I have spent the last 10 years working as a school counselor, life and family coach, teacher, self-discovery mentor, group facilitator and wilderness trip leader. I have worked individually with children and adults and have facilitated groups in the areas of parenting, grief and loss, anger management, and personal growth. As an early childhood teacher, I was guided by the Reggio Emilia approach to education which focuses on following the child’s attention as a means of uncovering fertile ground upon which learning unfolds.
I have a B.A. in Sociology, a certificate in Early Childhood Education, and a Master of Education degree in Counseling, specializing in Play Therapy, Filial Therapy with teachers and parents (groups that focus on strengthening the child-caregiver bond), and Transpersonal/Integral? Counseling. My approach is influenced by training and experience in Gestalt Theory, Open Space Technology, Positive Discipline, Roots of Empathy, conflict resolution, body awareness approaches, and a host of specialized techniques for psychodynamically oriented practice.
When I am not deeply engaged in conversation, I love to travel, dance, practice yoga, take pictures, hike in the woods, sit by a creek, or stroll through my neighborhood.
One day I became curious about rituals that encourage healthy living - rituals that nourish our bodies, minds, hearts, souls and relationships. I wanted to have more of those rituals in my life and so I turned to people in my community to learn from them. I sent out an email asking: Is there an activity or behavior that you perform regularly for the purpose of bringing value to your well-being? I received incredible responses and then posted them to a website to share with others. The website, healthylivingrituals.blogspot.com is a compilation of rituals and stories from many different people around the world. It was an inspiring example of one person’s curiosity that self-organized into an inspiring collection.
Website: [Woven Essence]