I do not recall much from Pinocchio besides Jiminy Cricket, a character meant to serve as the conscience of the puppet turned real boy. I remember being envious of Pinocchio having this cricket on his shoulder constantly serving as the voice of reason when he faced some dilemma.

I wondered why people lacked such individuals in their lives to help them reach their goals and become the people they wanted to be. In time I learned about psychology and later social work. I worked first as a victim-witness advocate and later as a paraprofessional clinician. In the early part of my career, I was often frustrated by what I perceived as a disconnect between what my clients desired and my actual role as a mental health professional. I figured I needed more education and eventually earned my degree in social work from the University of Georgia and my doctorate in community psychology from Michigan State University. I have since concluded two things.

1. For the most part, neither people nor their environments are “toxic” but rather incongruence between people’s dispositions and the conditions around them creates problems for people.
2. While the medical model is well suited for addressing mental illness and brain disease, often poor person environment fit really requires what we call Life Coaching today.

My goal as a wellness professional is to help you reach your full potential and experience fulfillment. We can achieve this together by identifying your strengths and helping you remove or overcome obstacles in your life, whether at work, school, or the ecosystem of your personal relationships.

I will help you develop skills in money management, and problem solving. We will practice setting boundaries without alienating yourself and others, use assertive communication to break cycles of codependency. The skills I will teach and demonstrate are also useful in breaking adult habits, identifying non-constructive fixed action patterns, and managing self-destructive impulses.

Let me help you be you.