What We Do

at A Positive Life

We hold unconditional positive regard for people. We love people. We connect and engage with people to create an environment that is free from judgment and safe for expression. We remain open. We maintain a positive expectancy for our clients and their abilities. We believe in people. We teach people how to stop focusing on what they don’t want and start focusing on what they do want. We teach people to be the masters of their own minds. We help people eliminate unwanted thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. We help people learn better communication with themselves and others. We support people in having more fun, doing more of what they love, and enjoying life. We help people connect with their own personal resources and celebrate their successes. We continuously maintain an evidence-based approach and teach people to self-evaluate. We use processes and techniques that create positive experiences for people, yielding tangible results that can be integrated outside of our office in everyday life.

Counseling

What is Professional Counseling?

Counseling is a professional relationship created to alleviate stressors and problem areas in a person’s life. It is used to diagnose and determine the cause of problem states and behaviors.

According to the South Dakota Codified Laws, SDCL 36-32-1:

(5) "Practice of professional counseling," application of mental health, psychological, and human development principles in order to:

(a) Facilitate human development and adjustment throughout the life span;

(b) Prevent, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders and

associated distresses which interfere with mental health;

and objectives; and

(d) Plan, implement, and evaluate treatment plans using counseling treatment

interventions.

Many different theories, or types, of counseling exist. We use an eclectic selection of “what works” from a number of different philosophies. Here are some commonly reported outcomes of counseling:

Improved confidence & self esteem
Better stress & time management
A better understanding and reduction of depression or anxiety
A safe venue for expression of private concerns
Increased congruency in thoughts, feelings, & behaviors
Improved decision making & communication skills
Lessening of unwanted emotions (ex: anger and sadness)
An increase in desired outcomes
More control of behavioral responses
More control of emotions & thought processes
Improved self-efficacy and self-regard

Counseling Clients

Our counseling clients are brilliant people, who may be stuck in a rut, mad at the world or themselves, or simply not know what to do with themselves at this point in their lives. These things can show up in many shapes and forms and may take the following diagnostic labels:

Depression
Anxiety
Phobias
Bipolar Disorder
PTSD
ADHD
Life Transitions
Insecurity
Anger & Agression
Despair
Indecisiveness
Disassociation

Counseling services are available in person, online, or by phone.

Life Coaching

What is Professional Life Coaching?

Life Coaching is an intentional relationship created to maximize the client’s potential, identify and align with their personal and professional goals, bring awareness to and remove perceived limitations, and create alignment in an individual’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors to achieve their intended outcomes.

Coaching can be used to hold people accountable to their goals, help people figure out what they want, challenge people to grow, and empower people by finding their own answers and solutions to problems.

Coaching uses a structured conversation to facilitate the coaching process and does not give advice or tell people what they should do. Coaching partners with and advocates for the success of the client.

Commonly Reported Outcomes of Coaching:

Increased life balance and overall life satisfaction
Improved performance in work and life
Increased awareness of options
Clarification of and obtainment of goals
Improved sense of direction and focus
Reduced experience of stress, anxiety, and anger
Personal empowerment
Personal growth and development

Solution Focused Coaching

Solution Focused Coaching helps people identify areas for improvement as well as areas where they are already successful. It is a model that helps people shift their focus from what they don’t want, to what they do want.

Solution focused beliefs include:

Every individual has personal strengths and resources
It is more useful to focus on personal resources than on weaknesses
Each individual has the capacity to change
Positive change is always possible
Small changes lead the way to bigger possibilities
There are exceptions to every problem
There are no universal solutions to problems

Coaching Clients

Our coaching clients are brilliant people, usually with an obvious drive to seek their own answers, live a fulfilled life, and achieve their own greatness. We coach great achievers. We are continuously thrilled by what people can do. We think people are downright amazing.

Coaching services are available in person, online, or by phone.

Recreational Therapy

What is Recreational Therapy?

Recreational therapy means we do something fun and physically engaging instead of simply having a conversation in an office. We begin by setting an intention or determining a desired solution. Then, we participate in an activity together, while we let our minds clear and open ourselves to creative solutions that come to us through the integration of our activity. Recreational therapy naturally promotes connection of the body, mind, and spirit.

