Creating this website has been a dream of mine for a couple of years. I am thrilled that it is now coming to fruition! I became a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner 6 years ago (Autumn, 2005), and have been actively developing my practice in a variety of ways.
- WholeHealth Chicago, an integrative medicine clinic in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, has given me countless opportunities to learn and collaborate with a diverse, highly experienced, and talented health care team. Receiving hundreds of referrals annually, I have developed a strong client base and considerable experience in issues ranging from cancer care, surgery preparation and recovery, and fibromyalgia to depression, anxiety, stress management, and trauma release.
- Ever since my days as a biology teacher, and even in my growing-up years (ask my younger sister about how I would arrive home from school and “play school” with her), I have always enjoyed sharing with others what I am learning. Northshore Healing Centre, a holistic center in Glenview, IL, provided a venue for me to create and present workshops, wellness days, and health-related support groups for clients, and gatherings to support professional development for the Healing Touch community. Although we unfortunately closed our doors in June, 2010, my commitment to our mission remains strong.
- Advanced Wellness Specialists, my new home since NSHC closed, is located in Northbrook, IL. I am grateful to have found another group of holistically-minded healthcare practitioners, and a beautiful space to see clients who prefer this north suburban location.
- Classes! Workshops! Retreats! Webinars! Mentoring! The learning never ends. I have participated in a number of educational experiences since becoming certified. Whatever I learn, I attempt to integrate into my personal life and my practice.
You could say I have really hunkered down these past several years to develop a strong client base, teach workshops and wellness retreats, and continue my own professional development. I don’t plan to change any of this; yet, something has shifted in me. A desire to reach out in a more expansive way has been growing for some time. The result is the creation of Holistic Connections. Admittedly, this has not come without a fair amount of trepidation, procrastination, uncertainty.
Lena Stevens likens growth to being in a small pond, where we know our limits and boundaries and are used to navigating them, then finding ourselves suddenly in a vast ocean, unable to see the former landmarks to help us navigate. She continues with a great piece of advice:
“What is necessary now is to trust the inner navigation, your inner radar. This inner radar is your own intuition and sense of self, sense of what is right and sense of where your path lies. Your inner radar is your own heart.”
As I reach out to you from time to time, to share what I am learning, know I will be guided by my heart. And, I challenge you to find some aspect of your life– small or large– that is looking for growth, expansion, change. If you follow your inner radar, you can’t go wrong.
Special thanks to Emily Rapport at Eat Paint Studio (website design), Lisa Klare (photography), and Tammy Letherer (editing).
