When relationships hurt rather than help your goals--whether personal, family, or business goals--change begins with individual history. Rather than a magnifying glass to focus on what's "wrong," I offer a kaleidoscope lens that brings everything into harmony.
I created the 7 Childhood Treasures model during my own recovery from a childhood full of what we now call Adverse Childhood Experiences. (My score is 7 out of 10; do you know yours?) Then I discovered that, no matter what kind of childhood you had--dysfunctional and traumatic, like mine, or sane and nurturing--your life now, your relationships now, always benefit from a look through the multi-faceted lens of the 7 Treasures.
The 7 Childhood Treasures are defined within evidence-based, typical developmental processes for early social and emotional development. They are innate assets for developing relationships full of trust, healthy boundaries (rather than co-dependence), a sense of shared magic, and more. A better understanding of our early years, in general, and your early experience, in particular--it turns out--is the best do-over for getting along in life's adult sandboxes.
How I Began
I traveled my early years "guided" by an alcoholic, sociopath, pedophile father and a mother struggling to cope, using a very lean toolbox of skills for marriage and parenting. My father's sexual abuse began when I was an infant and continued, off and on, until I was 15. Soon, I was standing at the threshold to adult life with no tools at all for coping with adult relationships. Certainly, my road to recovery included many years of psychotherapy, finding sobriety, and deep introspection. And there was no coincidence, I believe, in the alignment of those years of recovery with the early years of my professional life.
My successful career focuses on early childhood development and its impact on us as adults. For more than four decades, I've worked directly with thousands of children and adults, from the various perspectives of teacher, teacher educator, program director or agency CEO, presenter/trainer, and consultant. My education includes:
At the intersection of my childhood experience and my professional insights about the first seven years of life, I found a new way of growing. These strategies enable you to refresh, renew, resuscitate, and even revive or rebuild your relationships at home and at work.
From a refreshing retreat for a small team, to a major overhaul of corporate culture, the 7 Facets bring a uniquely productive lens to business growth strategies. For individuals in any stage of growth and personal striving, seeing life from the perspective of the 7 Treasures allows you to take your relationships and your life to the next level, and leave the struggle behind. If teachers aren't finding the sparkle and shine in the children, then my book, Let the Child Shine, will help.
If you're ready, I am here for you. Click here to contact me for additional information.
Other credentials: