Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between coaching and therapy?

Coaching is not a replacement for therapy. We support both as supplements. Especially for trauma patients. Therapy tends to focus more on looking at where feelings have come from in the past while coaching isn’t too concerned with the past. Coaching focuses on the future and how to move forward. We focus on changing current habits in order to make your goals happen. When dealing with depression, we tend to get stuck on repetitive thoughts that make us feel sad and sometimes we are even unaware of them. I have found this focus tends to make us want to justify why we feel sad and it makes the depression worse. In my particular coaching, if you tell a really sad story, I will more than likely interrupt you and ask you how many times you have told the story. If it is more than once, I will ask you to stop. It seems harsh, but the crux of my teachings is to stop the neural synapses of sadness and defeat. We have to tell a new story. I can think of a million horrible life experiences that I have lived. I could tell one story after another but in reality, telling those stories only creates stronger neural synapses of sadness and defeat. We have to recover from these life situations as quickly as possible. This doesn’t mean that we should stuff anything down. I absolutely believe stuffing things down is not healthy either. It simply means to be aware. Know what is going on inside and use it as guidance to direct your brain waves into a joyful place.

2. What is group Coaching and how does it help?

In my group coaching I have classes, support groups and activities. It is intensive but it works. You will feel supported and you will feel better faster.

3. Will I have a full recovery?

You will feel better and you will see dramatic results!! Will you still have depressed moments? Yes, but as time goes on, the length of depression and the depth of pain will become less and less. Speed of recovery depends upon many factors including the length of the depression, how many triggers you have, or if you have experienced trauma. Each situation is different. Due to the nature of depressive thinking, it really depends upon when and how one becomes aware of it, and how much one works on pivoting. Having been diagnosed with severe complex PTSD and Major depressive disorder, I can say that I am clear of depression due to my program. I am on zero antidepressants and I feel zero depression on a day to day basis. However, I do the work every day! I would consider myself an extreme case, however in that I have many many triggers and I have had depression for many many years. The less difficult cases will find it easier and have to do less work.

4. When will I notice changes?

The changes depend upon the amount of work you put in. I recommend a minimum of 15 minutes a day to do your mind exercises. If you are doing that, you should see major changes in the first couple of weeks.

5. What are mind exercises?

I have hundreds of exercises that will train your brain for positivity and I have used all of them on myself! They all work! They are activities of focus that usually include a writing exercise, so pull out your notebooks! I will help you to create a program, specifically made for you that will exercise your mind right into joy!

Neuroplasticity

We base our classes and our coaching on the science of neuroplasticity.

verywellmind.com (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886) says that,

“Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, is a term that refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience…Plasticity refers to the brain's malleability, which is defined as being "easily influenced, trained, or controlled. 1 Neuro refers to neurons, the nerve cells that are the building blocks of the brain and nervous system. Thus, neuroplasticity is when nerve cells change or adjust. ”Simply put, our minds can be changed by learning new things. The goal here is to train the brain for joyful, positive thinking. We are not saying that depressives don’t have joyful thinking, we are just saying that we tend to go on autopilot which is commonly the less happy thought in which case sadness follows. Also from

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886

“The first few years of a child's life are a time of rapid brain growth. At birth, every neuron in the cerebral cortex has an estimated 2,500 synapses or small gaps between the neurons where nerve impulses are relayed. By the age of three, this number has grown to a whopping 15,000 synapses per neuron.3The average adult, however, only has about half that number of synapses. Why? Because as we gain new experiences, some connections are strengthened while others are eliminated. This process is known as synaptic pruning. Neurons that are used frequently develop stronger connections and those that are rarely or never used eventually die. By developing new connections and pruning away weak ones, the brain is able to adapt to the changing environment” We at Rise Above Depression Academy focus on letting the old thought patterns die and creating new ones!

6. Do you have support for family members?

Yes! In fact I have coaching for family members to help them to understand what you are going through and to help them know how to support you during your healing process. I recommend they also take my courses so they can get a better understanding of what you are going through. In the future we will have support groups for family members. Feel free to set up an appointment with me for a one on one coaching if you are a family member.

7. Do you do coaching for other life issues?

Yes!! Feel free to email me and I will give you more information on that If you are feeling stuck, feeling lost, or having relationship issues. I will help with all of that!