Hooper, Mrs. Mary Jane

read moreMost couples enter therapy to feel more love and understanding. Conflict is to be expected in an intimate relationship. It is just that most couples don't have a good model for repair, leading to ruptures that go unresolved. In therapy, we learn how to speak from a place of self-understanding and listen from a place of true desire to understand the other. In therapy, we first unearth what it is we want in our lives and in our relationships. By recognizing and replacing the blocks to our success with attainable goals, we claim authorship of our lives.

read moreSlow down your pace of life in this island of peace in the Rockies. Come to Pagosa Springs, an enchanted getaway offering the best of Colorado - fresh, clean mountain air, astounding scenery, and unspoiled wilderness. Native Americans were first drawn to the mystical and spiritual aura of this valley surrounded by the San Juan Mountains. It became known as "Pagosah, " or "healing waters" by the Ute Indians. Pagosa Springs is located two hours north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Amid the splendor of pine and aspen forests, you will have the luxury of time and space for contemplative practices, daily talks and hikes into the wilderness.

read moreMy goal is to help dismantle the harmful patterns in your life. I am reminded daily of the resiliency of the human spirit as people move through their emotional pains and desires to create purpose and meaning in their lives. I weave together the wisdom of many approaches to bring more understanding, courage and compassion into your life. You begin to author your life with greater awareness and move away from habitual reactions into mindful choices. New seeds, ideas, and behaviors take root allowing for healthy relationships and a balanced life.

read moreMeeting with a couple for the first time, I ask them to describe what they want to have happen in therapy. What we witnessed as children often becomes the model for communication. Does blame and criticism show up in their communication with one another? I encourage couples to stay open and notice when they feel the need to defend or shut down communication. Couples learn to move out of reaction parts and instead speak their own needs. I want them to understand it isn't about being right which often shuts down communication and leads to disconnect.

read moreWe begin defining ourselves in groups within the family. Accessing these core issues in a safe environment allows for inner healing. Through interactions with other group members working on similar issues, we get real feedback about how we impact others and how we come across in our interactions. The group process allows us to experience how our emotional wounds sabotage our relationships. It offers us a way to get out of our own way and develop more intimate and authentic relationships with ourselves and others.