“I can’t believe I’m going in for counseling. I need this, though. It will be helpful. I think.”
As I’m getting ready to log in to my appointment, ’m thinking, “Will this really help? I can deal with this, it’s not that bad.” Then I chuckle to myself – I’m like, “Wake up – it’s that bad; you need help; just get on the appointment.”
I keep telling myself why I need this and why I need to just see how it will go. So many feelings. Feeling anxious, worried about what I'll be told.
As I get ready for the session, I think. “What is this going to be like? Is she going to judge me? I feel embarrassed that I can’t deal with what’s going on. Maybe I should just not show up? I don’t really need this, well, maybe I do; LOL. Yeah, I do need this.”
Then Tina says hello. I’m wondering what Tina will ask me. Will she think I’m over-reacting? Will she judge me? Ugh, my stomach flips, I feel my heart racing. I tell myself to calm down and listen.
As we start the session, Tina validates how this can be an uncomfortable experience to talk about personal issues. I think, “She’s got that right!”
Tina talks about sessions needing to be open and honest for me to get the most out of the sessions. She tells me she wants it to feel laid back and comfortable and just to make it about having a conversation. I feel my shoulders relax.
As we continue, we start to talk about what my issues have been and go through the integrative assessment form. This form goes through both emotional struggles and the physical struggles I’ve been experiencing.
I really feel like we truly are looking at me as a whole person and all that can be caused by or feeding the messy emotions I’m struggling with. I think to myself, “Is it possible that I might be able to feel better?”
As we talk about the emotions and my current struggles with pain and digestive issues, Tina explains how the traumas and shocks I’ve experienced can be tied to my pain and digestive issues.
I can’t believe they can be connected.
Then I start to think about the timeline of my emotional struggles and when I started to experience digestive issues and the pain. “Whoa, this really makes a lot of sense now. Wow, I do feel glad I made this decision to come in. It’s all making more sense, and I feel like I do have a reason to be here; I’m not over-reacting.”
I think, “There is hope, and I’m not crazy!” We start to discuss the plan, and I finally feel like my life has a future with better health.
*Julia – fictitious name
Even with two Master’s degrees, over 20 years as a therapist, and certifications in multiple healing modalities, I reached a point where I barely recognized myself.
Not because I didn’t know what to do… but because I was exhausted from holding everything together for everyone else.
I stopped checking in with myself. My calendar stayed full, my nervous system stayed on edge, and I quietly wondered how I could guide others when I felt disconnected from my own body, clarity, and identity.
I started shrinking my life in subtle ways. Saying “I’m fine” instead of telling the truth. Avoiding stillness because I didn’t like what surfaced when things slowed down. Carrying a constant undercurrent of guilt for wanting more than survival mode.
The turning point came when I reviewed my own emotional scan and realized something sobering: I had addressed everyone else’s needs beautifully… while bypassing my own grief, burnout, and sense of self. That moment changed everything.
Today, I help burned-out women over 40 reconnect with their true identity, regulate their nervous systems, and reclaim clarity, confidence, and inner authority, not by pushing harder or fixing themselves, but by gently returning to who they were before the exhaustion took over.
My background includes:
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Counselor)
Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition
Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Practitioner
Licensed Hypnotherapist
Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching
Certified Bioenergetic Practitioner with NES Health System
Advanced Biofield Tuning Practitioner
ThetaHealing Practitioner
Clinical Aromatherapist
Extensive Training in:
*EMDR
*Energy Psychology
*RTT® Hypnotherapy
*Biofield Tuning
*ThetaHealing