"We would have crashed and burned without your help. Thank you!"*

See Dr Artra's April 2016

StepMom Magazine article.

Phone and Video-Conference Coaching and Consultation.

In-Person workshops.

Private or Groups

You can choose to coach privately or in a small group (with friends or others).

Individuals Welcome

Individual coaching has helped many people gain the clarity they need to feel more at ease and to choose wise actions in their role at home. 

Couples Coaching

Whenever possible, I work side-by-side with another Stepfamily Services coach or counselor who is a parent-in-step so that you will each have someone in the room who you know has experience in your role. 

Free Consultation

I like to meet for a free 45-minute consultation so we can get to know each other to see if it is a good fit. I will also provide basic recommendations for your situation and referrals to other professionals who can also offer support. 

"I finally get it. We have options. Most of what I was feeling was because I was thinking we needed to be like a regular family. Now, I catch myself when I am doing that. I am more realistic now." 

"I was going to burn out. There's always going to be stress, but now I feel more relaxed about it all. I am still learning every day, but I get it – that's normal for a stepfamily. It doesn't mean one of us is a bad guy. We can ask you what works in stepfamilies for certain situations when we are not figuring it out on our own, and move on."*

Fee

Please contact me for details. 

Most major insurance is accepted for couples. 

Cash, check, and credit cards accepted. 

Government purchasing cards are accepted.

I Focus on Solutions

You want to see results soon. Coaching with me may be unlike anything you have ever done. My approach is not counseling. These "life changing" work sessions can help you create a new future. 

I am your expert consultant. You will be treated with compassion and honesty. Clients are relieved to finally feel like they can escape the maze, as they see the road map for stepfamily adjustment and receive direct advice based in evidence of what works and my years of experience step-parenting. 

This is different from counseling. My job is to help you focus more on learning powerful actions than processing past emotions. 

If you are tired of how things are going and are willing to look at your situation from a new perspective, and take new types of action, then stepfamily coaching is for you. 

Why is this coaching approach so effective?

"Iishana really knows what she is talking about. Seriously, she is an expert."*

We will focus on increasing your sense of predictability, trust, safety, and wellbeing in your stepfamily.

Solutions are Given More Attention than Past Emotions

Emotions about the past can hijack the resourceful mind. In coaching, we will not try to resolve the past. We will direct your attention to what you have learned from your experience. 

Most stepfamily situations boil down to 8 types of stressors unique to stepfamilies. Stress can be reduced dramatically by the 5 qualities and 4 habits of successful stepfamilies. I prepare you to use those tools to create household norms that help everyone be more comfortable. 

You Become More Skillful and Strategic

You can build more trust, safety and wellbeing in your stepfamily.

This is only possible when you understand stepfamily

dynamics and are committed to making forward progress, much like the manager of a successful organization must know how to run that type of organization.

We will not focus on changing your stepfamily or your feelings into something more like an original family. Instead, you will step into the reality of being a stepfamily so that you can manage it with greater confidence and skill to become a successful stepfamily. 

Seeing the target is how we get a bullseye! 

To succeed, you and your partner act like managers for your stepfamily, using lessons you have already learned and what has been shown to work in thousands of stepfamilies. You become a fully functional team. We will have frank conversations about what that means for your daily life and future. 

START HERE...

1. Stepfamily Reboot

Four 90-Minute Sessions for a Fresh Start & Improved Relationships

Most stepfamilies eventually feel in danger of crashing. When you reach this point, you can no longer get away with handling situations in old ways. To succeed, stepcouples start making decisions based in what works for stepfamilies instead of original families. It's like rebooting a computer with upgraded software. 

AFTER YOUR REBOOT...

2. Stepfamily Management Plan

Three 90-Minute Sessions

Complexity and difficult choices can strain any relationship. You might have noticed that these are almost daily issues in a stepfamily. Successful stepcouples build predictability into their households, relaxing everyone - children and adults. A stepfamily management plan helps everyone know what is expected in different situations, which builds a sense of safety and wellbeing.

We will meet for 3 sessions by phone or in-person. You will have about an hour of homework between sessions. The 3rd session will be one-on-one where you and your partner each meet with me individually. 

ULTIMATELY...

3. Stepfamily Wisdom for Your Higher Purpose

Four 90-Minute Sessions

• Practice quick ways to increase your sense of being a precious part of life.
• Increase your sense of aliveness.
• Experience living more fully from a place of talent rather than ability.
• Experience a deeper sense of who you are - the pure aspect of you that age, circumstances, or other people's opinions can never change.
• Learn ways to increase your resilience to stress.
• Vision powerfully: Create an image and statement about your future that excites you and focuses your choices.
• Vision powerfully: Experience hearing a powerful description of your best self living your higher purpose.
• Keep an audio recording of your vision to use for self-motivation. 

"We've been to 3 counselors and no-one ever helped us like this.

I wish we had come sooner."*

*Quotes from satisfied clients are kept anonymous to preserve the privacy of these stepfamilies.