What people say…
(NOTE: The names and identity of counseling clients are confidential. The words here were offered freely and are unaltered in any way.)
Individuals
2009 ~ A client’s response to a referral request for a compassionate, spiritually oriented therapist through Webspirit network….
“My therapist is Kristen Tussey. I’ve been seeing her once a week for the past 1 1/2 years and, while I’m writing this and thinking of our work together, I breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction. She has a Jungian background, as well as Enneagram, Diamond Heart, somatic and trauma approaches. We do a lot w/ dreams and also w/ what is happening in my body. Not only do I feel like I’ve grown and deepened but my soul is so happy to be tended like this. I feel more mature and integrated and living more authentically than ever before and I’ve been in lots of different therapies in my life. Hope this helps. ”
Closing comments from clients when I left Boulder in 2007….
“I feel you help me get to the core where so many of my issues come from – my 5 year old child. As an adult, talking to that child is not something I’ve ever done before. I’m so much more aware of this child in me and how many times she pops up. Learning to soothe her may take a lifetime but the awareness is huge, is monumental for me.”
“There were a couple of occasions where I confronted you and you let me. You heard me. I didn’t feel like you judged me. It was very empowering for me to do that for it’s a hard thing to do. I get supported in my power here.”
“I recommend you to others all the time.”
“I’ve been to 6 different therapists and I can tell you what does and doesn’t work. It doesn’t work for me to tell my story, make a friend, and pay money. With you I learn something in every session. And you give me something to work on. Talking just doesn’t work. I don’t know how you do it but you make things happen.”
“A therapist needs to ask me questions because I find it hard to open up. You provide a place of safety where I can be me. Teaching me about how childhood stuff works and so I understand the little kid in me and can even soothe her has been so helpful.
“From our first physical meeting, I knew you were a gentle, wonderful, compassionate person. Your being is sweet and loving.”
“Within a session or two I felt like we had gotten to the part that upset me. You were able to put words to it. So the vague feelings of uneasiness that I had you were able to capture in an idea that expressed it and then I could relate to it and work with it. That’s what we did.”
“As a patient you go for a counseling session and it’s traumatic and you’re putting yourself out there but then you come out and it’s like HA! I’ve had a couple of AHA’s and I know what we are dealing with. Then for me, I guess I tend to be an overachiever, but I got very excited about it. Okay, now I know what I’m looking for and I collect all of that so I can bring it in and then we can work on it. So, I feel we make quick progress. I mean every time we meet I get something else that is a kernel of truth that I can go off and work on and apply in my life. So, it is very dynamic and so useful.”
“The beginning fear was actually to put a name to my fear. I was being dominated by somebody at work and I in a certain way, I was abdicating my professional adult self . I was totally turned inside out. This person was akin to my parents who had a somewhat abusive relationship with us. He embodied those characteristics of my parents and I became so fearful that I was unable to deal with it and I had withdrawn. Within the first session, I saw that’s what’s happening and then within a month I had tools at my disposal to work in my daily contact with this guy. I had things that I could work with all day long that helped put things into perspective. So that was really cool. Within a couple weeks my daily life was better. Then we moved on to unraveling the other things that allowed this person to symbolize all of that – so unraveling all of the symbols and all of the things that had happened in my life.”
“I still find times when I am overwhelmed. But I know – that’s what it is! So I go back and I do little mini counseling sessions with myself. I call my inner child out, put her on my knee and talk to myself as I drive to work. I say something like, “So, you’re afraid today, what are you afraid of?” Then, I figure out how I am going to work on that. It’s usually so powerful. I used to counsel with you, now I do it myself.”
Couples
“When we came here our biggest issue was communication – for me to understand my partner’s thinking and for her to understand mine. I had my own experience and didn’t quite know her experience. With your guidance, you’ve really helped me understand how to communicate better. Now, I have some tools that you have given me that really, really help me.”
