Get to Know Me
It's important to me that whether I am working with an individual, a family, a business, a team, or an audience that I am connecting with you on a real and down-to-earth level. I am not afraid to share my mistakes, struggles, or life lessons and I aim to utilize my life experiences and stories in engaging ways to normalize hardship and to illustrate growth.
I believe that we all have within us the capacity to heal, grow and change. Sometimes it just takes a catalyst (maybe a life event, another perspective, an interaction with someone, or any scenario) to trigger our innate longings to evolve and adapt towards our highest integrity.
I am passionate about helping others live more fully in this moment, and as a result deepening more intimacy with themselves and others. Its from that place that we can become more aware of the things that matter, what needs attention, and connect to the wisdom of how to respond. These basic practices are simple, yet profound and I love having a chance to coach people through experiences that will change their lives.
Part of the gift from my struggles in overcoming childhood trauma has been to develop a deep understanding of human behavior, of what works (and what doesn't), to deepen my ability to be present and attentive to myself and others, and to ultimately understand the differences between what enables systems (individuals, relationships, communities, and businesses) to be well as opposed to breeding dysfunction.
All of these experiences have been gathered from personal insights from rising above my family's background of dysfunction as well as my professional expertise and education with a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh.
I have maintained a private practice as a psychotherapist for 10 years utilizing innovative approaches to treat complex issues related to trauma, addictions, eating disorders and grief and loss and oftentimes finding innovative approaches to address these issues. Prior to being self-employed, I worked in agency settings as a therapist. Over the past 3 years I have deepened my personal growth and healing with exploring complementary healing practices and in finding the success these had, I started to get training in some of them to bring to my work with my clients. Most recently, I have discontinued providing psychotherapy due to my belief that it was no longer my passion and I felt that my clients reached a ceiling to getting better. I now offer core foundational skills in my coaching and healing work with clients that I have seen to be effective in helping people develop the skills to address their own life issues
Providing a variety of talks, workshops, groups and classes to various audiences over the past 10 years - I have inspired personal growth, empowerment, healing, and professional development.
In addition to being a speaker, I have experience as an Account Manager in an Employee Assistance Program where I provided management consultation about workplace issues, critical incident debriefings, and provided services for employee wellness.
What is the story behind becoming a "Coffee Shop Coach" & moving away from offering psychotherapy to only offering mindfulness coaching and energy work?
In my previous work as a psychotherapist, I sat in my office and saw the walls around me as the box that they were…they insulated me and my clients from fully being, embodying, and connecting to the truth and power of who we were. The walls of my office spoke to the metaphor of division between what happened in session to what happened or could happen in the real world. It took more work and wasting more time for both of us to make that bridge and integrate those skills and experiences from the office to their communities, their back yards, and their daily lives.
In my own healing, growth and recovery, I found some of my most transformational work to occur within nature, in my community, or in the support and presence of others. I always desired to connect people more to nature to simply observe and experience the power of reciprocal exchange that occurs in nature; however, I struggled to take this leap and take my sessions beyond the office.
It always takes a catalyst, and for me it was a broken building elevator and an office on the 16th floor which lead to a spur of the moment decision to hold my sessions for the day in a coffee shop. All of my clients reported feeling more at ease, more like themselves. They spoke more authentically as I watched their walls come down.
At one point a client started to feel more vulnerable as she spoke of her fears of being seen, heard, and ultimately existing in a space with others. I asked her to explore these fears and see how rational they were and to look at the potential and realistic consequences of being seen and heard in public. The coffee shop was becoming a natural representation of the fears she had battled her entire life – of existing in a space with others, of being vulnerable and recognizing that she had the power to handle that, to protect herself IF needed. The tears flowed as she realized how irrational these fears were and how she didn’t have to hide. What REALLY was going to happen if people saw her? Likely, not much. In addition, I expressed to her, “what if the people in the coffee shop heard and saw the courageous and powerful work you are doing to grow and they become inspired, or connected to something about their own experiences?” A light bulb went off as she realized for the first time that it’s not only ok for her to exist, furthermore, her existence might actually matter and it may matter enough to truly help and inspire others. Now the tears really flowed. Out of the several years of her seeing me in the office, this was the most transformational moment she had ever had…in a coffee shop, in the REAL world. I truly believe we wouldn’t have gotten to that level of profound work if we weren’t meeting in a real life scenario where the core of her issues were manifesting AND she wouldn’t have had the immediate REAL world situation to integrate the experience into. She INSISTED on never seeing me in the office again.
When my work is focused on truly HELPING YOU, I need to listen to what the help actually is, not what my profession, or my own mind thinks it should be. We need to listen. My value is to truly help you get better, not just treat symptoms, not just help you feel better or simply manage your life better. All of that is great, and I believe that is not enough to truly get to a place where you feel fulfilled and are truly thriving in your life. We can all do better, as a profession, and as individuals in our growth. I want to support that.
So, I decided to let go of my office and step out into the real world with my clients in their natural environment, in their communities, in coffee shops, and without the pretenses that the office setting automatically creates when they walk in the door.
The power of being in the park and with Nature and the elements is that it helps you to connect with your own inner nature, your harmony, your power, as well as reflecting back to you what is in disharmony or distress and providing insight into some of the problems you are experiencing as well as the potential solutions. When we look to nature and actually take the time to pause and to be present in our senses, it is hard to not see ourselves. There is healing in that and it connects you to a profound resource that is accessible no matter where you are.
What can you expect in working with me?
I believe that we all have within us the capacity to heal, grow and change. Sometimes it just takes a catalyst (maybe a life event, another perspective, an interaction with someone, or any scenario) to trigger our innate longings to evolve and adapt towards our highest integrity.
