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THERE'S HELP FOR THAT
About Dana
Dana Lucas has been working with individuals and families for 30 years, as an Individual/Family/Career Coach, Therapist, Social worker, and New Business Administrator. A person of great empathy and insight, Dana understands the challenges of making life work when circumstances do not seem ideal. It is her philosophy, that even the most difficult life experiences can be a launching pad to something positive and transformational. It is this ideology that is the foundation of Dana's work with her clients, whether they see her for Bereavement Coaching, Personal Growth, or Family/Parenting Consultation.
Dana has a keen intuition and uses it to help her clients tap into their own. She views the current climate in the world, today, as doing little to provide opportunities to connect with one’s inner-wisdom but, rather, serving to restrict and confine it. She sees the results of this as upsetting the equilibrium of life—individually and collectively. Thus, her goal is to aid clients in coming back to their own innate knowledge which is where they find their personal “gems” of truth and wisdom, while propelling their lives and/or careers forward.
One area in which Dana specializes is that of Bereavement Coaching. Her sensitivity and compassion for those bereaved stems from her personal experience with loss and grief. Though Dana understands that everyone's journey is unique, the empathy she holds stems from her real life experiences with tragic and traumatic deaths of loved ones. She combines her depth of understanding with an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach to working with her clients--individually and/or in groups. Dana holds the perspective that a meaningful life is a human-right and finding a sense of meaning and purpose is entirely possible--for everyone.
Though she does not hold the trendy belief that humans create their own destiny, Dana does subscribe to the idea that perception and attitude determine how one weathers life’s challenges. Again, her work is trauma-informed and she has a special interest in neuropsychology which suggests that neural pathways created early in life can set the tone of one’s journey unless, and until, the choice to pause and/or change directions is enacted. Dana's Personal Growth clients receive Mindset Coaching which enables them to create more fulfilling lives by developing new cognitive pathways. The work she does with Individuals and Groups evolves out of various coaching styles, psychological theories and therapeutic approaches. While your sessions and work with Dana will be "therapeutic," she does not provide psychotherapy or clinical diagnosis.
Suffice it to say that not unlike her clients', Dana’s personal journey has, at times, been cumbersome (whose hasn't?). She has launched her life forward and currently resides with her spouse, children, and dogs in Oregon where she combines her skills in her work as a Personal Growth/Bereavement Coach, Parenting Consultant, and New Business Administrator.
"My therapist and I thought it would be a good idea for me to work with Dana because I was ready, after several years of recovery, to break out and discover who I was other than a “survivor.” I had a lot of ideas and ambition but didn’t really think I could pull them off. More than anything, I wanted a healthy, romantic relationship. Dana coached me into living and presenting myself authentically (NO MORE GAMES) and it made all the difference. I have a solid, relationship now. And I’m about to finish my prereqs for Vet School. I know I did most of the work, but I think I would still be swirling around with ideas if I hadn’t had Dana’s skilled coaching."
Personal Coaching Client
Corvallis, OR
"Ten years after my daughter's death, I felt stuck in my grief. I wanted something else for myself, but did not know what. I hired Dana to support and coach me as I explored my next steps in life. She offered me nonjudgmental and unconditional empathy as I worked to discover who I am now. I did not have a clue about what I enjoyed until Dana, with her coaching skills, enabled me to uncover what it is that brings meaning into my life. All or our sessions were "virtual," but Dana's ability to offer a safe, comfortable space goes far beyond the limitations of technology. She is a natural at connecting with others, and she is able to listen intently, even when I'm sobbing.
"I'm unstuck now. I have learned that I'm an artist., and a writer. And I'm experiencing joy for the first time in nearly
11 years. I'm setting goals and accomplishing things., while bereaved.
"If there is any part of you that wants to get unstuck from ANYTHING, I highly recommend Dana."
Susan L.
CREDENTIALS
Dana earned a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology (Marriage & Family Emphasis) with a Holistic Health (Body-Oriented) specialization—from John F. Kennedy University. She also has Undergraduate Degrees in Family Studies and Experiential Psychology. She has training in Life Coaching and is committed to furthering her credentialing. In addition to her work as a Life and Career Coach, she has worked in the fields of Mental Health, Marriage & Family Counseling, Social Services, Family/Parenting Consultant, Journalism, and Contract Acquisitions.
Dana’s current focus is on helping adult individuals with Personal Growth and Bereavement Coaching. She utilizes her passion for Effective Communication and Writing in her work with, and for, her clients.
*Dana Lucas is not a licensed Psychologist, Counselor, Therapist, or Social worker. She is not a Mental Health, Addiction, or Medical provider. She does not diagnose or treat Mental Illness, or any other Medical/Health condition.