Depression, grief, and loss can have a debilitating effect on a person’s life. Grief and loss are often very difficult to understand and work through. One common cause of depression is unexpressed anger turned inward. Other common causes include having difficulty accepting the loss of a significant relationship or when there is a traumatic incident or pattern that has not been effectively dealt with. Traditional counseling helps put past and current experiences in a perspective that is healthy and constructive, and as this happens, you will discover you have more energy and are able to function better in your life overall. Past and current relationship difficulties are often related to unresolved "family of origin" issues and patterns. It is vitally important to resolve unhealthy relationship patterns from the past in order to be able to create healthy, mutually loving relationships now and in the future. Using traditional counseling, Ellie will help you understand and resolve past and current relationship patterns. As a result, you will develop confidence and self esteem and start taking healthy risks — going after the dreams and visions of how you really want your life to be. During the counseling process, you will develop an intimate relationship with yourself, based on respect and compassion for self and others. Feelings of despair, hopelessness, anxiety and anger are replaced with hope, optimism, and confidence, and your ability to manage your life will dramatically increase as you start to come from a place of empowerment and self-direction.

Self image plays an important role in how we feel on all levels. Individuals with a poor self image are often preoccupied with what they perceive as their faults and shortcomings. The shame associated with these perceived shortcomings can lead to unhealthy, destructive behaviors and patterns. Moods can seem difficult to control, and the tendency for a person with low self-esteem to overreact with anger, aggression, depression and addictive behaviors can become the normal way of responding to stressful situations. A pattern of over-reactivity results in increased feelings of shame. This reinforces the negative self image, perpetuating a cycle of unhealthy, destructive behavior. Addressing these issues in a supportive counseling setting by phone or in person will help you begin to feel a sense of genuine empowerment and an increasing ability to cope with challenges more effectively. Ellie will give you practical, easy-to-implement suggestions that will help you to change unhealthy patterns. Her approach is gentle, supportive and results oriented.

Addictions are self defeating and harmful both physically and emotionally. Addictions also prevent the person who is experiencing them (and often those around them) from living a satisfying, fulfilling life that is on track with their purpose for being here. Counseling — sometimes in combination with energy work — helps clients with addictive or compulsive behaviors and patterns such as smoking, over-eating, anorexia/bulimia, and self–sabotage &mdash to gain control over the behavior that has seemed to have control over them. If you are motivated to make your life function better, you will find that while working with Ellie, the aspects of your life that have felt unmanageable will begin to feel manageable. As you develop a deeper inner connection in the counseling process, you will replace unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones and your self–esteem will increase ... leaving you empowered and able to live a life that feels fulfilling and productive.