Empowering Women
Fall 2011! *12 Week Women's Empowerment Group: Tuesdays~ October 4 - December 20, 2011 8-9 PM
Affordable, Empowering, & Healing; Discover Your True Self & Pursue Changes You are Longing to Make
*6 Week payment & attendance commitment required~ to cultivate trust, safety, & consistency
Cost: $300 ($25/session); $150 due by October 4 via Paypal on "Payments" link of website or cash
$150 due again by November 15 for 2nd half of group (Nov. 15-Dec. 20)
Goals:
1. Draw strength from others and share your warmth & insight with group members
2. Work through current struggles by openly expressing your feelings & thoughts
3. Improve self-confidence & communication skills, such as assertiveness
4. Build healthy coping skills for stress, depression, addictions, and other challenges
5. Rediscover your true nature--wisdom, strength, & passion-- and subsequently go boldly into the world in pursuit of your goals
Methods: Discover and express your voice through words, drawing, writing, yoga breathing/stretching, affirmations and meditation (a mind-body approach)
Group Size: 5 members + counselor (if interest exceeds 5 women, 1 1/2 hour group offered; 8-9:30 PM)
What are the benefits of participating in group counseling? Positive support from many others mobilizes individuals to take action, have hope & encouragement (due to hearing other's stories), a sense of belonging, the realization that you are not alone with an issue, helpful feedback from others who can offer different perspectives, experiential learning (practice the skills you are working on applying in your life), & synergy!
Why a 12 week group? *Sustained change typically requires a minimum of 90 days of practicing a new behavior/though pattern (source: Michael Lemonick, Time Magazine, July 5, 2007)
Contact: Lana Isaacson, LCSW, CAC III, CYT at 720.432.5262 to sign up for this group
Taking Inventory of Ourselves~(back to top)
"How Assertive Are You?"
- Are you unable to ask for what you need and want in personal and/or professional relationships?
- Do you have a difficult time saying, "no" in personal and professional relationships?
- Do you feel responsible when things go wrong, even if it was not your fault?
- Are you not able to look directly at others when you talk to them?
- Do people often ask you to speak more loudly in order to be heard?
- Do you feel intimidated by people in authority and/or domineering co-workers?
- Do you feel you're being treated unequally in personal relationships and/or with co-workers?
- Do you often feel so angry you could scream?
- Do you often feel depressed due to not speaking up and thus not getting your needs met?
- Are you unsure how to ask for help without feeling dependent?
- Assertiveness is being self and other respecting; it is a more effective communication style than being passive or aggressive. Communicating assertively allows us to speak "our truth" and get our needs met.
"How Healthy is your Intimate Relationship?" (applies to heterosexual and same sex couples)
|
Healthy |
Unhealthy |
Abusive |
|
Based on equal responsibility |
Both feel unheard and poorly treated |
A systematic pattern of behavior using power unfairly to |
|
Problems solved through fair negotiation |
Inability to solve problems |
Use of threats and coercion to solve problems |
|
Economic partnership |
Mutual disagreements over finances |
One person controls economic decisions and resources |
|
Shared and responsible parenting |
Difficulty with parenting roles and responsibilities |
One person uses children as a weapon |
|
Honest and accountable behavior |
Secrets and lies about behavior |
Abuser takes no responsibility for own behavior; blames partner |
|
Trust and support of one another |
Lack of trust |
Isolating partner from friends, family and community |
|
Open, honest and non-threatening interpersonal interaction and |
Frustrating, incomplete and inconsistent communication or |
Intimidating partner, destructive interactions; communication |
|
Mutual respect and acceptance for each other |
Blames self and partner for problems |
Uses criticism and humiliation to reinforce partner's shame and |
|
Shared responsibility |
Imbalance of responsibilities |
One partner has all the responsibility, but no authority; |
|
Similar beliefs and values |
Different or conflicting values and beliefs |
Disrespect and denigration of one partner's values and beliefs |
|
Understanding and supportive, positive |
Indifferent to partner's feelings |
Withholding approval or affection |
|
Conflict leads to mutually acceptable resolution |
Conflict is unresolved and continuous; bickering |
Conflict resolved by one partner dictating the solution in a |
Source: Shalva (domestic violence agency in IL) www.shalvaonline.org
Empowering Resources~(back to top)
Just beginning to list... *Please email lana@pathwaysdenver.com to add books, journals, web sites, etc.
1. Breathing Space; Twelve Lessons for the Modern Woman by Katrina Repka & Alan Finger
~ excerpt: "Of the many lessons to be learned from Yoga Master Alan Finger, perhaps the most important is that you do not need to move to a new city to transform yourself- or even have a Yoga Master as your personal guide. Wherever you are, you can find your truth and live the life you have always wanted, because, as Alan has often said, everything you need is already inside of you."
Empowering Ideas~(back to top)
"A Woman's Look in the Mirror" by Erma Bombeck
Age 3: Looks at herself and sees a Queen
Age 8: Looks at herself and sees herself as Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty.
Age 15: Looks at herself and sees herself as Cinderella/Sleeping
Beauty/Cheerleader or if she is PMS'ing: sees Fat/Pimples/UGLY ("Mom I
can't go to school looking like this!")
Age 20: Looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall,
too straight/too curly" - but decides she's going anyway.
Age 30: Looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall,
too straight/too curly" - but decides she doesn't have time to fix it,
she's going anyway.
Age 40: Looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall,
too straight/too curly" - but says, "At least I'm clean" and goes
anyway.
Age 50: Looks at herself and sees "I am" and goes wherever she wants to go.
Age 60: Looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can't
even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the
world.
Age 70: Looks at herself & sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.
Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world.
Maybe we should all grab that purple hat a little earlier!
