FAQs

How will we meet for Vital Journey Sessions?

We will typically meet on Zoom for coaching sessions. You can Zoom from your home, car, a park, on your walk or wherever makes sense for you.

Before our Zoom meeting, I invite you to make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, feel free to grab a snack and get as comfortable as possible. If you want to have your pet in the session or to be snuggled up in your favorite chair with a blanket, that is wonderful.

When do you offer Sessions?

I offer both weekday and weekend appointments. If there is not an available appointment time that meets your scheduling needs, let me know what timing you are looking for and I’ll contact you when a spot for your desired appointment time opens up.

How often do we meet for Vital Journey Sessions?

Each person is unique, so we can work around what feels like a good flow to you.

Do you offer Intensive Options?

Yes. Some clients will choose more frequent sessions for 1-12 weeks and then reduce session frequency over time. If a client has a big life shift, an acute challenge or something they want to explore with deeper focus for a short period of time, they may choose to meet up to twice a week. Finding a pace that feels supportive to you and your goals is what matters.

Is Vital Journey Coaching Culturally Responsive?

While I have robust training in anti-racism, diversity and inclusion, I understand cultural responsiveness and anti-racism to be ongoing practices that require continual dynamic learning, humility, growth and accountability. My intention is always to interrogate and explore how my social location, white privilege and experiences inform my thoughts and actions. I don’t always get it right. When I fall short and a new area of necessary growth and reparative action is revealed, I will do everything I can to do both the internal work and to make outward amends. If you have any questions about my approach to coaching and cultural responsiveness, please ask me in our discovery session. I seek to be transparent and accountable.

Some Differences Between Vital Journey Coaching & Therapy

Coaching and therapy are not the same thing. I, personally, have had positive experiences with and highly value both coaching and clinical mental health care therapy. While I have had graduate level classes in counseling and have over a decade of experience in collaborating with and supporting survivors of trauma, I am not a practicing therapist. My goal is to offer strategic, attuned support at an accessible hourly rate.

My training has been focused on general emotional support, trauma and abuse recovery support, CPTSD recovery support, attuned coaching, Focusing therapy approaches, Attachment therapy, poly-vagal felt sense approach, DV and SA advocacy, attachment theory, relational trauma recovery, supportive somatic approaches, nervous system care and parts work.

As your coach, I can provide a supportive space for you to share your experiences and your goals. Together we can strategically collaborate to develop skills, frameworks and practices that help you build toward your goals. I WILL NOT, however, diagnose you, prescribe a clinical mental health care treatment plan and CANNOT prescribe or suggest medications. If you are suicidal, in acute addiction, need a specialized treatment not offered by coaches (for instance EMDR) and/or require a formal diagnosis, you will need to be seen by a clinical mental health therapist, psychologist and/or psychiatrist. About half of my clients, in addition to Vital Journey Coaching, are also seeing a clinical mental health therapist or psychiatrist as part of their support team. I am always happy to collaborate with other professionals when a client has a larger support team. As your personal coach and empathetic witness, I will work with you on tending to and building toward your unique goals. You and I will work together at your pace, using approaches tailored to your needs.

How do I pay for Sessions?

Fees are collected before session, so that our session time together can be focused on YOU. CashApp, Checks, Stripe Invoice Payments & Venmo are accepted.

Can I buy several sessions at once?

Yes. Both packages and Individual Sessions are available. If you need a package tailored to your specific needs, please contact Maria at maria@vitaljourneycoaching.com.

Do you offer Groups?

Group offerings will be available a few times a year online. If you are interested in group offerings, please reach out via the contact form and I’ll email you when the next groups are forming. Groups can be a powerful way to explore together and learn from each other, as well as a beautiful way of building community.

How long are Vital Journey Coaching Sessions?

You can select 60 minutes or 90 minutes for your session time. Depending on your specific goals, budget and the practices we explore together in sessions, you can decide which length of session fits your needs best.

What are the Fees for your Coaching Offerings?

Your first 45 minute discovery session is complimentary.

60-minute session $ 80

90-minute session $120

60-minute equitable access $30

Reduced Fee Sliding Scale Appointments: You’ll receive the same supportive coaching, but price is reduced. If you are interested, please DO reach out. We all get through together and you deserve personalized support. My full price paying clients and community support donations allow for these reduced fee spaces to exist. You matter and I look forward to hearing from you.

Late Policy, Cancellations and Refunds

If you are up to 15 minutes late, we will use the remainder of your session time. If you are later than 15 minutes past session start time, I’ll reach out to reschedule with you via email or text. Since many of clients are navigating immense physical and mental health challenges, flexibility in re-scheduling really supports our work together. Flexible scheduling is something I do my best to accommodate. If several sessions are missed, we’ll talk about finding a better time for your appointments and about how we can collaborate in a way that feels better for your process. Sessions are paid for at least 72 hours before your session. If you have not paid for the session, your session will be cancelled.

*A minimum of 15% of Vital Journey Coaching’s annual profit goes toward community-empowering projects, anti-racist initiatives, low cost session offerings and/or direct reparations work led or facilitated by Black, Indigenous, Disabled and/or Queer community members.

*If you have ANY additional questions, please reach out to maria@vitaljourneycoaching.com

or by utilizing the “Contact” form in the menu at the top right of the page. Thanks.