Sensitivity & Processing Profile℠
After over three decades of working with the “Spirited”, Highly Sensitive, Creative, Intense/Complex, Talented and Gifted, in the areas of dance, creative movement, somatic therapies, professional massage and mental health, I have come to understand a nexus of traits and challenges that this combined group typically share.
While this offers the ability to more thoroughly understand the issues that those in this group are likely to face, this is still a widely divergent group of people. Over time I realized that I needed a way to further identify a client’s particular combination of areas of ability, sensitivity and information processing. To that end, I developed an exploratory process for my clients that Identifies their unique “Sensitivity and Processing” Profile. The process draws from my research into Kurcinka’s “Spirited Child” work, Aron’s High Sensitivity work, Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration (which names five areas of “overexcitability” or “supersensitivity”), work from many other related fields, and my own lifetime of somatic exploration, embodiment and body-mind work.
The Sensitivity & Processing Profile ℠ is a self-discovery process. The completed profile helps us to move more quickly into creating well-matched treatment strategies for each individual by identifying areas that need work and utilizing strengths they already have. Practicing these new customized strategies helps the client create more balance, decrease overwhelm, improve other mood issues and increase their preferred activities. This in turn helps them conserve and redirect their energy toward engaging in, or discovering, activities they truly love and value.
I often use this process, or some modified version of it (a shorter, earlier version called The Sensitivity Profile ℠), near the beginning of therapy or somewhere along the way. If, when, and to what extent we use this in the counseling work depends on the needs of the client. I also use it with coaching clients. The follow-up work in coaching can have a slightly different application than in counseling. The complete coaching process takes some committed personal self-exploration time and about four to five coaching sessions to fully integrate the information and devise action plans based upon the discoveries.
At this time I only offer this process with counseling clients already committed to their counseling work, or coaching clients who have committed to a minimum of three months (or 12 hours) of work.
For More Information:
Click on the images below (or on the right), or see the pages under the “Specializations” and “About Counseling” menus.