Frequently Asked Questions
What is Holistic Health Counseling?
Holistic Health Counseling is a cross between working with a nutritionist and a coach. I consider myself ‘the guide on the side’. Most people know what they need to do in order to live a healthier, more fulfilling life. However, trusting themselves, knowing where to start, doing research, finding motivation and pulling it all together in an action plan can be overwhelming alone. I will help you investigate, brainstorm and develop a course of action. Overall, I serve as an educator, facilitator, advocate and cheerleader. I hope to empower you on your journey to wellness.
How does working with you, a Holistic Health Counselor, differentiate from seeing a traditional Registered Dietician?
My food philosophy is that everything we consider as sources of nutrition are really just secondary sources of nourishment. In the United States most of us have our basic needs met, so the food we eat becomes secondary to the many other things that feed our souls—relationships, career, spirituality and movement. These are referred to as primary foods. However, many people have primary food issues that create barriers to having healthy relationships with their secondary food; the food they eat. People often use secondary food as a form of control or to numb out from what isn’t working in their lives. I will obviously encourage healthy eating habits, but we will also address the whole person, hence the term holistic, by looking at self-care, joy and other primary food issues.
I also believe that everyone is bio-chemically individual. One way of eating which works for me may not work for you. Likewise, something that works for a child may not work for a woman of 35. My job is to help you discover what works well for you at this stage in your life. And to teach you the skills to adapt when needed. I will never tell you that you have to become a vegetarian or that you must never have another cup of coffee, but I will encourage you to experiment with food and tune into your body.
Traditional R.D.s focus on calories and use the USDA Food Pyramid as a guide. I have been trained in the pros and cons of many different ways of eating from raw food diets and macrobiotics to Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to Atkins and the Zone. I look at calories, if needed, but I also focus on the energetics of food. Where it was grown, who cooked it, how and where it is eaten etc.
Additionally, I prefer to work with clients in a longterm program, because I do not believe in diets, but lifestyle change. Just as it takes time to develop bad habits it takes time to create new healthy habits. I do not meet with clients and presume to know what is right for them after one hour.
So what is coaching?
A coach is a partner who works in collaboration with you to achieve your best possible life. As your health counselor and coach, I can help you see more clearly your strengths and challenges and design ways to help you move to your most powerful and zestful self. Where most forms of therapy focus on ruminating about the past, coaching concentrates on action and the future.Coaching is about enhancing your life, not about healing deep psychological wounds or “fixing” problems. It is a collaborative effort on the part of the client and the coach. It requires commitment and courage in order for the process to be effective. To see if you're coachable check out my free questionaire!
What is Laughter Yoga?
The term Laughter Yoga was coined by Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995. It brings together our innate ability to laugh with yogic breathing exercises. It began with an article he was writing about laughter being the best medicine. From there he held his first Laughter Yoga club with his wife and a few others in a park. Within ten days 50 people were attending. Now there are more than 6,000 Laughter clubs around the world in more than 60 countries.
From www.laughteryoga.org - "Laughter Yoga is physically-oriented technique that uses a perfect blend of playful, empowering and otherwise "tension-releasing" simple laughter exercises, interspersed with gentle breathing, warm up and stretching exercises, rhythmic clapping and chanting of Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha in unison. Sessions usually end with a most powerful laughter meditation where laughter flows out easily like a fountain. These exercises are done as a way to improve health, increase well-being, and promote peace in the world through personal transformation. In Laughter Yoga you use laughter as a tool, not an emotion."
How do you incorporate Laughter Yoga into your work with clients?
My intention is to help clients discover their joy. By teaching clients how to do Laughter Yoga exercises alone combined with the lessons of gratitude I help clients take themselves less seriously and discover their inner joyful child. Learning to laugh daily, for no reason, is a great addition to your current exercise routine and/or spiritual practice. Laughter has been shown to boost the immune system, thereby improving overall wellness.
Do you take health insurance?
Holistic Health Counseling is a newer form of alternative health care and is therefore not yet mainstream. I do not accept insurance directly, but I have had success with clients getting reimbursed through Flex Spending Accounts. If you are concerned about money and reading over my site, chances are that traditional approaches have not worked for you in the past. If you are truly dedicated to improving your health there is always a way. I offer a free initial consultation so that clients can ensure a good connection with me before handing over their hard earned money. If you are truly concerned about finances ask me about special payment arrangements and/or your eligibility for discounts during your consultation.
Do you have regular office hours?
I have office hours in my SE Portland location at Awakenings Wellness Center, by appointment, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9 am and 6 pm. Tuesdays and Fridays I am available for phone counseling sessions.