Client Experiences

“I was first introduced to inner-child therapy when my nine-year old daughter began acting out.A friend who had done inner-child therapy warned me that usually a daughter will act out when she is reacting to an unhealthy environment. My daughter had become the red flag to our dysfunctional family and my unhappy marriage, just as I had been the red flag when I was growing up. I was willing to do therapy to “get it right” for my daughter. Little did I know that this healing journey into inner-child therapy would change my life so profoundly.

After doing my work, I was able to champion my inner-child. I created healthy relationships and married the man of my dreams. I gave myself permission to change a career of eighteen years that no longer served me and manifest my ideal job. I set boundaries with my children and became the parent I wished I had growing up. It sounds so simple, but it wasn’t. It was the hardest work I ever had to do. I had to dig deep, confront fears and issues I didn’t even know I had. It took a lot of honesty, courage, and commitment. I think the amazing thing about working with Barbi, was how she helped me unearth answers for myself. By guiding me through various exercises, I learned to listen to my inner-child’s wisdom. She helped me become a healthy parent to my inner child and helped me quiet the critical voice that I was prisoner to most of my life.Now my inner-child’s needs are just as important as my daughter’s needs, and we all benefit from it.”Kelly, INFP-3

"By participating in the inner-child work with Barbi as a facilitator for over a year, I am now generally able to take care of my own emotional, physical, and mental requirements by expressing my needs and wants to myself, and more importantly, to others. The process was very different/difficult for my NT self to get used to, but I think that's why it worked for me. It WAS a unique way for me to get to the core of myself. It wasn't over-analyzing, it was actually feeling.
At times I get stuck along the way, but Barbi was always there to prompt me into figuring out the situation for the best outcome for myself. Would I recommend this kind of self-development to others? YES! Would I tell them it was easy and going to be a "quick fix"? NO! It takes dedication and time to see the process make a positive effect; but once you see the first changes for the better, you want to continue to improve yourself." Kay, ENTJ-3

• 　“The combination of process, professional skills and compassion that Barbi brings to her practice really delivered results for me. Working with her proved to be a profound experience. I also now have a set of “life tools” that frequently provide guidance or resolution for issues that arise. I traveled half way across the country for nearly a year to be Barbi's client. Worth the trip!” Jerry, INFP-9
  
   
• “It is difficult to sum up what working with you has done and continues to do for me. The greatest benefit is my willingness now to accept people and our differences. This happened because you helped bring me to an acceptance of myself. It was so freeing to come to understand some of what I am and how I developed defenses. I will never forget the first time we met and you gave me the Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram tests and how giddy I felt as I drove home. It was like someone finally understood me! Discovering my inner child and how much she needs me to take care of her has brought such love and nourishment to my soul. She has been trying to get my attention all these years and finally I am listening and with your help can acknowledge her, how important she is to me. You have brought enlightenment into my life with awareness and acceptance.

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." This quote reminds me of my work with you and your therapy. Your therapy has a beautiful, non-threatening, accepting way of enabling us to peal away layers of ourselves and find our true selves. You and your therapy facilitate our growth. THANK YOU.”Cathy, ENFP-7

• “I was at a major transition in my life...menopause combined with marital crisis. I had been asking Spirit for some time some very pointed questions...waiting for answers. Intense, overwhelming emotion was coming up. Traditional counseling was not making any headway, even though over a period of time I worked with 4 different counselors to bring some peace and harmony into my life. Clarity was not coming though; and my emotions were escalating. I moved into couples Enneagram counseling with my husband hoping to make headway. Still very little shift. Then I came upon this work...individual, integrated Myers Briggs, Enneagram, Inner Child counseling. After the first session I noticed a huge shift emotionally. I felt a safety net I had found no where else. Within a month I had a major dream that provided long sought answers. There was still a LOT of 'work' to do...but there was movement, relief, access to parts of me that I hadn't been able to access. I was on a journey to know a deeper part of myself in an empowering way. If you are willing to do this work, it WILL transform your life!” Deb, ISTJ-1

• My relationship with Barbi as counselor and client for the last several years has been life changing and so nourishing and enriching. I made the decision to come and do intensive sessions approximately every other month – a seven hour drive one way – for the first two years. More recently, I have come several times a year to “touch base” and work on particular issues that have come up, such as the recent death of my mother. I honor Barbi for her gentleness, her acceptance, her honesty, her willingness to “go deep” with me and so many others, her humor, and her amazing wisdom of knowing just the right activity or process that I need to move on or let go of something. My trips to work with Barbi have become a true spiritual journey in my life and often include a personal retreat.
  
  I was already well on my way to self discovery when I met Barbi, but since I have worked intensively with her to understand how my defense was dominating my career choice as an academic and keeping me much busier and less authentic than I would like, I have made many important life changes and choices. I am now in a program to become a counselor myself (a lifetime dream that I set aside) and have embraced myself as a lesbian. It took me a long time to own this part of my identity and celebrate it openly. Understanding my personality type and taking care of my precious inner child, while experiencing and then letting go of so many old wounds, was the key to unlocking so much of my potential. My spiritual life has soared. I am working with Reiki and seeking to become a Reiki master. I now respect, trust and use the intuitive wisdom I have rather than just the head wisdom that academia so values. At the same time, I am learning how to put my intuition at work in the university setting and finding others doing the same. My friends say, “You are so calm and centered.” They’re right!     JCI