Give Yourself the Gift of Support
For more than a decade I have been working with women. In my experience, when we say YES to ourselves, nothing can stop us. It is my honor and life passion to accompany you on the sometimes heartbreaking, often beautiful and always sacred process of coming home to you.
And as a counselor, I want to you to give yourself the gift of support:
Increase TRUST in yourself ~ Connect with the deep knowing that you are enough, practice deep listening and learn to recognize and transform your "inner critic" and the voices of shame and self-doubt. They are trying desperately to protect you and can actually become your best ally when you renegotiate their role in your life!
Coming home to Self-love ~ As cliche as it may sound, self-love is the portal to a life of deep and meaningful connection with yourself, your calling and your relationships. Transform the barriers that get in the way of your most authentic and vibrant self.
Creating and living the life you love ~ You are here for a reason. The world wants the medicine you and only you can provide. Tap into your life’s purpose and in mythologist Joseph Campbell’s words, "follow your bliss." Gather the courage (from the french word coeur, which means heart) to be seen and heard in what your love. I will support you in navigating this frightening and exciting exploration of falling in love with and pursuing your calling.
Transitions ~ Discover ways of feeling connected to yourself when things fall apart (relationships, work, moves) or don't go as expected. As women, we are cyclical beings. Like the tides and the moon, nature's cycles are our greatest teachers when it comes to embracing loss and change. Dark, challenging times hold bountiful gifts. The practice of surrendering and learning to stay with the painful "muck" of life often leads to joyful transformation and freedom. Find and connect to that inner resource that is always available to you, no matter how shaky the ground beneath you feels.
Mother daughter relationships ~ Renegotiate and set healthy, sustainable boundaries, break the shame and blame cycles. Transform caretaking into caring. Bring to light and transform beliefs that have been passed on by the generations of women who have come before you. Learn to feel the healthy outrage, honor what you've been through and nourish your own inner child from a deep well of internal resources. Forgive your mother for her shortcomings and step into co-crating a new and healthy relationship.
The Mother Wound ~ Your mother could only love you to the extent to which she loved herself. Unknowingly, many of us are walking around looking for that deep, unconditional love that we did not get as children from someone "out there", be it our biological mother, our partner or the world as a whole. As painful as this realization can be, it is also very good news because it allows us to awaken to the reality of becoming that good enough, abundantly loving mother to ourselves. In this sometimes painful and yet immensely liberating process, we set our outer mother free and can step into being our fullest selves. Radiant, empowered and free.
Goddess Work ~ When I was a little girl, my grandmother introduced me to Mother Mary and her boundless capacity for love and compassion. Simultaneously, my mother and I went to a Hindu temple were I met Durga, Lakshmi and other Hindu Goddess. Ever since, I have been fascinated by the archetype of the Divine Mother and have studied Her myths and presence in many cultures. In these patriarchal times, exploring Goddess mythology can offer us a powerful opportunity to awaken and connect to her various manifestations that live inside of us. Through this work, we come home to the embodied experience of feeling deeply held and empowered as we move through our lives. The Goddess is always here. Are you ready to feel her?
Being single ~ Never before in history has there been so many single women. The decision to embrace single-hood as an opportunity to get to know yourself and craft your life in a conscious and fulfilling way can be the greatest gift to yourself and others (including a future partner). In Kate Bolick's words, “Being single is like being an artist, not because creating a functional single life is an art form, but because it requires the same close attention to one's singular needs, as well as the will and focus to fulfill them. Just as the artist arranges her life around her creativity, sacrificing conventional comforts and even social acceptance, sleeping and eating according to her own rhythms, so that her talent thrives above all else, nurtured the way a child might be, so a single person has to think hard to decipher what makes her happiest and most fulfilled.” (from Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own)
Grief ~ Losing someone to death is devastating beyond words. Grief work is the work that none of us would voluntarily sign up for yet sooner all later, it comes knocking at our door.Whether you’ve lost a parent, a child or someone in your community, grief is painful and messy and requires patience, commitment and attention. I will support you in navigating the tricky terrain of loss, holding space for the often overwhelming and conflicting emotions and thoughts that tend to arise when grieving. Committing to this process can allow you to move towards creating a new way of being in relationship with your loved one. I volunteer for TRU Community Hospice leading grief groups and hold this tender work very close to my heart.
Illness ~ "When good health feels far away, we are taken into places where our faith in life can flicker" (Francis Weller). As an unexpected visitor, illness knocks at our door. It demands to be seen and felt. Often, the more we ignore it, the louder it becomes. By slowing down and getting to know illness, we can learn a great deal about it’s message and invitation and develop a new relationship with its presence in our life.
Navigating BIG feelings ~ Do you often feel overtaken by anxiety, anger or depression? Your feelings are messengers that want to be felt. Challenging feelings are painful to feel and we tend to develop strategies to avoid them (I get it, often they are not pleasant!). However, as you probably already know, feelings don’t go away and really want our attention. Developing a different way of being with them will soften their intensity and give space for calm and acceptance to emerge. I will provide you with tools and strategies to befriend these visitors.
Transforming relational patterns ~ Through practicing mindful awareness, you can open to a whole new way of being with your significant other and improve your relational presence, communication skills and overall connection.
Being a foreigner ~ Are you from a different country or have a bicultural background? If so, you have probably experienced the challenges that come with wanting to honor your roots and simultaneously wanting to foster and create a feeling of belonging to the United States. Racism, oppression, speaking a different language and feeling like you don't belong neither "back home" nor here are common themes that can impact your wellbeing. Through the use of ritual and art, you can weave the different threads of your journey and your roots and deepen your sense of belonging....to yourself.
To become or not to become a mother ~ If you are a woman in your thirties and forties, you have probably wrestled with this question. Having a safe space to explore this question, uncoupling your wants and deepest longings from societal or familial expectations can be a very illuminating and freeing process. For many women, motherhood is their calling. For others, the knowing is not as clear and exploring the possibilities of a child-full life verusu a child-free one is an important process.
Pregnancy ~ As a pregnant woman you embody the full potential of life. Deepen your connection with the being that lives and grows within you and receive support around preparing for birth and the major changes that will come with your baby's arrival.
Mothering ~ You give birth to your children, you care deeply for them and with their arrival comes a completely new life. BIG and overwhelming feelings tend to arise in this new stage. Practicing mothering yourself while mothering your little one(s) will allow you and your family to have a fulfilling experience.
Reproductive Mental Wellness ~ Reproductive challenges affect many women and can lead to feelings of devastation and hopelessness. Emotional and psychological support can be extremely helpful when navigating these difficult times. Specific challenges can include infertility, miscarriage, abortion, high-risk pregnancy, IVF, traumatic birth, ovarian/breast cancer and postpartum anxiety and depression.
Sexuality ~ For many of us, our sexual and sensual nature is deeply connected to shame, guilt and trauma. Patriarchal messages around our bodies not being lovable and the sad reality that most of us have experienced being intruded upon have led many of us to feel unsafe and disconnect from our wise bodies. As sensual beings, an integral part of our healing is to reestablish body safety and reconnect with what feels good. From this place, we can create a new relationship with pleasure that will deepen our sense of self-love and will transform the way we open up to others.