Clears Your Mind
Creates Natural Alignment with your internal state
Exercises Mind and Body together for improved integration of therapy outcomes
Provides Connection with Natural Life Forces
Creates a Natural Resource Available to you for Life
Improves Mood
Increases Confidence

Anger Management

An Anger Management Program for Individuals

According to mayoclinic.com, “Anger management is the process of learning to recognize signs that you're becoming angry, and taking action to calm down and deal with the situation in a positive way. Anger management doesn't try to keep you from feeling anger or encourage you to hold it in. Anger is a normal, healthy emotion when you know how to express it appropriately — anger management is about learning how to do this. You may learn anger management skills on your own, using books or other resources. But for many people, taking an anger management class or seeing a mental health professional is the most effective approach.”

Anger Management is currently offered on a case-by-case basis for individuals. Often people who are dealing with anger find private sessions to be more comfortable and appropriate than taking a group class.

This course includes a curriculum based around 10 individual sessions and meets the requirements for a court ordered Anger Management program or class. There is a one-time, non-refundable application fee of $150. Standard session rates apply.

Dream Interpretation

Workshops and Lessons

Share in the experience of making meaning out of your dreams as you learn to apply interpretations to your everyday lives! Learn to interpret the metaphors available to all of us through our dreams as you make connections and draw conclusions, improve your self awareness, and become a guide in your own life. You will also learn how to take control in your dreams as you learn the ability to transform a potentially bad dream into a good dream.

Dream Interpretation Session: Life is a Metaphor. Our own signs and answers are all around us and within us, if we learn our own rhythms and flow with life. An Individual Dream Interpretation Session can take you beyond what you would find in a common online search for the "meaning" behind your dream and take a deeper look at what, specifically, the elements in your dream mean to you and how they apply in your life. Integrating Dream Interpretation creates an intimate understanding with the whole self, assists in a more comprehensive understanding of the dream, and offers grounded guidance of how to apply the meanings and messages in your "real" waking life.

No previous experience required
Preapproval and Individual Intake session required before sessions

Companioning

“Human interaction is essential to our vitality.”

Life can be hard, hectic, happy, sad, fretful, boring, numb and dumb, or joyful and exciting. Life can be anything. No matter our state, we sometimes could benefit from the simple presence of another human.

Maybe we need to simply be. Maybe we need to be checked on and don’t want to bother our loved ones, or our loved ones want us checked on and we don’t want to be bothered by them. Maybe we need someone to play cards with or put together a puzzle with. Human interaction helps us feel alive and have perspective on ourselves. Human interaction gives us perspective on our lives and makes us feel real.

Our Companioning Services can offer the following:

Provide a Neutral Party
Someone to Have Fun With or Share an Experience with
Relieve Anxiety
Create Conscious Connection
Provide Emotional Support
Provide Support & Peace of Mind

People Who use Our Companioning Services May Be:

Going Through Loss, Grieving
New to the area
Going through a breakup or sustaining a separation
Experiencing Social Anxiety
Homebound
Making a life transition
Recovering

Activities might include: going to a movie, finding a new church, checking out the library or book stores, going for a walk, watching you tube videos together, doing a puzzle or playing games, going to the grocery store. For checking in, having human connection, replacing the “role” of an intimate partner ← People who are leaving or have lost a relationship, replacement of the daily interaction had with a previous partner or friend. Serves a place-holder for getting through difficult loss and transition.

Yoga with Therapy

the power of movement

Yoga itself is a journey through the self and can act as self discovery. However, we often are taken by surprise or don’t know how to process what we find within while on our mats. This can leave us without resources to deal with our own mental awareness and emotions that come up while practicing yoga.

You might want to try yoga but find it intimidating to step into a studio alone or for the first time. A few options are available.

Private Yoga Instruction
Private Yoga Instruction with Therapeutic Processing
Companioning to a local yoga class
Companioning with Therapeutic Processing
Therapeutic Processing following a Yoga class or Training