Personal Statement

It has occurred to me that some of my future clients might wonder who they are hiring to help them through some very rough patches and trusting to walk with them on some vulnerable journeys. I understand that because I have been many of the places my clients have been and will go. I have my own history of addiction. In 1988 I used for the last time and I have been clean since. I know what it is to struggle with trauma, anxiety and craving.

I know what it is to feel so raw all the time that all you want is for things to stop hurting and to be willing to do anything to escape that. I know what it is to feel you have disappointed and hurt everyone around you but not know how to stop. Those experiences have deepened my ability to help my clients know that I feel what they feel….that I have known what they know.

I also know the promise of recovery. I know that we can learn to live vulnerably in an uncertain world with real joy, connection and courage. It does not mean that we no longer feel pain or that we are not frightened by the vulnerability we face at times. It means that we have learned new methods of coping with those feelings rather than running from them. We have learned to live with fearlessness and a core belief in our own ability and promise. It means we have learned at last to live life abundantly.