Elisabeth Escobar

I received my Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University in New York City. I have worked in Addiction Treatment Programs for both teens and adults as a counselor, educator and director of admissions. I have also been an administrator at three universities helping young people navigate their way through the academic, social and personal aspects of being a college student.

I spent nine years as a K-12 school counselor at several international schools in Rome, Italy and La Paz, Bolivia. I have worked on a Washington DC Hotline, with people in crisis, a Hospice Program in NYC, with the terminally ill and their family members, and with police and clergy in Oakland, Ca, helping individuals living on the street find a new life. I presently have a private practice that allows me to counsel, coach and consult with clients on a variety of issues such as anxiety, grief and addictions, to name a few.

My emphasis is on helping people change, be it a behavior (such as smoking or losing weight or spending too much time with electronic devices) or something about themselves (wanting to become more assertive, or less aggressive, or more organised, etc). Change work can also be about changing your situation. Change is more likely to happen when people have support and I offer that support.

I have lived in Russia, Argentina, The Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Bolivia, the U.S., and presently Serbia. “The only thing that is constant is change”. I look forward to helping guide you through this process.

My approach:

For the past 30 years, I have worked as a helping professional in a variety of capacities and in a variety of settings. My approach is one of Un-Conditional Positive Regard for the person(s) who are sitting across from me, with whatever issues clients are facing. This means that all feelings are ok. I provide a non-judgmental environment and I encourage clients to openly discuss their feelings and behaviors when they feel ready, so as to deal with any shame or blame that may be keeping individuals “stuck”.

Coaching for Change is my way of helping people make any type of change. Based on the research by Drs. Prochuka and Di Clemente, the “stages of change” model is effective in helping clients understand how to make lasting changes. Since expats are moving around the world, they are adapting to new cities, languages, and cultures. Even in a stationary life, people are constantly evolving and changing and I help facilitate this process so that adults, teens and children can adjust to whatever comes their way.

I help clients process feelings in a safe atmosphere and encourage them to lead the session so that they can address the problems that they feel ready to work on. I ask thought-provoking questions to help clients get to the core issues and help them learn how to reframe thoughts so that they can break unhealthy patterns. I use humor when appropriate and I am empathetic, understanding and supportive. I let clients know that I “have their back”. I understand that change is difficult, (but not impossible) and I help clients work through the Stages of Change at their own pace. If you would like to quit smoking, lose weight, or if you are thinking of getting married or getting divorced, having a baby, sending a child off to university, changing jobs or careers or coping with the loss of a loved one, I can help you make sense of the inevitable, confusing and sometimes scary emotions.

I am also a Certified Positive Discipline Educator and I can help parents, teachers and school administrators learn more effective means of how to redirect kids and teens so that they learn from their acting out behavior instead of reinforcing or worsening unhealthy behavior. I am also a Certified Clinical Interventionist and help families get their loved one into a treatment program.

I can be reached by email at: [email protected] and I offer an initial free consultation for 30 minutes to help clients decide if they would like to work with me via phone, skype, what’s app, facetime, zoom or google meets. The changes you want to make are waiting for you and I am here to help facilitate this amazing process.