Laura Young

To help you cultivate the courage, vision and focus needed so you can truly walk your talk.  I don't want you to look back with regret. Life is short.

It can happen at any time, in any life, no matter your age, your income, your career or your plans. It's a "Moment of Truth" that can arrive in any form, including:

• an illness
• a divorce after many years
• a career crisis
• a painful break-up
• the demands of caring for aging parents,
• a trauma experienced by yourself or a loved one, or
• facing the death of someone close to you

Or perhaps, you have simply had the realization that the life you are living is wrong in some undeniable, fundamental way despite all outward appearances of success.

Whatever form it takes, it calls into question what you thought you knew and where you had planned to go. Uncomfortable questions gnaw at your psyche as you wonder what your honest answers will cost you.

This can be a lonely time, with few places you can openly discuss your thoughts and confusion without fear of judgment or reprisal. In fact, just the thought of needing, let alone asking for support may be a hurdle in its own right if you are used to being the "go to" person for others.

If you have experienced a loss or change in your life not shared by your peers, this sense of isolation can quickly compound.

Now, somewhere between the continuing demands of work and daily life you have been left to contemplate the Big Questions, questions you know you have to find answers to, but how?

I am a seasoned coach with 25 years experience working with individuals facing such circumstances. My work focuses on helping you:

• Re-orient your life after a dramatic change of circumstances
• Re-establish a sense of meaning after a period of confusion
• Re-build after the context of your life had changed

I started my career as a psychotherapist, working in a hospital setting for 10 years prior to seeking specialty training to become a coach.  I chose to change careers as I believed coaching would allow me to serve my clients more effectively than I could through the medical (pathology-based) model under which the field of psychology currently operates. I established my first company, Wellspring Coaching, in 1999.  With a foot in both worlds, I have observed a gap between the services of mental health practitioners and life coaches where many of my clients, especially those in mid-life, seemed to fall.

While many of the individuals I have spoken with in the past decade have not required a psychologist to navigate their challenges, they did need more assistance than most life coaches were prepared (or quite frankly, qualified) to give. As a coach, I have provided support and guidance to individuals facing a number of very difficult life transitions including but not limited to: loss of a significant relationship, forced and chosen career changes, coping with ill, debilitated or otherwise unavailable significant others, facing the impact of alternative lifestyles and gender identity concerns on established and new relationships, transitioning to the "empty nest" (including those who wished for but did not have children), dealing with "sandwich generation" issues, significant illnesses and bereavement. 

For those of you interested in particulars, I did my doctoral work in Counseling Psychology through the University of Notre Dame, completing all but my dissertation. I did my residency at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago. My coach training was completed through Coach U.  I have studied martial arts, yoga and meditation and am an avid student of human potential, continually immersed in the transdisciplinary study of such fields as psychology, philosophy, esoterica and spirituality. 

Advanced Personal Development and Wellness Coach

Coach U grad. MA (ABD) in Counseling Psych

M.A. Counseling Psychology (all but dissertation for PhD)

Indiana University, University of Notre Dame

Service Options:

Phone-based sessions: You can choose between 1, 3, 6 or 12 session packages to be scheduled as your needs dictate. You may schedule weekly sessions or you can spread your sessions out over a longer period of time as needed.  The packages rates are as follows:

• Single session: $125
• Package of 3 sessions: $300
• Package of 6 sessions: $450
• Package of 12 sessions $840

All packages are to be paid as one lump sum in advance by check or credit card. Your sessions are then available to use as needed.  There is no expiration date for your sessions (outside of my untimely demise).  I do not offer refunds for unused sessions but you can transfer them (i.e. on occassion a client's family member may want to have a session). Once your sessions have been used, you are free to purchase more as needed according to the same rate structure.  

In-Person Intensive (available within a 2 hr radius from Chicago)

There may be times when you need more than a phone conversation.  Maybe your home or work environment has gotten to be overwhelming and you need someone to work side by side with you to clear the space. (I love cleaning and organizing and am not easily overwhelmed.) Maybe you have a huge project that you have been procrastinating on that desperately needs attention. Maybe you crave an entire afternoon to talk, have a good cry and long walk (not necessarily in that order) without having to watch a clock while you are at it.  I understand this and will happily work with you to find a time to do that.

I am available for a partial or full day of in-person intensives either at your workplace or in your home, depending on the issues we are addressing. Rates for person home-based intensive coaching are $50/hr plus a $50 travel charge during the week or $100/hr with no additional travel charge on the weekends. Rates for coming to your place of business are $100/hr weekday plus a $50 travel charge during the week, $150/hr weekend, no additional charge for travel.  This is work that can help you rebuild your life from the ground up…hands on support, fresh start, blank page. How many intensives we schedule is up to you and what our mutual schedules will allow.

Whether you work with me over the phone or via in-person intensives, I will send you a very comprehensive workbook to help you take stock of your life and set the first level of goals for us to work on.  I'll also give you some additional questions beyond those which you filled out for the introductory session.  Before each session I will have you fill out a prep form which will cue you to look at your progress, your goals, where you are stuck and where you would most like to focus during our calls.  Given that this is a collaborative relationship, I will also have ideas for areas to focus and will help guide you if you feel scattered or overwhelmed at any point. 

Working with me entails no long term obligations.  As long as we both agree that my being in your life is getting you further than you would get on your own, we'll keep going.  I'll give you resources as we go, "homework" as needed and will be available for e-mail contact and shorter calls as needed between our formally scheduled sessions. And, of course, my blog is a further resource inspired by the needs of my clients so you can dive in there to your hearts content whenever you feel the need for a little stoking or want to find additional resources for yourself.

Any other questions? Jot them down for your intro call or e-mail me to discuss.

I am located outside of Chicago (CST) but work exclusively over the phone at this time, with the exception of marathon days as noted above.

English

$125 - $840

Please e-mail me or call 630-562-1877 to set up a complimentary hour-long phone session.

During the introductory call, my goal is to get a clear overview of your life, the issues you would like to work through and any factors that might have an impact on your ability to move forward.  I'll help you determine whether bringing me into your life makes sense for you and how we might best work together.  Expect to receive some coaching right in the first call because I will want to share resources and suggestions when I see opportunities to help.  You'll come away from our hour with a clear sense of my style while I share with you my understanding of your current situation so you can determine whether I am on the mark or not. You will have the opportunity to ask me questions as well.  At the conclusion of our call, you can decide right then if you are ready to begin or you can mull it over and digest the conversation before commiting to work with me. I will not place any pressure on you to hire me. The last thing you need is pressure to engage in work this significant. Support and direction are only effective when they arise in a mutually respectful and trusting relationship. 

 "Call Laura. Call her because she listens, listens in a way you've never felt listened to before, listens in a way that draws out things you weren't sure you would say aloud to anyone or even whisper to yourself. As Laura listens, you'll find yourself listening - to what you say and what you don't - in a way you haven't before, listening, suddenly, to what happens in your life.

You can read more testimonials by clicking here and here.