What To Expect
Reaching Out
I'm excited that you are interested in Peer Counseling! After you reach out by phone or email, I will respond with a few general questions about your interest as well as explain briefly about Compassionate Peer Counseling and myself. At this point you may take time to decide if you want to schedule an initial consultation or you can go ahead and schedule one with me right after our brief discussion if you are feeling inspired to.
Documents
Once an initial 20 minute consultation is scheduled I will email you three documents. These documents include:
1) disclosure form,
2) health insurance portability protection act form
3) intake form.
I ask that you print, read and fill out these documents to the best of your ability as well as sign where signatures are requested. Please bring these documents to your initial consultation.
If you have questions and are not comfortable signing before your questions are answered, you can ask me your questions at our initial consultation and we can have dialogue so that everything is clear.
Initial Consultation
The initial consultation will be a 20 minute phone or video call. I will be introducing you to myself and Compassionate Peer Counseling, as well as getting to know you, your story, your inspiration for reaching out and what you would like to receive from a Peer Counseling relationship.
I will describe the service I offer and explain some of my polices so that you can make an informed decision.
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The goal of this consultation is to decide if we would work well together. If we determined that this Peer Counseling relationship is not workable I will be happy to refer you to a counselor, therapist or treatment center that would better meet your needs. This remains true no matter how many Peer Counseling sessions we have engaged in.
Second Peer Counseling Session
Once we decide that the Peer Counseling relationship will be workable for us, you will choose which length of session you would prefer and we will schedule you for a second session. I offer two different time lengths for sessions, and each time you schedule a session you may choose a different time length if you wish, depending on your needs. The two options and corresponding fees are listed on the contact page.
Beginning Sessions
The beginning sessions will be focused on getting to know each other. I will be getting to know your story and life experience. I will share parts of my story when it is helpful in the service of building relationship and helping your recovery. The majority of the time will be spent on your experience and recovery.
Consistent Sessions
Space
As we progress into more consistent sessions we will begin to look at things in your life exactly as they are with gentle awareness. We do this to create some space and to see things as clearly as possible instead of just believing a story about the way things are. I will share examples from my life of practicing awareness and questioning stories that I have always believed about myself.
Equality
What I love most about Peer Counseling is the equality and mutuality of the peer relationship. What this means is that I will be learning from you just as much as you will be learning from me. As I am encouraging you to make changes, I am challenged to make changes as well. As you open up with me I will be vulnerable and share with you.
Focus
In the background guiding us will be the goals we have set and your values. This helps us stay focused on what is truly important to you.
Team Work
If you are working with a licensed therapist, dietitian or other professional I will provide support for that work and try to help with concepts and practices that may be challenging or confusing to you. I will also reach out to them with the intention of working as a team to provide the best care possible for you.
Present Moment
While we will be diving into and exploring events of your past, a lot of our time will be spent discussing what is happening in the present, exactly where you are.
Unconditional Support
I will be providing unconditionally open space for you to voice your experience. It will be a space where all emotions are free to come as they are, express themselves, be seen, be heard, be felt, and be cared for.
Safe Space
We will practice unconditional compassion, kindness and friendliness towards ourselves and our experiences, including emotions. This will create a safe space for you to look at your choices, behaviors, beliefs and experiences in a clear and nonjudgmental way. The intention is that trust in yourself and your body will start to develop.
Internal Wisdom
Instead of trusting external sources to make choices you will start to give equal or more value to your internal wisdom. With this wisdom we will start to question and undo the harmful and oppressive beliefs that diet culture has forced upon us.
Forgiveness
We will practice forgiveness for any thoughts or behaviors that were harmful to ourselves or others.
Inhabitance
We will practice taking up space in our bodies and be open, patient and kind to sensations and emotions that we experience as a result of this new inhabitance.
Deep Truth
We will use your behaviors around food and body as portals into the deep mystery and truth of your being.
Systemic Oppressions
We will look at how the intersectional oppressions and privileges of our society have affected our relationships with our bodies and food.
Meaningful Choices
With all this new information, trust in your inner wisdom and my support, you will practice and work to make choices that are in sync with what you truly value in life. This includes choices about your food and body.
Ending Sessions
You may end Peer Counseling whenever you desire. The peer counseling relationship is built on choice.
My view is that when you freely choose to engage in Peer Counseling we will be more productive. When you are not freely choosing to engage in Peer Counseling we will not be as productive. I want to work with people who are choosing to engage in Peer counseling. I will not be trying to convince or force anyone to participate. I trust you to know when to participate and when not too.
The beauty is that Compassionate Peer Counseling is flexible. You may schedule Peer Counseling sessions as often as you feel is necessary. This may shift and change as time goes on and life shifts and changes. You may end Peer Counseling and then decide a couple months or years later to reengage in Peer Counseling.
While I have no control over anyone's actions, I ask that peers communicate their intention to end Peer counseling so that we may have some dialogue, understanding and closure when possible.