&Rise FAQs

 

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Find out more about the differences between coaching and counseling, how our support groups work, and what services might be the best fit for your needs.

FAQs about Coaching

  • Trauma coaches help clients to deal with different types of trauma. They guide on how to heal their wounds and return back to their original lives. They inject hope in the clients and discover ways to make the clients enjoy their present.

  • You need Trauma Coaching so you can stop feeling stuck or unhappy with your life and your circumstances. &Flourish Trauma Coaching will help you to create boundaries so you can can have healthy relationships with others as well as yourself. We also work together on accepting the bad things that have happened in your past and things you have done to others as well. We will also work on integrity which means being honest about what has happened before, no matter how painful. Once you acknowledge things you are ashamed or feel guilt around, you are able to leave it in the past and move on with your life.

    &Flourish is a faith based organization so we also incorporate faith and spirituality into the work that we do because with God, all things are possible, including your healing. We also work together to ensure you are incorporating a self care routine, not just physical self care, but more importantly, your mental and emotional self care. Lastly, we work through forgiveness which is one of the hardest yet, necessary parts of healing. When we have anger and resentment in our hearts, it is what is holding us captive in our lives. Once you forgive yourself you can finally let go of that pain and move forward to Flourish into the person God made you to be!

  • Counseling involves working with a mental health counselor or clinical mental health counselor on a specific issue for a limited amount of time. Counseling can help you if you have difficulty managing stress and want guidance on tools you can use when you are stressed out. Usually, counseling focuses on a specific issue for a limited amount of time.

    Something important to note is that most counselors are not trauma informed or have the appropriate experience of working with trauma survivors. Coaching allows you to go deeper into your past experiences plus being able to have support beyond your one weekly call. The biggest different between a counselor and a coach is that coaches can talk to you about their personal experiences where legally, counselors cannot. Another big difference is that coaches can incorporate faith and spirituality into the healing work that they do, where legally, counselors cannot talk about their faith or religion in their sessions.

  • Therapy can be more long-term and focuses on you as an individual — how you see yourself and the world, your thoughts, and your behaviors, as well as the underlying patterns of why you do the things you do. For example, if you were suffering from depression, you can explore how depression impacts your everyday life and how to develop better coping strategies so that you can feel better. You usually go to therapy sessions on a more long-term basis.

    Coaching is more in alignment with therapy because our coaching programs are meant for long term growth and coming up with healthy coping strategies. It is important to note is that many therapists are not trauma informed or have the appropriate experience of working with trauma survivors. Coaching allows you to go deeper into your past experiences plus being able to have support beyond your one weekly call. The biggest different between a therapist and a coach is that coaches can talk to you about their personal experiences where legally, therapists cannot. Another big difference is that coaches can incorporate faith and spirituality into the healing work that they do, where legally, therapists cannot talk about their faith or religion in their sessions.

  • A clarity call is a call with Jennifer to focus on tackling any trauma/abuse issue(s) you want. It could be something that has been causing you stress, something you’ve continuously been putting off, or something you’re just seeking an outside opinion.

  • Coaching is a powerful catalyst for lasting change and I've seen clients have amazing results in just weeks of starting their program, however, coaching is not for everyone. Your results have a lot to do with your commitment to the program. If you are committed and implement the advice of your coach, you will see great results but if you don’t show up to calls or do your “homework” you probably won’t see the type of results you’d like. In order for coaching to work, a few prerequisites must be in place. If you are ready to have more success and happiness in your life, book a call today to learn how to get started.

  • One of the worst things you can do is wait for the “right” or “perfect” time. Life is not perfect, therefore, there can never be a perfect time. Remember that the time will pass regardless of you getting help or not, so why not get the help while the time passes? Not making a decision, is also a decision. Choosing to heal and work on yourself is the best gift you can give to yourself as well as your children. Transforming the way you live, think, act, and feel is well worth all the effort you put into yourself. Transformation and recovery is the end result of the work we do together. Check out our testimonials here.

  • Unfortunately, &Rise does not accept private or public insurance at this time.

