More about Christy ~~~
I live in Portland, Oregon with my two kittens, Miel and Gus. I moved here 15 years ago, drawn to the big trees, mountains, and rivers, the bikeable neighborhoods, the open-minded and creative people, and being able to have chickens in my backyard. I enjoy traveling, ecstatic dance, knitting, learning Spanish, and finding the coldest cold plunge in town.
I have worked with children and families for over two decades, as a nanny, a preschool teacher, and a nature connection mentor. Perhaps influenced by attending a Montessori school as a child until 6th grade, I seek out educational philosophies that see children as whole human beings - body, mind, heart, and spirit. I studied contemplative education at Naropa University, and eventually Waldorf education here in Portland, both of which focused not only on child development and teaching methods, but also self-development, with the awareness that young children learn the most by imitating their environment and the people in it.
In 2010, I started a small nature-immersion preschool called Humming Hive in the forest of NW Portland, which grew to offer summer camps, a homeschool program, and parent-child classes, as well as monthly parent evenings for the preschool families. For 8 years, the close-knit community of families grew while the children spent their days connecting deeply with the forest and with each other through an imagination-based curriculum full of song, storytelling, art and crafts, cooking, gardening, seasonal celebrations, and more.
When many of the families were moving on as their children got older, I was aware that the world was heating up in more ways than one, and felt called to study conflict. I closed the school and soon found Process Work, a model of working with conflict in individuals, relationships, groups, and organizations. Although I had been supporting children with their conflicts for years, my Process Work teachers taught me new skills and new awareness which I am excited to bring back into my work with families to support them in new ways, as well as offer counseling to individuals and couples.
Formal Education and Relevant Experience
BA in Early Childhood Education from Naropa University in Boulder, CO
Waldorf Teacher Training from the Micha-el Institute in Portland, OR
Founder and Teacher of Humming Hive Forest School in Portland, OR, 2010-2018
MA in Process-Oriented Facilitation and Conflict Studies from the Process Work Institute in Portland, OR
1 year of clinical training at River’s Way Community Clinic in Portland, OR
My approach
As mentioned above, I am weaving together my years of experience studying and working with children and families with my Process Work training. But what is Process Work?
Also known as Process-Oriented Psychology, Process Work has its roots in Jungian psychology, Taoism, Quantum physics, somatic awareness, and other modalities. Rather than reacting to conflict as something to get rid of or fix, conflict is seen as an invitation to slow down and get curious, with the belief that there is something meaningful to be found if we follow the process with our awareness. This practice can lead to growth and a sense of wholeness as we learn more about ourselves and others. This practice will be the foundation of all of our sessions together.
With families and couples, I come with the belief that each person’s voice needs to be heard. Depending on what challenges you are facing together, we can explore the roles in the relationship, power dynamics, communication skills, emotional expression, past relationship and developmental traumas, skills for navigating conflict, and more. When there are young children in the family, I can supplement our sessions with parenting tools, strategies, and resources that seem relevant.
With individuals, I will be there to listen deeply, to feel with you, and to follow your lead. It often helps to get out of our everyday thinking minds to find the meaning in what’s troubling us. So when you’re ready, we can explore any night-time dreams you remember, body symptoms, a relationship conflict, or something that might seem unrelated on the surface, but may be a source of wisdom or insight. As we follow this path, we may find that movement, art, role play, following the body, storytelling, expressing feelings, or play, would be ways to find a new perspective, to uncover the meaning that is hidden within, and to find where growth may be wanting to happen and how to support that, trusting that wherever you are in your process is just right.