“Communication is huge. When we came to therapy we had just been back together after a horrible break-up. I think we came in to deal with our fears. I don’t feel like we’ve conquered them yet but we’ve come a long way. When we get in a tough place we still go back to those places but I don’t think we go back as far because now we know each other better and we know how to communicate better. Problems have arisen and we’ve been able to talk about it. By coming here you’ve helped us to see how each of us operate differently. We don’t get as tense about it.”
“We come in here and you get right to the point of things. I’ve never been to a therapist like you. Usually in therapy, you just talk about how was your week but you bring it further. I don’t know how you do it. You get us to the place where we hurt . That’s the key – you support us in that deep, depth, bottom place and bring us forward where most therapists don’t do that.”
“We connected the first interview. Obviously, we didn’t know how far you could take us but we felt comfortable with you from the start. We like the whole experience. Within 3 months time we were living together and able to handle pretty big issues together.”
“Understanding my partner gives me peace. This is how she operates and it’s not about me. This is what she needs to do. Understanding allows me to not take it personally. The unknowing is what scares me. Understanding that when she wants to run, she is running from her emotions She is not rejecting me. Knowing this helps me to stay centered in myself.”
Working with children, families & parenting issues
“What a wonderful gift Kristen’s work has been for my teenage daughter and me. We’ve improved our communication skills and learned to understand, as well as respect, each other’s differences. Counseling has helped us let go of old patterns on all levels of body, mind, and Spirit. We now have the tools to listen, share, trust and live together more consciously than ever before.”
“My husband was very worried that if we brought our 6 year old daughter (we’ll call her Lucy) to counseling we would mess her up more instead of fix her. We thought that her problems would be brought to her attention and become worse in her mind. But you worked with Lucy in a very gentle way with play therapy. Through play, Lucy accessed the pieces of her mind and her emotions in a very playful and non threatening way and allow her to explore at her own pace rather than try to carry her through a strenuous or upsetting traumatic process.”
“My daughter was becoming increasingly upset and losing confidence in herself. She was unable to use her leg even though she was physically okay. We felt that it was psychosomatic and were very worried about her. Within a week or two you had actually gotten her to relax enough and stop utilizing this as a crutch and were able to get to the other things that were bothering her. The limp disappeared within a session or two. You helped her to relax and she was walking fine.”
“I actually like the whole process. We (the mom and Kristen) touch base on a certain level. Then the work is done, just one on one, with Gretchen (fictitious name). Then you and I touch base again on another level to kind of put it into terms that I can use in parenting day by day. So one of the most powerful things about working with you is that I walk away with tools that I use every day and every week.”
“Today I am collecting the things that are happening to help you understand what is going on but as I’m collecting them I am reflecting. I had a couple of epiphanies and understood more what was going on. This gives me confidence that as I move through the process with you as a parent, my daughter and I leave the counseling with a better relationship between us. Together we figure out, on our own, as we move through life, what’s going on and how can we address it. And it’s all about healing. I mean that’s the big piece, how do you heal yourself everyday and move through in a healthy way.”
“You have been an instrumental part of our lives.”
Enneagram
Comments from students and clients…
“Your spiritual base is so good. The ego is not us. The enneagram helps with this but you see and support the real in me.”
“The Enneagram is a remarkable and useful tool for gaining a deeper understanding of one’s self and others as well. It is particularly helpful in understanding what naturally motivates different types of people and explains many different types of behavior. You do an excellent job of presenting the Enneagram material, and especially in encouraging class participants to share their personal experiences and motivation. I would highly recommend this class (Introductory Enneagram) to anyone looking to learn more about themselves and others.”
“Kristen Tussey is a phenomenal Enneagram teacher. I’ve worked with her in groups and individually, and have grown immensely in both self-awareness and other-awareness as a result. She is by far the most helpful Enneagram teacher that I know and I’ve had at least 6 who are pretty good. The teachings are in her very bones, not just her head, and she’s able to present them in a way that makes sense and helps folks really connect with them and relate them to many other aspects of their lives. She’s also got a spiritual presence and is able to make the learning healing, as well as informative.”