My approach to coaching mirrors the approach I took to my own healing. It is the same approach that allowed me to survive and grow during my personal withdrawal journey (I had been on SSRI and benzodiazepine medications, Paxil and Xanax, for more than a decade because of anxiety before I quit them in 2012 and 2014 respectively).

My approach to coaching is a positive and compassionate one that meets you where you are at and also helps you to envision your better future. It focuses on support and coping skills that help you to become less fearful and more relaxed and hope-filled, even as you are dealing with symptoms and stress; and it also focuses on sharing knowledge and providing individual feedback so that you can approach your daily life in the most productive manner possible to find healing, wellness, and personal growth results.

My approach to coaching is a holistic, total-health approach that cares for the body, mind, and soul. I believe that we are each whole, complex beings (much more than a simple collection of synapses and receptors), and as such we require an approach to healing and growth that is thoughtful and broad.

Too often individuals going through withdrawal become frustrated or led down dead ends because they seek help solely from physicians, psychiatrists, or addiction specialists; and while there is certainly a place for these people in a team approach to recovery, many physicians, psychiatrists, and addiction specialists don't understand the true nature of antidepressant and/or benzodiazepine withdrawal. They often recommend more prescription drugs or lump the situation in with other alcohol or hard-drug addiction scenarios. I know from experience that antidepressant and benzo withdrawal is a unique challenge that requires an original approach to recovery.

My approach to coaching focuses on the physiological, psychological, and spiritual aspects of healing. It involves things such as diet, exercise, and supplementation; it involves immersion in the psychology of positive coping and active healing; and it involves a focus on spiritual connection and growth. My approach is one that helps you to see things about your situation that you maybe hadn’t recognized before, and it is one that seeks to help you become stronger and more balanced than ever before.

That is my approach to coaching: thoughtful, compassionate, positive, and holistic. One that cares for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing, and one that aims to help you find better health and your best future.

Introductory and single coaching sessions are one hour in length, and package sessions are either one hour or 50 minutes in length. Sessions can take place via phone, Facetime, Zoom, or WhatsApp, your preference. During sessions we will talk about the specifics of your situation so that we can together plan a way forward, both in the short- and long-term. During sessions I might also talk about various aspects of my withdrawal and healing journey as they relate to what you are currently going through. This way you can find guidance based on real-life experience, guidance that will help to help you to cope, plan, and make decisions.

After each session I will also send you detailed follow-up notes so that you can return to important discussion points and themes from our conversation. My clients love these personalized notes, and they find them to be a great source of encouragement, inspiration, and reference as they move forward each week and month. Some people like to print them out and keep them in a binder or alongside other journaling materials. Perhaps you might try this as well.

My coaching packages, in addition to providing a nice discount versus single sessions, also include supplementary e-books and audio meditations for support. These packages are not only the best value, but they are truly the best way for you to see progress, stay motivated, and stay on course.

There is no one “type” of person I coach. I simply coach people who are looking to find more healing, better natural health, and more fulfillment and happiness in their lives.

My coaching clients come in all shapes and sizes—from all walks of life and from varied ethnic backgrounds, spiritual backgrounds, family makeups, professional situations, and corners of the globe.

To date I’ve worked one-on-one with individuals from over 17 different countries, including: the United States, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel, Estonia, the Netherlands, South Africa, Nigeria, France, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia.

Issues involving prescription drugs, side effects, tolerance, and withdrawal are not regional, but global; and wellness struggles such as depression, anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, and chronic stress have no borders, either; these are human issues, and people might experience them at various stages of life for various reasons.

The point is, you aren’t alone in your struggles. Even if it feels like you are sometimes. You aren’t alone, and there is a way forward.

There is no specific age group or family situation that my clients fall into. I’ve coached individuals in their twenties, those in their seventies, and every decade in-between. Some people are single, some are married, and some are divorced. Some are solitary, and some are dating. Some are just starting families, and others are dealing with an empty nest.

There is no single professional situation that defines my clients. I’ve worked with, for example, doctors, nurses, scientists, salespeople, finance experts, marketers, entrepreneurs, truck drivers, teachers, college students, and those who are retired, stay-at-home parents, unemployed, in-between professions, or still working to find a work life that feels most individually comfortable and fulfilling.

Finally, there is no specific health or medication situation that defines my clients. Some have taken one medication, and some have taken many. Some are still tapering, and some have already stopped their medications. Some are in acute withdrawal, and some are working through the nuances of post-acute healing. Some have much trauma in their past and others wouldn’t say that they do.

Everyone I work with is an individual, just like you, and everyone is looking for compassionate and knowledgeable support. Everyone I work with is looking to find more healing, better natural health, and more fulfillment and happiness in their lives. And those are the things we together work toward.

Absolutely.

Frankly, if your situation wasn’t complicated, you wouldn’t be reading about my coaching right now. I’m here to help you make it less complicated. I’m here to help make your situation less frightening, less painful, and less confusing. I recognize that your situation might have much history, many layers, and various twists and turns, and together we will work to sort these things out and find streamlined paths forward.

The topics we discuss in any given coaching session will in part be directed by you, your questions, and the situations for which you need support and guidance at present. However, a sampling of topics we might cover includes:

• Addressing troublesome symptoms (physical, mental, and emotional), and finding coping skills and reassurance that these symptoms will improve.
• Medication tapering.
• Natural anxiety and stress reduction.
• The healing benefits of journaling, including the concept of “window journaling.”
• Diet, exercise, and supplementation.
• The nuances of healing approach in acute withdrawal versus post-acute.
• Healing from the trauma of medications and withdrawal.
• Communicating with family and friends.
• Getting back to the basics of proper self-love and self-care.
• Finding balance (i.e., “pushing” versus resting).
• Learning how to pass down healing’s timeline more quickly and productively.
• Keeping the faith and finding new spiritual growth.

In addition to discussing the particulars of your symptoms, stresses, struggles, and goals, we will discuss:

• Understanding the psychology of healing.
• Walking the Healing Path: Understanding the situation, Coping with symptoms, embracing personal Growth, and promoting ongoing wellness Maintenance. These four steps of the withdrawal and healing experience represent a refreshingly linear perspective for a process that can involve various ups and downs.
• Understanding the multifaceted nature of withdrawal to promote broader/faster healing and help prevent or deal with any setbacks. This includes understanding how current stresses, personality/health makeup, ongoing neurotransmitter repair, and the stress of withdrawal “trauma” often intersect to form what we refer to as symptoms.
• Managing stress (including “withdrawal information stress”) and promoting the body’s “relaxation response,” which assists healing and brings about feelings of wellbeing.
• Promoting a “Total Health” approach to healing and ongoing wellness, one that cares for us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
• Realizing the many health benefits of goal setting.
• Promoting physical healing and strength.
• Moving on from the psychological constraints of withdrawal and labels.
• Finding support, inspiration, and encouragement.
• Creating your personal success story.