Common Questions
What is NLP? What does it stand for?
What is TPM? What does it stand for?
Are you a therapist?
What are your credentials? What training have you had?
How long have you been practicing NLP?
What are the differences between the modalities that you use?
What issues and age groups do you work with?
How does it work? What are the sessions like?
Do you do EMDR? How does it work? Is it effective?
What is the length of a private session?
How many sessions will I need?
What are your fees?
Are your services covered by insurance?
How does it work to do a session with you by telephone?
How do I pay you if I work with you by telephone?
Do you accept any credit cards?
What are your hours? Do you offer evening or weekend appointments?
Are you experienced with working with people from diverse populations?
Are your sessions confidential?
Q. What is NLP? What does it stand for?
A. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a way of understanding the way that your mind and body is storing your information such as memories, emotions and conditioned responses. Each piece of information is stored in a pattern that is comprised of the five senses (pictures, sounds, and sensations). With this understanding we can access those patterns and enhance or change them if we wish to. NLP is very goal-oriented and has a reputation for working quickly on most issues.
More about NLP.
Q. What is TPM? What does it stand for?
A. Thought Pattern Management (TPM) offers powerful techniques and approaches for educating the mind and communicating internally to create changes at the unconscious level of the mind -- the level that runs the body, stores the memories, and produces the mental and emotional states. I have found that TPM goes far beyond what is achievable with NLP. More about TPM.
Q. Are you a therapist?
A. I am a personal development consultant. I am not a California licensed mental health practitioner, and I do not provide psychotherapy or any other form of mental health service which would require a California state license. I provide individualized teaching and coaching designed to help people learn how to commit to and achieve their performance goals, and remove any barriers they have to success. My approach is supportive and compassionate as well as results oriented.
Q. What are your credentials? What training have you had?
A: Certified Hypnotherapist, Palo Alto School of Hypnotherapy, 1990.
Certified NLP Practitioner, NLP Comprehensive, 1995.
Certified NLP Master Practitioner, NLP Institute Of California, 1996.
Certified NLP Health Practitioner, NLP University at UC Santa Cruz, 2001.
Certified TPM Master Practitioner, Thought Pattern Management, Inc., 2005.
Certified TPM Advanced Master Practitioner, Thought Pattern Management, Inc., 2006
Q. How long have you been in practice?
A. I have been a Certified Hypnotherapist with a full time practice since 1990. I have been a Certified NLP Master Practitioner since 1996.
Q. What are the differences between the modalities that you use?
A. I use is a combination of NLP and TPM. TPM is advanced NLP. I use my Hypnotherapy skills as an enhancement to the success of my work with NLP and TPM.
NLP and TPM are like dreaming awake with me guiding you. It's like you are driving and I am navigating. You direct everything that we do. I make suggestions. All of the programming is done by you. With hypnosis you are unconscious and I am driving with you following my directions. With hypnosis all of the programming is done by me.
I have found NLP and TPM to be more effective than hypnosis. I rarely use hypnosis alone for that reason.
Q. What issues and age groups do you work with?
A. I am experienced with working with adults and young adults of all ages, including older teenagers. I am available to work with people of all ages.
- Young Adults And Teens:
I have a particular forte for working with young adults, college students, and young college graduates at the beginning of creating a life path or career. I also have a forte for working with young adults on issues related to making healthy lifestyle choices, fitness, dating, family, relationships, relationship endings, shyness and socializing. NLP has wonderful tools for building confidence, achieving goals, creating success, and realizing a fully happy and healthy life. - Students Of All Ages:
I have a forte for working with students on creating good study habits, passing exams, and creating a balanced and happy life as a student.One of my areas of speciality is in helping students of all ages pass exams such as the Bar Exam and other licensing exams. Even students who have previously failed these exams have greater success after using NLP.
- People Of All Ages:
I specialize in helping people of all ages find their mission and highest purpose in life and in helping them to match their career to that mission. People of all ages come to me in times of transition either questioning their current career or striving for a change that they have chosen. Together we can realize your full potential in achieving all of what you wish for in life.Childhood, family, and relationship issues comprise much of my work. Difficult childhood experiences influence how we feel about ourselves and how we succeed in all areas of our lives. NLP is a tried and true method for resolving childhood conditioning that affects confidence, self-esteem, relationship and career success and general happiness. With NLP we can rebuild a new reality for you that is based on feeling loved, accepted, worthwhile, secure, confident, relaxed, and fully happy.
