Personal and Professional Development for Practitioners – Attune to your inner and outer landscapes to increase presence, pleasure and purpose in your practice.

I offer skillful accompaniment for new and seasoned practitioners who want guidance in finding more ease and joy in their work and in growing their capacity to show up fully and effectively as practitioners.

I know that the work of clinical practice — developing a compassionate presence, attuning to clients, communicating clearly, setting healthy boundaries, and taking responsibility for tending the relational container — takes self-awareness, skill and consistent practice. I also know that we can’t do it alone.

We practitioners need our own compassionate, attentive partners to support our learning and growth, so we can keep doing what we love and building the just and joyful world we want to live in.

But, coaching isn’t about me giving you advice about what to do – it’s about helping you develop your own capacity to be present and attuned to yourself and your clients, to be flexible and resilient when challenges arise, and to stay aligned with the values that guide you.

Coaching is less about what to do and more about how you do it.

If you’re a practitioner of any kind who longs for more intentional, embodied relationship with yourself, your community and the land, whether new to practice or in it for years, I’d love to work with you.

Herbalists, nutritionists, therapists, nurses, physicians, bodyworkers, acupuncturists, and coaches (any practitioners, really!) AND future practitioners are all welcome!

Why Practitioner Coaching?

Have you had training in clinical skills, but always wished you could have more personalized support to explore the specific ways you show up in and experience your practice?

As a long-time practitioner, I know the challenges that come up for many of us in our practices and in relationship with clients: maintaining confidence, sustaining compassion and empathy, staying present under pressure, setting and maintaining boundaries, untangling challenging communications, relating to clients you share similar experiences with (and those you don’t!), navigating power dynamics with clients, especially where one of you experiences marginalization, addressing conflict and preventing or recovering from burnout, and so much more.

Or maybe you recognize a few of these experiences…

Have you heard folks say you should get grounded or centered before you see a client, but you actually secretly have no idea how to do that? Or you’ve tried many suggested methods and none have worked consistently? Do you find going “inside” or following your breath to be challenging or even impossible?

Do you know you need to develop better boundaries with clients, but you don’t actually know how to do that? Or you do, but you keep relaxing or breaking those boundaries or letting your clients do it, but you’re not sure why? Experiencing vicarious trauma or frequent empathy exhaustion?

If you have conflict with a client or someone else in a professional relationship, do you find yourself enacting patterns from your history or personal life that don’t serve you or your clients? Not sure how to shift that pattern?

Having trouble with the business or financial aspects of the practice, and know it’s because capitalism sucks, but also…you’re struggling with your relationship with money or with commodifying care and plants?

Struggling to hold yourself with gentleness in your learning process while also being accountable to your clients? Wondering how to take care of yourself, especially if you’re chronically ill, disabled or working with trauma, and also be an effective practitioner?

I’ve experienced all of this and more at one time or another.

I’ve been a practitioner of some kind for more than 30 years, as a bodyworker and clinical herbalist. I’ve struggled with all of the above and then some in that time, but I’ve also learned how to move through and work with these experiences. For over 15 years, I’ve been teaching practitioners and mentoring and supervising clinicians. I’ve learned a lot through watching where students and beginning clinicians get stuck, along with how to support them when they do. And, I know we experienced practitioners need support, too!

Learning in group settings offers valuable support, but it can also be crucial to have dedicated 1:1 time to explore your personal histories, goals and challenges around embodying the role of practitioner. 

So, I developed this offering as a resource for folks who have the basics in place — you know what you want to be feeling and doing in the clinical relationship — but like all of us, there are clients or circumstances that keep tripping you up. You’re seeing patterns you don’t love and you want to do better by your clients and yourself. Or, perhaps you’re a student preparing to see clients and you can see already that there are aspects of practice that you’d like support to explore and embody.

Cultivating self awareness around what has influenced and shaped the beliefs and behaviors that show up in our work is central to having a fulfilling, successful and responsible practice. And, it’s crucial to understand that our skill as practitioners can be impacted by our personal histories with healing and illness, personal and professional relationships, access to resources, systemic privileges and/or oppression, trauma, and so much more.

