From Depressed and Suicidal to Confident
"I Love My Life!"
"Today I can honestly say, “I love life!” I know I wouldn’t be standing here today if it wasn't for Otto Siegel. You see, I am a type 1 diabetic (which means I’m insulin-dependent), and for the past three years, until now, I was an extremely suppressed person. I guess you could say I was suicidal. I would abuse myself by not taking my insulin until my blood sugars were through the roof because I thought being skinny meant everything in the world, and I was going in and out of the hospital because of it. I looked good, but I was dying on the inside...literally. It was affecting my concentration in school and my ability to enjoy life. Every day after school, I would come home, eat, and pass out on the couch until dinner, and then go to bed. My life consisted of nothing.
My doctor insisted that I go to therapy. So, I tried that. I swear I saw at least three different therapists, and they all said the same thing. They were explaining what was wrong with me, and they all wanted to put me on drugs. One of them even wanted to send me to an inpatient treatment center for up to 6 months. I was definitely not happy to hear that.
Then one day, my dad came home and said to me, “I want you to meet this man who I think can really help you.” The following week, my family and I visited Otto at his office. Then, I realized from the knowledge I learned from that visit that he could help me. I currently see Otto once a week, and I feel revitalized every time. He has brought out my true self and has shown me things about myself that I would have never believed. Through the first couple of sessions, we created something called a Genius Profile, which is a profile about me, stating all my strengths, needs, and learning styles. I look at this every day to remind myself how special and smart I really am.
This profile really built up my confidence to take care of myself. Otto also suggested starting a food journal, which I love doing. I write down my blood sugars, everything that I eat, and even my daily workout. Otto has really brought me to life, and I have more energy than I have ever had before. I really had no idea how bad I really felt until I was officially brought back to life.
One special thing that Otto did for me was help me realize my true passion for food. He encouraged me to experiment with different foods and allowed me to meet with Dawn Kennington, who owns Benedict’s Café. I also toured the kitchen, which got me really excited because I love that environment.
I would like to say how much I adore Otto because he really brought me out of my shell, brought me to life, and basically saved my life!"
-Brittany M.
Crisis as Catalyst
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Family coaching services initiate a deeper understanding for the unique personality of your bright child. With this additional information behavior and learning differences can turn into more self confidence. Discovering more of who they are boosts curiosity and love of learning.
Even with different parenting styles, parents can shift their focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “How can I bring out the best in you?”
Parents Gain
- Deeper insights into the joy and challenge of being brilliant
- Creative behavior based tools for challenging situations
- Deeper understanding of child development and their child's unique personality
- Ability to prevent behavior challenges before they escalate
- More time for playful interactions
- Enjoy being a connected parent for life
Children Achieve
- Greater confidence and self esteem
- Knowing and enjoying who they really are
- More success in school, sports, and beyond
- A positive attitude
- Respectful communication abilities
- Establishing a positive connection with those they meet
- Enjoy being themselves!
- Confident communication abilities
- Establishing a positive first connection with those they meet
- Enjoy being themselves
Contact us today for a 20-minute exploration call to engage and interact more successfully with your bright children.
At times, your children's sensitivity triggers bullying or you might hear them say phrases like “I hate my life” or “I feel lost in this crazy world.” Ho ready are you to gain a fresh perspective on their identified concern?
- They might not respond well to behavior therapy or counseling.
- They might be mislabeled as ADD, OCD, ADHD or being “on the spectrum.”
- They might experience sleeplessness or find it difficult to fall asleep.
- They might binge-eat or starve themselves to suppress their natural sensitivity.
- They might be strongly attached to video games to distract themselves.
However, in most situations these symptoms are a strong cry for help and might cover up deeper innate desires:
- Exploring what they are really good at and like to do.
- Finding meaningful challenges to engage their curiosity.
- Feeling more comfortable in their skin.
- Turning boredom into productivity.
- Experiencing more confidence about their future and how they relate to others.
Our unique format of family coaching includes you as a parent: Together we might discover new character traits or hidden brilliance in your child that open a bigger and more compelling perspective for their future.
Our coaching sessions become "team meetings" between you, your son or daughter, and our coach working together for the best possible outcome that your family desires.
Coaching parent and child together prevents and reverses behavior challenges and improves family relationships:
- Your child will be curious again and smile more frequently.
- Your child will be more excited about learning.
- They will minimize the impact of ADHD or social isolation.
- Together we will develop a fresh perspective on learning and behavior differences.
- Families will laugh more, enjoy each other with a greater sense of fulfillment and will again experience the joys of family life.
FAQ's About Family Coaching:
1. What is special about Genius Coaching?
We deeply care about bringing out the unique best in your child as a foundation for a joyful life. We use professional coaching tools and the Power of Play to activate imagination, creativity and intuition. This energizing experience creates the energy to replace undesired habits with more successful behavior. We invite at least one parent to actively participate in the coaching experience and make positive behavior change much more likely and permanent.
2. What is the difference between coaching and counseling?
Counseling has a unique role when dealing with past trauma or unresolved challenges. Coaching focuses on the present as foundation and opportunity to create a bright and compelling future. Coaches will partner with you as the parent and your child to reach the desired behavioral upgrade. Genius Coaching can be an early intervention tackling behavior issues before they turn into engrained habits.
3. What are the first steps if I want to explore further?
Schedule a complimentary phone or zoom call with us to describe your situation and explore if coaching is right for your situation.
4. Does Genius Coaching accept insurance?
Unfortunately we don’t work with insurance companies for reimbursement. However, inside Arizona the ESA program at the Department of Education covers the fees for our coaching services.
5. How long does a genius coaching program last?
After an initial genius evaluation session we suggest one of our 4 programs with individual weekly sessions of 45 minutes; programs vary between 8 and 15 coaching sessions and include ongoing support via text or email between sessions.