- Adults:
I am experienced with working on all issues including issues related to career and relationship changes, achieving life goals, grieving and health. By combining the powerful tools of NLP with my compassionate and guiding hand we can work together to resolve any difficulties you are facing, leading you to new choices and opportunities. - Women's Fertility:
This is one of my areas of speciality. I work with women of all ages experiencing fertility and pregnancy problems. Many slightly older and single women can experience the joy of pregnancy and childbirth using hypnosis and NLP.
Q. How does it work? What are the sessions like?
A. The first session will be a thorough information gathering session. I will be identifying how your inner world is organized around the issue that you are coming to me with. In that first session we will clearly identify your goal(s) and create a plan to use NLP most effectively for achieving your goals. I will be looking for the obstacles and anything that is limiting you or stopping you from achieving your desired outcome.
Incongruencies are parts of you that are either in conflict or in disagreement about your goal. Usually the second session addresses those incongruencies so that every part of you is in agreement with your goals. I will identify and use NLP to help you work through any past experiences that have affected your ability to achieve what you wish for.
In each session we will work methodically towards your stated goals. If you aren't clear on what your goals are then that is what I will first begin helping you with. Your goals can be general or specific but, like a taxi, we have to know where you want to go in order to get there.
Q. Do you do EMDR? How does it work? Is it effective?
A: The woman who created "EMDR" is Francine Shapiro. Francine Shapiro is an NLP Practitioner who learned Eye Movement Integration from one of the top NLP trainers in the world, Steve Andreas. I studied Eye Movement Integration from the same person she did. I am not allowed to use the term "EMDR" because I wasn't trained or certified by Francine Shapiro. I was certified by Steve Andreas and have been practicing Eye Movement Integration with clients since 1994. It is a powerful healing tool that I have had amazing results with, particularly with issues related to trauma and deep emotional wounding. For more information see EMI article.
Q. What is the length of a private session?
A. All sessions are two hours. Two hour sessions allow us to have plenty of time to talk about your issues as well as work directly on them.
Q. How many sessions will I need?
A. If you are working on a simple and straightforward goal, such as overcoming a fear of flying or staying on an exercise plan, you will probably achieve that goal within four sessions. If you are working on something more complex then I recommend a minimum of four sessions to give you an appreciation for the value of continuing with such a direct and powerful tool. NLP has a reputation for working quickly on many issues. Even more complicated issues can respond more quickly to NLP than to other modalities.
Most of the people who come to me are experiencing complicated and severe issues requiring weekly appointments for 4-6 months and occasionally for as long as a year. Even with the most severe issues we are working together for weeks and months and not for years, as is often the case with other modalities. If you are experiencing difficulties in your life I recommend that you invest the necessary time and resources into creating the life that you choose to have.
Q. What are your fees?
A. I offer my fees on a sliding scale to make my work accessible to as many people as possible. I prefer to discuss my fee with you directly to find a financial arrangement that is compatible for you. My rates are intended to be competitive with other professionals as well as reasonable for a wide range of clients.
Q. Are your services covered by insurance?
A. No, I'm sorry, my services are not covered by any insurance plans.
Q. How does it work to do a session with you by telephone?
A. I will call you at the time of your appointment. I pay for all phone calls to the United States and Canada.
Everything that I can do with you in person I can do by telephone. I will guide you through the processes in a way that is very pleasant and easy for you.
Q. How do I pay you if I work with you by telephone?
A. Payment is by postal money order purchased at the post office. Payment is due at the time of the appointment. Payment in advance is accepted but not required.
Q. Do you accept any credit cards?
A. No, I'm sorry, I do not normally accept payment by credit card. However, a special arrangement by credit card can sometimes be made.
Q. What are your hours? Do you offer evening or weekend appointments?
A. Typically my appointment times are 2:00-4:00, 4:30-6:30 and 7:00-9:00 on week days. Sometimes I can offer flexibility within that schedule depending on how full my schedule is.
Q. Are you experienced with working with people from diverse populations?
A. Yes. I am very experienced with working with people from all cultural and racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, different abilities, sizes, class backgrounds, genders and gender orientations. I identify as an ally to all people from diverse backgrounds and orientations.
Q.Are your sessions confidential?
A. All sessions are strictly confidential. I do not reveal session content even to family members who hire me to work with their spouse or child. No information is ever revealed without explicit consent from the client.