About Maggie

How It Began

Slow Crock Cooking Over Time

Having arrived at the age not too far past the speed limit on many highways,  I see by looking back that there is a thread that joins how I grew into being a psychotherapist. I have always been drawn to being a caregiver.

Turning On The Crock Pot

It began in a hospital. Four years as a candy striper convinced me I was to work in the medical field. So off I went on the Suzuki, wearing a motorcycle helmet and short uniform dress down the main street of Harrisburg, PA, to medical technology school. The best part of nighttime hospital laboratory work that followed was getting to talk to the patients whom I awoke in the wee hours of the morning to draw their blood. Fortunately for them, I was a good “sticker”.

Adding Just the Right Ingredients

The next step came during my volunteer work for a telephone crisis helpline. During this work, I learned how to really listen. Thank you, Carl Rogers, for introducing thousands of lay counselors to the art of active listening. Paying attention to the world of feelings came alive and my ability to connect with others went to another level.

The transition from listening with my ears to listening with my hands was an easy one. To de-stress the helpline workers, I often gave them shoulder and back rubs. When one of the volunteers suggested I look into massage therapy, every cell in my body said, “Yes!”. Attending the Florida School of Massage with its emphasis on using touch to restore physical as well as emotional health was the best six months of my life. Several months after graduation and “just by coincidence” I met a psychotherapist who was also a massage therapist. I eagerly enrolled in her training program for massage therapists who wanted to work with survivors of sexual abuse.

Let It All Simmer

For over the next ten years, I practiced as a licensed massage therapist. Working collaboratively with psychotherapists, I focused on helping those who had been abused a children to regain trust that touch can feel safe and good.

Along the way, I came to appreciate that I needed additional effective ways to help clients heal. I headed to Boulder, Colorado for psychotherapy at Naropa University. That way, clients would less likely to separate how their thoughts about life experiences from  their feelings and accompanying physical sensations.  To help clients make these connections, I knew I needed more education beyond my training as a massage therapist.

Adding One (?) Last Ingredient

Getting to Naropa University was a nine-year dream come true in 2001. A former psychotherapist/massage therapist led me to the Contemplative Psychotherapy program.  It laid the foundations of mindfulness (being able to watch our internal process), the belief that at our core is sanity and health, and the need to balance wisdom with right action. Additional training called to me.  This  (Did I say that education has been a long lifetime endeavor?) After acquiring a Masters degree and being licensed as Professional Counselor (CO 4323), I completed a two-year study of Hakomi. This is a body-centered psychotherapy with emphasis on how we develop from birth. I also completed three years of specialized trauma training called Somatic Experiencing©, developed by Peter Levine, PhD.  The “cooking” process has continued for years beyond those two foundational trainings.

So, Is There Life Beyond Work and Education?

Well, no and yes. I am passionate about education, my own as well as others. Teaching whenever I get a chance is essential. For example, I have been an instructor in listening skills at the telephone helpline and in massage schools in Florida. I advocated to counseling students at the University of Central Florida’s to have their clients work with body workers. I treasure my time I spend as an adjunct instructor at Naropa University for 11 years. I helped to educate graduate students as to the how trauma affects us on all levels.

In my personal life, I have no doubt about the wisdom of the body. When unexplained aches arise that are beyond my normal “aging process”, I turn immediately to trauma specialists to help me unlock the mystery of what needs to happen to resolve old traumas. Even when my mind cannot make sense of it all, my body “speaks” clearly and loudly about what is out of kilter and how I can make things better.

Living in Colorado, I have grown fond of hiking and  attending the Rockies baseball games (when they are winning). Driving to the tippy top of the highest drivable mountain in the world and along other high mountain passes thrills me .

Yes, for an “older woman” I love to take an occasional risk. To keep me grounded after flirting with the edges of 1000-foot drop-offs, I dance like a fool at the dance hall. Soaking in hot springs or tubing down the Arkansas river come in second.

After 35 total years in the healing arts, I still find it magical to combine my passion for helping trauma survivors. This is possible with the expertise I’ve gained over 20+ years of counseling practice.

~Maggie