Frequently Asked Questions

No. The work I do is very different from a typical therapist and is often not covered by insurance companies anyway. Because I work with many executives and business leaders, not taking insurance allows me to ensure their private information is kept very strictly confidential, something you cannot do when filing for insurance.

Many of them I developed, but I have learned from some wonderful people along the way, including Thomas Leonard, the father of coaching; Bryan Perry, the grandfather of Australian hypnotherapy; Mark Collard, experiential trainer; John Long, career coaching expert; Lynn Heselton, psychiatric nurse and ReVisioning specialist. The techniques and models I use were not part of a university program.

Why not? When should one begin thinking about future plans? An athlete’s career doesn’t begin in high school – it begins in elementary school. How about a performer? A doctor? The characteristics and motivation for a particular career interest can begin very early in life. Waiting until high school or college to think about the future will cause you to miss out on opportunities. All too often, we hear middle schoolers say – “it doesn’t count until high school”. And high schoolers say – “it doesn’t count until college”. This is disastrous thinking. Because it DOES count!! Ask a college student!

The sooner you start the better.

Career development should start in elementary school. This helps children to become exposed to the world of work and the many careers that are available, and begins to build awareness. Unfortunately, it is often not a priority of our education systems. With numerous budget cuts and too-heavy emphasis on testing, districts and schools must focus their efforts on what they view as the most critical areas to address in education.

A great time to start career planning is 5th grade. This is before students will sign up for Pre-Advanced Placement classes in 6th grade. Middle school is an ideal time to discuss career development, future plans. The sooner the better. But anytime is better than not planning at all. There is too much to lose.

Here’s a really good reason why to have a solid plan in place: How many students start college but don’t finish??? 50%

50%! That’s half! Do you want to invest in a program that has only a 50/50 chance of completion?? Especially when it comes to your kids??? Nope. Start planning now.

Now. Cannot stress that enough. Start now.

We will talk about how.

Avoid this at all possible. Student loan debt can be crippling. There are other alternatives. Scholarships of course, but they are becoming more scarce. Budget cuts and economic difficulties seriously affect scholarship funds. There are other options. And the sooner you start to plan, the more options you will have.

It is not advisable. You can do searches on your own, for free. I recommend students do most of the searching. They have more time than parents and need the research experience. If they can spend hours on their phones, they can search for scholarships.

But if you have the money, great. Go for it. Just be aware, they are not guaranteeing a scholarship.

Glad you asked. Post-secondary education is anything after high school graduation – college, technical school, specialized training, military, on-the-job instruction. College is considered “formal education” and is the most desirable choice because of how valued it is in our society. But college is not for everyone, so it’s even more important to talk to a professional before you spend valuable time and gobs of money. Don’t go to college without some kind of plan!!

This is a very important question. There are great colleges out there, but they’re all very different. You need to find one that ‘fits’. Going to a college that is not a good fit can have devastating consequences. This is something else we discuss. We recommend college visits begin in elementary school, continuing through high school. Family vacations can include one or two quick visits wherever you are vacationing, this is usually pretty to set up. As a rule, colleges are open to visits from prospective students. At the younger ages, it’s more about exposing your kids to college and setting expectations for lifetime learning than finding THE college they will attend in the future. And doing it over time will save money on college visits in high school. There are many options out there, and often a student has no idea of how many choices are available. College visits help build awareness and interest.

Some schools have career programs, this is up to the individual districts or schools. The programs are generalized and are often administered in a classroom situation, so there is usually little personalized attention. Also, the training for those administering public school programs is very minimal, if at all. We are happy to use whatever you have received from your school and build upon it. This is a highly personalized process and is all about you. It’s not a test. It’s a customized program just for you.