  • Yes! All of our programs are 6 months long so you can break down your payments into monthly, bi-weekly, or even weekly payments. Please also note that we offer financing through advancecarecard.com where you can finance your payments over a longer period of time, thus, lowering your payment amount. Please visit our financing options page to learn more.

  • We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Zelle, and Paypal.

FAQs about Counseling

 
  • 1:1 mindfulness-based counseling sessions through &Rise are 50 minutes long. Counseling can be long-term or short-term depending on the person’s goals, commitment, engagement, and trust within the relationship between individual and clinician.

  • All sessions will occur virtually via a secure online portal.

  • Due to licensing guidelines, currently &Rise only offers free counseling to residents of the U.S. state of Illinois. If you do not live in Illinois, please consider joining one of our support groups, which are not bound by the same licensing restrictions.

  • &Rise offers FREE mindfulness-based counseling through a third-party provider. 

  • Cost should not be a barrier to receiving support and information to help you escape and recover from trauma and abuse. &Rise is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As such, support groups, counseling, and other services are supported by donor donations and fundraising efforts. 

  • If you are interested and able, we would be grateful for your contributions – donations can be made when securing your spot ticket on Eventbrite. You could also support our organization by becoming a volunteer, donating money or free services, or sharing our social media posts.

  • Signing up for free counseling through &Rise is easy! Simply complete this confidential online form, and &Rise staff will contact you within 2-3 days to get you started on your healing journey. 

 

FAQs about Support Groups

  • Most survivors have multiple experiences with trauma and abuse. Once it’s started, an individual is more likely to experience a repeat of the cycle with other abusers. When choosing an &Rise support group, start with your first experience. Did you experience childhood sexual or physical abuse? Or did the abuse start in adulthood? 

    How our brain processes trauma varies depending on our maturity at the onset of abuse, and the type of abuse we experienced. Our virtual and in-person trauma groups speak specifically to trauma experienced by children, adults who experienced violent sexual assault, and survivors of sex trafficking. Our virtual domestic abuse groups speak more specifically to adults who are currently in or are recovering from domestic abuse. 

  • Select from one of the three options on this page, and complete the online registration form. All &Rise support groups are free of charge, but we need enrollment information to ensure that you receive an invitation for virtual groups, and updates on location and scheduling changes for in-person groups.

  • Yes. However, we suggest you give a group at try for at least a month before changing. Talking about trauma requires trust, and trust takes time to build. If you have a negative experience or it just isn’t clicking for you, let us know at jennifer@womenrisechicago.org.

  • &Rise support groups are peer-led, meaning that they are not facilitated by a mental health professional. However, our peer-facilitators are survivors who undergo extensive training to support in their role. The goal of the group is to create a sense of safety and community between survivors. Peer-led groups have shown to be very successful in empowering survivors to heal and thrive.

  • &Rise peer-facilitators understand how difficult it can be to find quality information and resources beginning a journey to healing from trauma and abuse. As peers, they are uniquely qualified to support you as you learn to cope, adjust, understand, and advocate for yourself and your loved ones.

  • Contact us! We can help you figure out the best fit. You will have an opportunity to speak with a trained &Rise staff or volunteer to point you in the right direction. 

  • At the start of each group, our facilitators will go over the Agenda and Group Rules. Our facilitators may offer structure to the conversation depending on the nature of the group. However, for the most part, this support group offers an open and supportive place for sharing and discussion.

  • No one in our virtual support groups can see you unless you choose to turn on your webcam. We understand that people have different comfort levels and we respect participant's anonymity.

  • Cost should not be a barrier to receiving support and information to help you escape and recover from trauma and abuse. &Rise is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As such, support groups, counseling, and other services are supported by donor donations, sponsors and fundraising efforts. 

  • If you are interested and able, we would be grateful for your contributions – donations can be made when securing your spot ticket on Eventbrite. You could also support our organization by becoming a volunteer, donating money or free services, or sharing our social media posts.

Want to Learn More about Trauma and Abuse?

Learn 10 Ways to Stop Letting Past Traumas Define You!