Marie Fremgen, MSW

                           

Carol:  Welcome Marie.  Glad to have you aboard.

Marie: Thanks - I'm happy to have this opportunity to speak with you and your viewers.

Carol:  Marie - what would you say is your focus when your clients contact you for your services?

Marie:  I want to be instrumental in encouraging them to define their goals so that they may achieve a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life.  I ask the following questions:  What is it that they wish to achieve?  What do they feel is missing in their lives?  Have they programmed their lives with negative thinking and  forgotten how to be happy? 

Carol:  How do you achieve this?

Marie:  As a Life Coach, I provide a safe, supportive, non-judgmental, empathetic environment for my clients.  This is achieved by listening to their thoughts and feelings and encouraging them to admit to any fears that they may have.  I believe that with awareness and understanding and a sincere commitment to embrace positive change, he/she will relieve a great deal of stress and tension they may be experiencing.  People must want to be happy and learn how to program  positive expectations.  'Positive Psychology', also known as the 'Science of Happiness', was developed by Martin Seligman who is associated with the University of Pennsylvania.  Its teaching focuses on how individuals can flourish rather than on why they are depressed.

Carol:  I agree with you that people must want to be 'happy'.  We have a choice.  We can choose to be happy or depressed.  We become that which we think we are.  Too many of us concentrate on the negative which only reinforces the stress and depression.

Marie:  Psychologist have also found that negative thoughts, boredom or embarrassment are overreactions and can be controlled.  Research has shown that it takes 21 days to create a so-called 'pathway' in the brain to overcome negative thoughts with positive ones.  Every time a negative thought appears, it is negated with a positive one.  We just can't sit back and wait for a knock on the door for happiness to walk in.  We have to make the effort and go get it!

Carol:  So to sum up, you help resolve issues with:

Marital and Family Relationships
Retirement/Transition
Grief/Loss
Stress Management

Marie:  Yes.  Most of us need help in one or more of these areas at some time in life.

Carol:  Thanks for your input, Marie.  Good good luck with your endeavors.