I am passionate about helping others live more fully in this moment, and as a result deepening more intimacy with themselves and others. Its from that place that we can become more aware of the things that matter, what needs attention, and connect to the wisdom of how to respond. These basic practices are simple, yet profound and I love having a chance to coach people through experiences that will change their lives.
Part of the gift from my struggles in overcoming childhood trauma has been to develop a deep understanding of human behavior, of what works (and what doesn't), to deepen my ability to be present and attentive to myself and others, and to ultimately understand the differences between what enables systems (individuals, relationships, communities, and businesses) to be well as opposed to breeding dysfunction.
All of these experiences have been gathered from personal insights from rising above my family's background of dysfunction as well as my professional expertise and education with a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh.
I have maintained a private practice as a psychotherapist for 10 years utilizing innovative approaches to treat complex issues related to trauma, addictions, eating disorders and grief and loss and oftentimes finding innovative approaches to address these issues. Prior to being self-employed, I worked in agency settings as a therapist. Over the past 3 years I have deepened my personal growth and healing with exploring complementary healing practices and in finding the success these had, I started to get training in some of them to bring to my work with my clients. Most recently, I have discontinued providing psychotherapy due to my belief that it was no longer my passion and I felt that my clients reached a ceiling to getting better. I now offer core foundational skills in my coaching and healing work with clients that I have seen to be effective in helping people develop the skills to address their own life issues
Providing a variety of talks, workshops, groups and classes to various audiences over the past 10 years - I have inspired personal growth, empowerment, healing, and professional development.
In addition to being a speaker, I have experience as an Account Manager in an Employee Assistance Program where I provided management consultation about workplace issues, critical incident debriefings, and provided services for employee wellness.
What is the story behind becoming a "Coffee Shop Coach" & moving away from offering psychotherapy to only offering mindfulness coaching and energy work?
In my previous work as a psychotherapist, I sat in my office and saw the walls around me as the box that they were…they insulated me and my clients from fully being, embodying, and connecting to the truth and power of who we were. The walls of my office spoke to the metaphor of division between what happened in session to what happened or could happen in the real world. It took more work and wasting more time for both of us to make that bridge and integrate those skills and experiences from the office to their communities, their back yards, and their daily lives.
In my own healing, growth and recovery, I found some of my most transformational work to occur within nature, in my community, or in the support and presence of others. I always desired to connect people more to nature to simply observe and experience the power of reciprocal exchange that occurs in nature; however, I struggled to take this leap and take my sessions beyond the office.
It always takes a catalyst, and for me it was a broken building elevator and an office on the 16th floor which lead to a spur of the moment decision to hold my sessions for the day in a coffee shop. All of my clients reported feeling more at ease, more like themselves. They spoke more authentically as I watched their walls come down.
At one point a client started to feel more vulnerable as she spoke of her fears of being seen, heard, and ultimately existing in a space with others. I asked her to explore these fears and see how rational they were and to look at the potential and realistic consequences of being seen and heard in public. The coffee shop was becoming a natural representation of the fears she had battled her entire life – of existing in a space with others, of being vulnerable and recognizing that she had the power to handle that, to protect herself IF needed. The tears flowed as she realized how irrational these fears were and how she didn’t have to hide. What REALLY was going to happen if people saw her? Likely, not much. In addition, I expressed to her, “what if the people in the coffee shop heard and saw the courageous and powerful work you are doing to grow and they become inspired, or connected to something about their own experiences?” A light bulb went off as she realized for the first time that it’s not only ok for her to exist, furthermore, her existence might actually matter and it may matter enough to truly help and inspire others. Now the tears really flowed. Out of the several years of her seeing me in the office, this was the most transformational moment she had ever had…in a coffee shop, in the REAL world. I truly believe we wouldn’t have gotten to that level of profound work if we weren’t meeting in a real life scenario where the core of her issues were manifesting AND she wouldn’t have had the immediate REAL world situation to integrate the experience into. She INSISTED on never seeing me in the office again.
When my work is focused on truly HELPING YOU, I need to listen to what the help actually is, not what my profession, or my own mind thinks it should be. We need to listen. My value is to truly help you get better, not just treat symptoms, not just help you feel better or simply manage your life better. All of that is great, and I believe that is not enough to truly get to a place where you feel fulfilled and are truly thriving in your life. We can all do better, as a profession, and as individuals in our growth. I want to support that.
So, I decided to let go of my office and step out into the real world with my clients in their natural environment, in their communities, in coffee shops, and without the pretenses that the office setting automatically creates when they walk in the door.
The power of being in the park and with Nature and the elements is that it helps you to connect with your own inner nature, your harmony, your power, as well as reflecting back to you what is in disharmony or distress and providing insight into some of the problems you are experiencing as well as the potential solutions. When we look to nature and actually take the time to pause and to be present in our senses, it is hard to not see ourselves. There is healing in that and it connects you to a profound resource that is accessible no matter where you are.
What can you expect in working with me?
- I empower you with information and skills, offering you opportunities to embody these resources through direct experience.
- I hold you accountable to do the work.
- I provide clear direction, compassion and support.
- I help you explore the resources that are already accessible to you, but may have been hidden, repressed, or unnoticed.
- I coach you to look at all aspects of the problem, expanding your awareness to find the roots to your dysfunction and distress. I encourage you through the process and remind you of these skills until you feel they are mastered.
- I utilize energy work to address significant blocks to you being well.
Copyright © 2019 Amy Lohr. All rights reserved for content, images, media & text.