• June, 2010 - Zak Martin-Kilgour
• October, 2009 - Shulamit Day Berlevtov
• September, 2009 - Nancy Leach
• May, 2009 - Deeni Wagner
• April, 2009 - Barbara Ford
• March, 2009 - Leanne Wierzbicki
• February, 2009 - Isabella D'Alessandro, H.E.T.
• January, 2009 - Rhonda Lee Stetsko
• December, 2008 - Jane Booth-Robertson
• November, 2008 - Lee Pryke
• October, 2008 - Bonny Rochford
• September, 2008 - Karen Egoff

Shulamit Day Berlevtov

October, 2009

What brought you to the realization that you are a healer?

I support people in transforming what is painful and difficult into meaning, inner spaciousness and new life. Therefore, I don’t consider myself a healer, although healing is at the core of my work. I was motivated to do this as a result of my own healing journey, which has given me the ability to sit with pain and difficulty. I have found that “being with” pain, combined with deep listening, is profoundly healing and that was my motivation to share it with others.

What obstacles have you found in considering yourself a success in this field?

I am nowhere near considering myself a financial success, since I have only recently opened my private practice. I have been told that, in a market like Ottawa, which is saturated with psychotherapists and counsellors, and thus is highly competitive, the marketing most likely to bring clients is word-of-mouth. I therefore ask clients directly to share as much about their experience with me as they are comfortable doing, and I give them pamphlets and business cards to distribute in whatever way they see fit. I once read that business cards don’t belong in my drawer or wallet, but are for giving away, so I have made it a practice of leaving them everywhere I go.

I am cultivating patience and acceptance as my business grows, in order to support myself when I encounter obstacles. In particular, I have found the Remembrance practice, from Mark Silver’s Heart of Business (see www.heartofbusiness.com) , in combination with my personal Focusing practice (see www.focusingresources.com) have provided me with the inner support and information I need when obstacles come up.

What schooling or training have you completed?

I have training in Focusing and conflict resolution (Nonviolent Communication and Restorative Circles), as well as suicide and crisis intervention (ASIST). I have specific skills for supporting people through life transitions and with chronic illness, for supporting family and friends regarding substance abuse/addiction (including addiction assessment and referral), and can also address domestic violence and trauma. Psychology and Social Work were my undergraduate and graduate fields of study. I am currently a student in the Masters of Counselling and Spirituality program at the University of St. Paul, Ottawa, and a certification candidate for Focusing, and Nonviolent Communication. I have studied reiki and the Tapas Acupressure Technique, and am a multiply-certified yoga teacher, having studied Kripalu, Viniyoga and Integrative Yoga Therapy.

Do you find group gathering to be helpful in supporting you on your journey?

As I work through my business growth program, using the Heart of Business by Mark Silver (www.heartofbusiness.com), I have found working with colleagues to be invaluable. Mark Silver offers a fee-based peer support program but for sustainability issues I chose not to participate. Instead I invited a like-minded fellow small-business person to be my “Heart of Business buddy.” I did the same for the Focusing and NVC certification programs; neither of them have official peer-partnership programs for certificands but I invited a colleague in each program to be certification buddies and we now meet regularly and work together to support one another.

Does networking with others assist you in achieving your goals?

I believe the conventional wisdom that says it does, and I enjoy the human connections that result. I do not have anything measurable (such as increased clients, for example) on which to base a yes to this question.

Is there advice you would offer to someone starting on this path?

Since I’m also just starting, and I enjoy what I’m doing, I recommend that. My main marketing strategy is to concentrate on giving away as much as I am comfortable with. This requires deep self-honesty so I am sure I am not acting from deficit or lack thinking, and also not affecting my sustainability (in other words, I want to be sure I am giving while also making sure I can sustain myself in all areas, financial as well as time and energy).

I highly recommend working with the Heart of Business (www.heartofbusiness.com) material because it is designed to fully integrate heart, integrity and spirituality into effective business practices. I feel so relieved to be out from under my beliefs about traditional marketing and business practices, and beyond that, have gained insights and ideas that have really worked for me. The site has tons of free information, which is how I first started working with it. I also recommend having a “business-development” buddy for support as well as accountability.

I am still working with goal-setting. It has been helpful for me to write down goals for 1 month, 6 months, 1 year and 5 years. I hold the intention of revisiting what I have written every month but actually end up doing it every few months. I enjoy the visualization or dreaming that occurs as I imagine possible goals, as well as the concreteness of having them written down to review, then celebrate or adjust. I want to work more effectively with this practice and am not yet sure how to do it. I recommend it now simply for its value in making ideas concrete, and tracking progress.

Having an office in my home has been the cornerstone of my growth. I can’t imagine how I could meet my sustainability needs while also paying rent on office space when my schedule is not yet fully booked.

Where do you see yourself in a year? 5 years? Do you have any particular goals that you would like to achieve in the near future?

In one year I envision having a flourishing part-time practice, which I define as having at least 3 1 hour appointments booked each week. In 5 years I envision earning $50,000 per year and having 20 hours of appointments booked per week. In addition, I will have completed all my current certification studies and my MA, and will have been accepted to a PhD program in Counselling and Spirituality.