?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is both a framework for understanding our behavior and a transformational model used to engage internal conflict, release burdens or agreements that no longer serve us, and reintegrate parts we've buried or hidden (either because we devalue them or because they've been wounded by others). After some time experiencing the IFS model, you will be able to practice it on your own.
(IFS was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, founder of IFS Institute. You can learn more about IFS Institute here.)
Allender Theory
Have you ever thought of your life as an epic story?
The truth is we all have a story — and whether we realize it or not, the way we tell that story impacts how we relate to ourselves and others. The more aware we become of where we've been and where we're going, the more empowered we will be to live today in ways that honor our own beauty. What might it be like to better know, engage, and even come to love your own story?
Allender Theory is designed to help us engage with kindness the places in our story where we feel shame and contempt, in order to facilitate hope and transformation.
(Allender Theory was developed by Dr. Dan Allender, co-founder of The Allender Center at The Seattle School. You can learn more about The Allender Center here. )
Holistic Framework
Have you ever noticed your body and heart don't always agree with what your mind believes to be true? Majority culture values cognitive reasoning above other ways of knowing and experiencing — but your mind is not the only (nor the most significant) part of you that determines what you do and who you become! Real and lasting transformation involves the whole of you: mind, body, soul and spirit.
To transform, we must engage how we live in or attempt to escape our bodies. In some cases, the body responds to current events based on its memory of danger from long ago. For some, trauma is systemic and ongoing, so the body needs compassionate care while the threat to safety continues. Often, in an attempt to protect ourselves from more pain, we ignore what our bodies are telling us, which unfortunately leads to even more trauma. By teaching you to be mindful and attuned to your own body, I can help you identify what kind of care will be most beneficial. Instead of being at war with your body or reacting to stress in compulsive and harmful ways, you can learn to listen to and even love your own body, receiving and responding to its wisdom with kindness, agency, and integrity.
When it comes to pursuing wholeness, we must also engage the soul and spirit. Some folks want to know if my coaching is faith-based, and my answer is both yes and no; while my own faith is rooted in Christianity, I have no interest in persuading my clients to adopt a particular set of beliefs or expression of faith. To me, caring for you well means I continually do the work of becoming a safe and culturally sensitive person with whom you can name the truth about where you've been, where you are now, and where your soul most wants to go next.