Coaching

Regardless of what one has experienced or what failures or setbacks a person has had I believe people can become emotional, spiritually and relationally healthy.  It is an art more than a science as I believe that each person is unique and must find their own solutions and path of growth.  I do  not believe that people can become healthy without doing their own inner work, being willing to explore, connecting with adequate support systems, and surrender.  

All my life I have been involved in helping people through tough situations, loss, disasters, trauma and major life and career changes.  I believe that it isn't so much what we encounter in life but finding the strength resources and insight to navigate to healing and growth.  My training started long before my professional education because of my experience as a pastor's kid who lived in the ministry setting with hurting people.  My parents taught me that people can not only survive adversity but grow from it.  In my professionally career I have served as  pastor, chaplain, crisis responder, social services, child welfare, and life coach.  My graduate and post graduate education coupled with over 30 years of frontline experience in very diverse situations and with varied population groups has given me the tools and understanding to help people identify what is holding them back and work toward emotional, spiritual and relational health.  I do not believe that most people need years of therapy to be whole.  I utilize  some core assessment and growth tools like the enneagram and combined with some natural, spiritual and psychosensory practices I have found clients can often achieve rapid stabilization, growth and healing to achieve their goals and obtain peace and a sense of well being.  

Not everything is a quick easy fix and committing to achieve emotional, spiritual and relational health requires one to look internally and honestly face  realities  about themselves.   My commitment is to provide those I work with accountability, understanding and support as they accomplish their goals.  I believe in people and their capacity to grow.  

Core Coaching Areas

• Executive & Leadership Coaching
• Grief & Trauma Coaching
• Coaching for Recovery from Burnout, Compassion Fatigue & Vicarious Traumatization 
• Relationship Coaching
• Coaching Through Crisis & Life Transition

I do a lot of coaching virtualy but my favorite sessions are when we can meet in the presence of the horses and other critters in the natural and calming setting of Reset Ranch in the NW suburbs of Chicago adjoining a 250 acre nature preserve. I never really liked sitting in a counseling office and a lot of the active people I have worked with through the years were reluctant to go to "therapy."  Much of the time I have done my crisis and growth work in the field where I find hurting people in a hurting world.  I have found people can often do their best work as we converse and question at the symbol tree, take a few minutes to set in the God Booth, groom or sit on a stump with a horse, take a mini horse for a walk on a trail or sit at the foot of the cross or empty tomb.  

  Why partner with horses?  Horses are amazing creatures and wonderful partners in growth, helping us seeing ourselves and healing.  It is a powerful experience when a 1200 pound animal stands over you and looks deep into your soul.  If you open your mind and heart you can experience a powerful and transformative shift with horse who is connected with the Holy.   As animals of prey they are highly sensitive and attuned to what is going on in everything around them including us.  They see every movement, our expressions, read our heartbeat and assess if we are safe to be around.  They do not like incongruence or dissonance and will often give us feedback if our external projected persona does not match our internal state.   If we are safe, they may invite us into their herd  and the energy and peace we can experience when at one with the herd can assist us in grounding, gaining clarity, and tapping into the deepest part of our soul and connection with God and all that is around us. When we learn to breath, relax into our parasympathatic state, look at our stuff with the aid of a tool like the enneagram, dramatic shifts and growth can happen as we do our work and learn to surrender.