Therapy and Coaching for Building a Better You, a Better Relationship, and a Better Community
Happiness
Is the Purpose of Life and the Goal Each Individual, Couple and Family is Seeking.
My goal as a therapist and life coach is to create an environment where individuals, couples and families can create happiness and prosperity in their lives. Prosperity is a state of being that is measured not only by the external quality of our lives, but also by the internal quality of our lives. This involves plotting a course in life that will assist in accomplishing those goals as well as identifying and addressing the potential obstacles and challenges that may be lying in the path.
I approach this process from what is referred to as a biopsychosocial-spiritual perspective. These four quadrants of our lives (bio-psycho-social and spiritual) are constantly interacting with each other. Problems in one area of our lives tend to affect and infect the other areas of our lives, so solving those problems often involves effort in all of these areas. The term “synergy” refers to the interconnectedness among these various aspects of our lives. Happiness and prosperity are the results of a life that maintains harmony and balance among these domains.
Life Is A Test
Learning and growing require testing and evaluating where we are on the path of progression toward happiness and prosperity. Like all tests, the daily experiences of life reveal our strengths and our weaknesses; what we know and what we don’t know.
They bring out the best and the worst in us. When we recognize the worst, we understand where we need to improve and change. When we recognize the best, we understand what we can continue to build upon. Tests are essential to allow us to correctly chart our course toward continuing growth and happiness, or regression, decay, and unhappiness.
Tests can take many forms, some pleasant, some very unpleasant. All have something to offer. Therapy is intended to help us understand the roles both can play in our lives and in our progression toward happiness and prosperity.
We Care
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, a Master of Social Work degree from Brigham Young University, and a Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies with a specialization in marriage and family therapy from Purdue University.
I have over twenty-three years of experience in the counseling field working with individuals, couples, families, teens, and groups, addressing challenges with depression, anxiety, couples and family relationship conflicts, trauma, and other behavioral health concerns.
Biological Component
The biological component of one’s life refers to whether one’s lifestyle reflects a healthy, balanced approach to living. It includes many of the everyday aspects of our lives such as diet, exercise, sleep, medications (if appropriate), how we handle our finances, career choices and similar issues. Often the solutions to significant problems in life begin with simple changes in the more commonplace and mundane aspects of our lives. Self-care is an important aspect of our lives that is easily overlooked at times.
Psychological Component
The psychological component of our lives refers to addressing how we think, manage our emotions, and act. Negative, pessimistic, or critical thinking can begin early in our lives as a result of our experiences. Recognizing and correcting thinking errors, managing negative emotions, and eliminating harmful behaviors invites us to choose more productive ways to view ourselves and interact with the world around us.
Social Component
Human beings are designed for relationships. We do not do well in isolation. Research on what really tends to make people happy indicates that for over 90% of us, it’s the quality of our relationships that most determines the level of happiness we experience in life. As Barbara Streisand once sang, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world”. They are also the happiest and most successful. An important part of my practice is helping people to understand that “the relationship is ALWAYS more important than the problem” and to learn how to resolve conflict, increase intimacy and trust in their relationships at home and at work, and to raise happier and more successful children.
Spiritual Component
Regardless of whether or not we have ever stepped inside a church, we all have a value system of some kind. It is shaped by everything we are taught and by every experience we have in life and determines the outcomes of our daily decision-making. Whether spirituality means participating in a religious practice or simply taking a walk in Nature and watching the sun set, neglecting this aspect of our lives depletes our resiliency and reduces our ability to bounce back from life’s difficulties and challenges. We have to determine whether our lives are lived in harmony with the principles and values that produce genuine happiness and prosperity.
Process of
Coaching & Therapy
Successful therapy and life coaching begin with clients and therapists developing a collaborative, collegial, and trusting relationship. I help my clients to identify the roots of their challenges in life; the problematic thinking, emotional, and behavioral patterns that result; and to develop strategies to address and resolve those issues.
Individual, Couples
and Families
Whether coming into counseling as an individual, couple, or family, the experience has to involve a deep examination of oneself and the qualities, attitudes, perspectives, values, and behaviors we carry with us. While often focused on specific challenges such as trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety, or relationship conflicts, the broader goal of therapy is to produce personal prosperity and happiness in all four areas of our lives and maintain balance and harmony in our lives and our relationships.
Establishing a trusting relationship with your counselor will enable you to explore your life in a comprehensive yet compassionate way. Once the things contributing to individual concerns and problems are identified and the biopsychosocial-spiritual implications are addressed, a foundation for personal growth can be established.
Groups
For many people, once they begin to gain some insight into their biopsychosocial-spiritual challenges, they can benefit even more by participating in a group experience where they can continue to learn from the experiences and perspectives of others.
Group sessions are an option for those who are prepared for that more dynamic and interactive form of therapy. Group participation provides the continuing opportunity to process the ongoing experiences of our lives, maintain the progress achieved previously, and deepen our understanding and application of the principles and skills that promote prosperity and happiness individually, in our family relationships, and at work.
Most Insurance Accepted
Insurance
I am in-network with several insurance programs and accept checks, credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. If you are unsure if your insurance covers my services, call the customer service phone number on your insurance card and give them my NPI number, 1225027881.
Get Telehealth Help Today
I am licensed in the states of Indiana, Arizona, and Utah and can also see clients virtually in any of those states. For coaching services (which are not covered by insurance), I can see clients via telehealth anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home.
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