In 2015, a very dear friend, Gail, ended her battle with Cancer. We had begun paving the road of starting this business together and I chose to continue down this road with her memory inspiring me. She loved a poem from There’s a Hole in my Sidewalk by Portia Nelson (see below).  This poem reminds me that we all have the power to gain control of our lives and walk down another road. It takes away the judgment that we often feel when things go wrong and says mistakes are a part of life. To be clear, I’m not saying I want to relive those situations, but I am saying that we can overcome and control more of our lives, both now and in the future. Even though we might not have caused the problems in our lives, we are the ones in control of what we do today, and we have to deal with them.

I want to partner with each person who enters my office, to recognize the road they’re walking down, help them take back control, and choose to walk down another road to make life worth living.

I choose to start this private practice after 10 years of doing therapy in agencies, because I wanted to be able to help more people to take their road in the way they choose.

I sincerely hope we can traverse these roads together.

“Autobiography in Five Short Chapters” – From the book: There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk

Chapter One

I walk down the street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I fall in.  I am lost…I am helpless.  It isn’t my fault.  It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two

I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I pretend I don’t see it.  I fall in again.  I can’t believe I am in the same place.  But, it isn’t my fault.  It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three

I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I see it there.  I still fall in…it’s a habit…but, my eyes are open.  I know where I am.  It is my fault.  I get out immediately.

Chapter Four

I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I walk around it.

Chapter Five

I walk down another street.

– By Portia Nelson

“Autobiography in Five Short Chapters” from There’s a Whole In My Sidewalk by Portia Nelson. Copyright © 1993, 2012 by Portia Nelson. Published Beyond Words/Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc., reprinted by permission of Beyond Words Publishing, Hillsboro, Oregon.