I’m so glad you’re interested in learning more about working with me!
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About Clinically Informed Coaching
There’s really no clear distinction between what it means to be a coach vs a therapist except for the degree and licensure that qualifies someone to be a therapist.
One profession is regulated at the state level (psychotherapy) and one is not (coaching).
For example, I have a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work, and I am licensed in Pennsylvania and Washington.
Therefore, I am considered a psychotherapist in WA and PA.
All other states (and internationally), I practice what’s called clinically-informed coaching.
But regardless of licensure, therapists and coaches exist to help people work through problems, so their clients can live better, happier, healthier lives.
This is because both therapists AND coaches bring a diverse range of skills and expertise to the client relationship that are informed by formal and/or informal training.
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Coaching vs Psychotherapy
The biggest difference between coaching and psychotherapy is that psychotherapy is considered “medically necessary” based on the acuity (intensity) of your symptoms, and psychotherapy clients receive a mental health diagnosis based on these symptoms.
Coaching, on the other hand, is not considered a “medically necessary” service, so you do not receive a diagnosis, and you health insurance does not pay for it.
Psychotherapy is most appropriate for people who are dealing with mental health symptoms that are causing a significant impairment in functioning, either at home, work or in your personal relationships.
Coaching, on the other hand, tends to be best for people who are NOT dealing with severe mental health symptoms but are still dealing with something challenging that’s holding them back in some way.
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My Background & Specialties
I am a trained psychotherapist with 12+ years of experience in the world of mental health and psychotherapy.
My Background
Between 2011 (when I graduated) and now, I’ve worked in a few different settings with many, many different types of people.
I also have quite a bit of “lived experience” which informs much of my work with clients.
Professional Experience:
- Community mental health where I offered mobile therapy, meeting with clients at home, in schools, etc
- A group private practice specializing in working with crime victims
- A large medical hospital helping with mental health assessments, grief and loss support, and accessing community resources
- My own private practice working with mostly women in their mid-20s to mid-40s
Personal Experience:
I’d encourage you to hop on over to My Story to get all the details on my personal journey.
But I’ll give you a snapshot here of how I see my personal experience impacting the work I do now.
- I was raised in Fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity and homeschooled with a faith-based curriculum K-12.
- I started deconstructing about 6 years ago when I was 30 years old and know first-hand what it’s like to go through religious harm recovery.
- My experiences of religious harm were very much intertwined with extensive generational trauma and family of origin dysfunction.
I’m sharing all this in order to help you understand that I “get it.”
Even though the “flavors” of culty religious groups can vary quite a bit, there are often common threads that feel familiar to those of us who experienced it.
My Clinical Specialties
My goal is to help my clients recover from religious harm, and usually this requires taking a deep dive into family of origin stuff as well as accessing the trauma that’s stored in your nervous system.
I am specialized in a few different treatment approaches, which have been found to be very effective in helping people heal from the myriad impacts of religious harm.
These approaches include:
- Family of Origin Work
- Parts Work
- Somatic Experiencing
I’ll tell you a bit about each!
Or, skip ahead to learn about my Coaching Rates.
Family of Origin Work
Family of origin work draws from attachment theory.
Attachment theory helps us understand how your earliest experiences created a blueprint for how you navigate relationships in the present.
Lots of times, experiences with religious harm begin with our family of origin, so looking at some of the pieces is an essential component of healing for most people.
Parts Work
Parts work draws from Internal Family Systems Theory and is the idea that we, as a whole, are comprised of many parts or “selves.”
Have you ever experienced indecisiveness and thought, “part of me really wants to do x but another part of me wants to do y.”
If so, you are noticing two competing parts within yourself, both wanting different things.
We also see that parts show up in the form of characteristics like perfectionism, anger, anxiety, etc.
In our work, we will get to know these various parts of you and help them take on healthier roles.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic means “relating to the body.”
We now know that we cannot separate our emotions from our body because our emotions are felt in our bodies and experiences/memories are stored in our bodies via the nervous system.
Sometimes painful memories and emotions get “stuck” in our nervous system and become activated by triggers in our day to day environment.
This can cause compulsions, feelings of anxiety, avoidance, etc.
In order to really show up as the best version of you, both for yourself and in your relationships, it is essential to release what may be stuck through a process called somatic experiencing.
Am I a Good Fit for Coaching?
You can probably tell by now that my client-focus is pretty niche, and you might be wondering whether we would be a good fit to work together.
Often the clients that I’m the best fit for have already gotten some help from a psychotherapist in the past, and now they’re looking for something more specialized.
You know how everyone has a primary care doctor who can help with lots of things, but every once in a while you’ll get a referral to see a specialist for a specific issue?
That’s kinda what I am in the mental health world.
The coaching support I provide is very specialized.
We Might Be a Good Fit to Work Together If…
- You were indoctrinated into a high control group or religion at some point in your life.
AND
- You’re struggling to understand how your experience may still be affecting you, OR you know what the issues are, and they’re preventing you from living peacefully in the here and now.
- You feel comfortable meeting virtually
- Your schedule allows for you to meet on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
- The financial investment is within your budget {Check out my rates here}
We Would NOT Be a Good Fit If…
- You’re looking for help with something other than religious harm recovery.
- You’re having intense or unmanageable mental health symptoms — in this case you should work with a psychotherapist licensed in your state.
- You want to go to an office and work with someone in person.
- You’re unable to meet on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
- You need to use your health insurance to pay for mental health care.
Coaching Rates
I offer 55 minute sessions that can be scheduled at a frequency of your choosing — many people prefer every other week or once a month.
90 min intake = $350 (this is a one time session for new clients)
55 min sessions = $250
Get Started with an Free Introductory Video Call
If you think there’s a good chance you’d like to start working with me, the next step would be to book an introductory video call.
This call last about 20 minutes, and gives us the opportunity to connect before making a commitment to work together.
Just one more thing before you go…
Whether or not you’re ready to dive into coaching, there’s still LOADS of support to be had.
First, consider joining my Religious Harm Recovery Group over on Facebook.
Second, make sure you’re following me over on Instagram @reclaimingself.therapy
And finally, consider staying connected by signing up below for my weekly email.