Work With Me
Non-Judgemental Coaching & Editing for Personal Essays & Memoir
I used to be afraid to tell my story.
For two decades, I struggled with sex and porn addiction. And because so few people were talking about this, my addiction caused me to feel isolated, weird, ashamed, and unlovable. Anyone who suffers from sex and porn addiction would likely be familiar with these feelings. As a woman, I felt even weirder. Women are not supposed to behave this way, I thought. After all, I couldn’t locate stories of other women behaving as I had, or feeling how I’d felt.
The healing nature of storytelling
Maybe because I’d been raised Catholic, or maybe because I’d kept a diary for so long, I decided to confess my darkest secrets, first on the page for my own cathartic purposes, but later in public forums like online magazines, radio shows and TV segments. In the beginning, confessing felt dangerous and uncomfortable. But the more I confessed, the more natural it felt, and the more relief I found in the mere act of telling. I also found that the more honest and vulnerable I allowed myself to be, the more other people felt comfortable sharing their own stories with me. Stories about experiences in their lives that had led to them to feel ashamed, lonely and unlovable. In this simple exchange, something beautiful was born between us: connection. I now know that there is nothing more healing for addiction and shame than real, honest, caring human connection.
Let’s connect and tell your story.
Free Discovery call
During our discovery call, we’ll identify a problem you are currently struggling with and discuss ways in which we might use writing to find relief and clarity. Email can also be used, if preferred. More…
Coaching & Editing
I offer several options for essays and memoir coaching. I also offer editing services. Together, we can craft a piece of work that offers a fresh perspective on a current problem you are facing. More…
Therapeutic Letters
In narrative therapy, letter writing can be an amazing tool for clarity and healing. Our correspondence will focus on self-identified problems while gaining new perspectives and exploring alternative storylines. More…
Not sure if your story is worth telling? It is.
Everyone has a story. In fact, we tell stories every day—sometimes to other people, but mostly to ourselves. We have a story for how we love (or how we stay away from love), why we’re good at some things (and terrible at others), and why we have the relationship we have with our parents (or no relationship at all). When we link these stories together, we have a picture of who we think we are, what we think we’re capable of, and how we think the future will pan out. While these stories are useful, I’m more interested in those stories we don’t tell as often. Stories that might reveal to us an identity we don’t recognize yet (or had long ago forgotten), stories that reveal new capabilities, and new possibilities for the future. Inspired by narrative therapy techniques, for which I have been certified* at the Vancouver School of Narrative Therapy, I invite you to explore these new stories with me.
What is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative therapy is a respectful, non-blaming approach to counseling and community work, which enables people to separate their lives from stories that they judge to be disempowering. Through narrative therapy conversation, alternative and preferred stories of identity are discovered and strengthened, gradually replacing old, negative stories. Narrative therapy believes people have the competencies, values, and skills to reduce the influence of problems in their lives.
*Please note: While I have undergone training in narrative therapy techniques, I am not a medical professional and our work together is not intended to cure addiction or replace counseling or psychotherapy. My aim is to help you discover, through writing, fresh perspectives on problems or personality defects you have identified to me and offer advice on publishing in a public venue.