Patti is a counsellor, life coach, and experiential educator. She has 20 years of experience providing support to people who are facing personal challenges, and working co-creatively with the client to explore positive and meaningful life changes. Outcome-focused with an emphasis on the development of measurable objectives for clients to meet their own personal goals, Patti is proficient in asking powerful questions to draw from the client the knowledge and motivation within to move toward their desired future.
The population that Patti has found the most fulfilling to work with is youth who have been marginalized by society. For ten years she worked at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM) using Motivational Interviewing techniques and implementing the strategies of the Stages of Change Model to support youth who may or may not have been considering making changes regarding their drug using behaviour.
In addition to being a facilitator with Empowering Change, Patti operates her own business called Explore Life Coaching, and is a Certified Life Adventure Coach. Life coaching is very consistent with Motivational Interviewing and focuses on what the client wants by providing a supportive relationship between a coach and a client. It is based on the client’s expressed interests, goals, and objectives. In general, coaching works because of the fundamental belief held by coaches that all people are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole and have the capacity to lead the life that they desire.