About Me
I suppose the thing that’s most important to mention first, is that I do what I love. The research says there are about 5% of us, working in what we love, living lives we love; I’m one of them. It means I bring passion, commitment and presence to the way we work together. If you’re one of the 5%, we can celebrate (I “get it”). If you’re not, and you’d like, we can explore what might help move things from where they are to where they could be, a great adventure. That would be wonderful.
Another thing important to me comes from the training I’ve completed as an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Certified Therapist. In IFS we say the qualities of a good therapist are: patience, persistence, perspective, presence and playfulness. From my point of view, these seem pretty handy to have around in most of life. So . . . that’s what I strive to bring into our work together, each and every time we meet. It’s these qualities that let me stay with you, even through the hard times, and let me remember that you have inside you resilience and resourcefulness – you have the SUN - even if life happens to be one big, major, relentless, seemingly endless STORM, right now.
I work as a tenured faculty counselor at Renton Technical College serving students with disabilities. In the last few years I’ve gotten very interested in working with people who are both gifted and disabled (twice exceptional), presenting at the International Serving the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Conference July 2014. I’ve trained for seven years in IFS, including acting as a Program Assistant in Seattle trainings and as an Administrative Assistant to Richard C. Schwartz PhD (the founder and developer) in trainings and groups over the last 5 years. At that same time, I’ve been providing consultation to practitioners and therapists learning the IFS model. I’ve had a sitting practice (mindfulness) for 25 years now and love to explore how everyday mindfulness shows up for everybody, in different ways.
Here are some quotes from people I’ve had the good fortune to work with. You’ll also find my Licenses/Certifications, Education, Memberships and a link to my CV.
Thanks. Karma
Quotes
Clarity, Compassion, Presence:
“I appreciate her clarity & her deep respect for the work.”
“Deep, honest, meditative.”
“ . . .Super compassionate presence.”
“I appreciate her tenderness & deep knowing.”
“. . . is always helpful in so many ways, she’s a grounding influence for me.”
Skill, Insight, Support:
“Extremely helpful; present; encouraging.”
“Insightful. Supportive.”
“Loved her spirit, helpfulness, acceptance of others.”
“dynamic, authentic, inspiring”
“Great as a coach, mentor, encourager, etc.”
Group Leadership:
“Genuine, skilled, helpful.”
“Very attuned & available & thoughtfully present.”
“A wonderful story-telling teaching presence.”
“Love Karma’s clarity.”
“always special presence for whole group.”
“. . . every time she brings all of herself to us.”
Related to IFS:
“super role model for IFS.”
“A total gem – wonderful example of speaking for parts.”
“Deep Self connection, tender wisdom, helped me into Self in a most vulnerable time.”
“Shame parts absolutely safe with Karma.”
Licenses and Certifications
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, State of Washington
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, State of Washington
Vocational Counselor, State of Washington
National Certified Counselor, National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Board Certified Coach, Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE)
Internal Family Systems Certified Therapist, Center for Self Leadership (CSL)
Education
M.A., Psychology, Couples and Family Therapy, Antioch University Seattle
B.A., Music, Theory and Literature, Seattle Pacific College (cum laude)
Memberships
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (WAMFT)