Service Offerings

• Weekly Activities in The Living Room 

• Individual Counseling

• Stress Management Workshops

• Women Supporting Women Evening Support Group

• Quarterly Brown Bag Luncheons

The Living Room

Social isolation is now understood as a major risk factor for physical and mental illness.   The community needs more gathering places that facilitate positive social connections for women.  It is also necessary to find inexpensive, empowering means to support women in learning self-care practices that promote health.  THE LIVING ROOM addresses both these needs by facilitating social connections and offering access to high quality wellness information.   
Current offerings include:

MONDAYS FROM 10-12
Stress Management Technique DVDs
from the Center for Mind/Body Medicine

FRIDAYS FROM 11-2
HeartMath

Learn to relieve stress with scientifically validated tools.  When people feel stressed they often experience negative emotions, such as anxiety, overwhelmed, hopeless, or out of control.

HeartMath is a biofeedback tool that teaches us how to regulate our emotions to bring immediate relief.  Join us for free sessions on Friday.  Call Sarah Travis Buck for an appointment. 

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling is offered to women facing loss, illness, life change, emotional distress, chronic stress, and traumatic events. Our services empower women to develop increased self-awareness and self-care skills. Treatment is provided by professional counselors and social workers committed to helping women discover their own capacity for personal growth in challenging times. We aim to support women in reaching their treatment goals within 6 to 8 sessions. Treatment plans are individualized to meet each woman's need.

If you are interested in receiving counseling services, contact us. One of our therapists will return your call to discuss your particular concerns and to arrange for an initial appointment.

We offer our individual counseling on a sliding scale fee for those individuals that do not have health insurance coverage. We accept the following Insurance: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Unicare, Wellpoint, Sentara Healthcare, United Behavioral Health, US Behavorial Golden Health Plan, California/LifeEra, Magellan Health Services, and Aetna 

Stress Management Workshops

The Women's Initiative offers a variety of stress management workshops both on and off site. Descriptions for both listed below

On-Site Workshops:

"How to Manage Stress with Self-Care" 

The Introduction to Stress Management Workshop will empower participants to better understand and respond to stress in their lives. We will be exploring the range of stress management skills that have been proven by research to help people achieve better health and well being. This workshop will be offered monthly.

This workshop is appropriate for people concerned about the accumulative effects of the stress of daily living as well as those facing particular stressors such as infertility, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, insomnia, obesity, personal loss, job stress, disturbing events, post-partum distress, and overwhelming life demands. People coping with symptoms of anxiety and depression are also welcome. We create a safe and nurturing environment for women to explore at their own pace and in their own way a sampling of the simple but powerfully effective stress management skills available to us all.

Fee: $20.00. Sliding scale fees are available.

Please call to register! 

Off-Site Workshops: 

"Cultivating Stress Hardiness in the Work Place"

Staying balanced and calm in the face of economic stress and the demands of the workplace requires a conscious effort. This speech provides the audience with a user-friendly summary of the reaserch on stress and the best management strategies.  A simple stress management biofeedback tool will be introduced and distributed.  Participants will walk away with an increased awareness of the physiology of stress and the many strategies for dealing with it. 

"The Power of Connection"

Feeling supported by a community of caring people is one ofthe most important aspects of a healthy life.  An impressive body of research idenitfies quality social support as an important factor in health and longevity.  This speech inspires people to reflect on how we can build community and overcome common obstacles that keep people feeling isolated.  This speech is a good step towards reinforcing the value of community in the workpalce and explores how we can cultivate connection in the midst of our busy schedules. 

"Helper Self Care"

There are great rewards but potential costs to being a caretaker.  Helping-professionals need to learn to identify the roots of burnout in order to prevent it from happening.  This speech explores the research on compassion fatigue and how individuals and organizations can create supports to keep workers engaged and enthusiastic about their work.

"The Power of Gratitude"

Feeling thankful for the good things in life is turning out to be surprisingly important factor in emotional and physical well-being.  This speech explores the interesting stories behind the research on the importance of gratitude and equips the audience witha  variety of known strategies for "growing" the goodness of gratitude in daily life. This speech is ideal for team building as it provides an opportunity for staff members to refelct on their appreciation for each other. 

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All speeches are 90 minutes long. An additioanl 30 minutes can be added for the experiential exercises, upon request.

Previous Presentations at:

Feedback from presentations:

"No suggestions-everything was great! Wonderful & knowledgeable presenter! Thanks for providing this workshop-this should be a requirement for everyone"

"This information was life-changing for me & dealing with stress.  The traner was very informed on the topic and explained things extremely well"

"Excellent presentation. A good combination of stress factors and hands on experiences, and stress reducing exercises.  Good, practical, and realistic tips." 

"I like that we had the opportunity to practice techniques as well as share ideas. It was AMAZING!" 

Women Supporting Women

Evening Support Group

2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

This drop-in group begins with a short welcome presented by a staff counselor and is followed by a group “check-in”, a brief reading or presentation, a discussion period, and a group “check out.”  All women are welcome. Please join us to create a welcoming and supportive community.

Fee: $15.00 per session. Sliding scale fees are available. 

Please call to learn more and register!