As a coach — and an experienced practitioner and clinical supervisor — I can support you in discovering exactly what’s coming up, how it’s impacting your work, and what you can do to shift it.

EcoSomatic coaching “ingredients”:

Coaching is a co-creative and emergent process, with you at the center. Each session and coaching relationship is unique, but these are the core tools and processes I draw from to create the container and structure for our work:

Presence and co-regulation – my deep listening, curiosity and attunement to you are the foundation of our time together; my embodied presence is available to you as a ground of support as you come more into your own embodied presence

Visioning and goal-setting – I’ll help you identify or update your goals and vision for yourself and your work as a practitioner, rooted in your values and purpose

Nervous system education – we’ll explore how humans respond to stress generally, what patterns of response you tend towards under pressure, and what resources support you in returning to your purpose and aligning with your values

Trauma awareness – we’ll tend to the impacts of trauma (individual and collective) on your responses to stress and pressure and how trauma may be affecting how you hold the clinical relationship

Belief mapping – I’ll support you in noticing where beliefs and expectations of self, family and culture live in your body and shape your thoughts and actions, so you can decide whether they serve you today; we might also map how experiences and beliefs around power and/or marginalization shape you and your clinical relationships

Embodied skill-building – we’ll practice somatic skills together, supporting you to form new embodied habits of response and purposeful action, as well as intentional rest and reflection (skills could include centering, boundary setting, appreciative inquiry)

Meaning-making – our embodiment shapes the stories we tell and our stories, in turn, shape us, so the meaning we make about ourselves, our clients and our work matter; we’ll be intentional about crafting affirmations and commitments aligned with your goals for your practice

Collaborative assessment – with your invitation, I’ll offer my attuned impressions and reflections in support of your process; you can try them on or let them pass, as you find most helpful

Depending on your desires, ability and access our work can also include: 

Making relationships with plants – plant meditations, medicine-making, gardening

Intentional time outside/in nature – stillness, exploration, movement

Expressive arts practices – drawing, photography, writing, land art, movement

This is valuable professional development work, but it’s ultimately embodied transformation that will impact all aspects of your life.

EcoSomatic Coaching Q&A

What the heck does EcoSomatic mean? How is this different from other kinds of coaching?

Eco – from ecology, refers to the relationship of living beings to our environment, i.e. the earth or nature, as well as our social ecologies 

Distinct from many coaching styles that focus on individual growth, I hold this work in the widest context of your ecology. That means we take into account all of your relations: your family and friends, your community, the micro and macro-cultures you’re part of and influenced by, and also our shared ecology – the earth. So, our work will acknowledge and attend to the impacts and influences of the environment in which you’re embedded – human and non-human – and also return regularly to the site of our shared belonging, the land.

We are not just connected to nature, we are nature. The ecological dimension of this work recognizes our interdependence with all of life, while affirming that human nature is an expression and mirror of all nature. In reorienting ourselves to our kinship with the more-than-human world, we are reminded of our responsibilities, along with our intrinsic wisdom and capacity for resilience.

Somatic – of or pertaining to the body, or “soma”, especially related to our felt experiences of embodiment as a whole organism interacting with our environment

Like most types of coaching, there’s conversation and story-sharing, but much of what we do together centers on your body and what it’s been wisely doing to support, protect and guide you in your life and work, so far.

We work with and through your body, finding resources and wisdom, as well as patterns that have been shaped by your experiences and history that you’d like to let go of or transform. We also work with your emotions, stories, values and goals, but the focus is on how those show up today in your body and identifying how your embodiment impacts how you perceive, what you think, and the actions you take. 

All of the wisdom found in emotions, meaning-making and actions is vital information, but we always return to the body to discover where to go next.

Often framed as just 50 years young and “founded” in the context of Western psychology in the US, somatic healing is actually a cross-cultural, living lineage that’s thousands of years old and inherently tied to community and place. In my work, I seek to honor these roots by practicing somatics in a way that is explicitly relational, politicized, and embedded in cultural, historical, and ecological frameworks. I align myself with contemporary practitioners who hold the field accountable to its history and work to counter the influences of cultural erasure, individualism, supremacy, capitalism and ableism that seek to shape it. I offer this work towards our collective liberation and joy.

