I am a born teacher/learner and have taught in a two-room schoolhouse, graduate schools and organizations in the, Canada, Mexico and Europe. My doctoral studies were in counseling psychology and I taught in two universities; once I was approved for tenure I left academia for consulting.
In 1996 a valued colleague introduced me to Appreciative Inquiry, a change process that includes asking about strengths, hopes, values, best experiences, accomplishments and defines life-giving forces, those unique attributes that describe the core of the person or organization. Its focus on the power of questions, continuous learning, ability to form our reality based upon our conversations and value of involving people are all aligned with my personal beliefs. Although Appreciative Inquiry was designed to create organization change I have adapted it to create the format of Healing Conversations.
In the last few years my attention has been on elders, the dying and intergenerational relationships and the power of Healing Conversations to reveal our connectedness and provide a venue for people to learn about each other and express their love and appreciation.