What if I don’t feel at home in my body? What if I don’t feel anything or there’s pain I’d rather not focus on? What if I don’t feel connected to nature or land? Is this work for me? 

Yes! As long as you’re interested in exploring embodiment and relatedness with yourself and the earth, we’ll start exactly where you are–even if you have no sense (or too much sense) of your body or of connection or relation with land.

I have lots of experience working with herbalists, but I love working with anyone looking for support with their practice from the inside out – acupuncturists, naturopaths, therapists, nurse practitioners, physicians, coaches, bodyworkers – if you’re a practitioner of any kind, I’d be delighted to support you.

Is this therapy?

Coaching and therapy can certainly overlap in terms of the benefits and impacts on self-development, mental well-being and professional capacity. But, coaching doesn’t involve diagnosis or treatment of mental health concerns and isn’t meant to replace psychotherapy or psychiatric care. Coaching can work beautifully alongside any therapy you’re doing and I highly recommend both, as needed. When we meet, we’ll assess together whether coaching best serves your needs at this time.

Do you work with folks who aren’t practitioners?

YES! EcoSomatic Coaching is for Everybody!

While practitioners are a special niche of folks I love to support, I also love working with anyone who’s excited or curious about embodiment and looking for accompaniment in self-exploration, meaning-making, goal setting and taking action in alignment with what you care most about. If you’d like support in making moves towards transformation, not just for yourself, but for those you love and what you envision for the world, let’s connect to see how I can support you. 

Is this the same as case consultation or clinical mentorship?

This work focuses on supporting you, not your clients, so it’s different from case consultation. But, I do also offer case consultation and student mentorship for any practitioners who work with herbs (e.g. herbalists, naturopaths, mental healthcare providers, etc.) and are looking for support with specific clients. My focus is mental health and trauma, though of course clients with complex and multi-faceted concerns are common and you’re welcome to bring those cases, as long as my experience will be relevant. To express interest in case consultation or student mentorship in my areas of focus, send me a brief email via my contact form and we’ll go from there. Case consultation is $75/hr for students and $125 for folks in professional practice.

Cost & Session Details

Sessions are 1 hour and cost $125.

Before beginning the coaching relationship, we meet for a free, 30-minute conversation to be sure my model is a good fit for you and to answer any questions you have.

Once we agree to work together, you’ll receive a coaching intake and informed consent form and you’ll be invited to schedule your first session.

I work predominantly online, but am open to meeting local folks (Central Vermont) in person with COVID precautions (we can discuss during our intro conversation if you’re interested).  

Packages & Reduced Rates

After our first session, we may decide to schedule one session at a time or to plan ahead for 3 or more sessions, which can be paid for as a multi-session package. Three sessions can be booked at once for $350 and 10 sessions can be scheduled for $1000.

I offer a limited number of supported-rate sessions ($75) each month for students (including recent graduates) and anyone else not able to pay the full rate due to systemic barriers. These sessions are intended to support marginalized folks for whom limited finances prevent access to somatic work and/or professional development (including, but not limited to, disabled and chronically ill, BIPOC and queer and trans folks).

Please review this graphic as you determine your relative access to resources. The supported rate is generally intended for folks who fall on the right side (the least full bottle) of the scale. I appreciate your honest self-reflection in support of other clients and myself.

Wondering why there’s a limit on supported-rate sessions? The majority of my work throughout my career has been in the context of a non-profit school and sliding-scale clinic, which I co-founded. We have intentionally paid ourselves far below the standard rates for clinicians and teachers, while providing free and low cost care and herbs to thousands of folks over almost 20 years. This continues to be an ongoing choice and an expression of my deep commitment to economic justice, especially related to healthcare and education. I am offering this coaching work at a higher “industry” standard rate, in part to support my ability to continue my work at VCIH, while also supporting other mutual aid-oriented projects, and my own sustainability. Please get in touch if there are no supported-rate sessions available, as I maintain a wait list that opens monthly for new clients.

Ready to begin? Schedule an Introductory Call or Returning Client Session:

I look forward to connecting with you!