Strengths-based coaching & hypnosis with Elizabeth Chatfield Vernier
About Elizabeth
I’m a strengths-based coach and hypnosis practitioner, and mom to a neurodivergent kid. As a late-diagnosed Autistic ADHDer with a chronic invisible illness, I have a unique perspective on the strengths and challenges these present. Using a client-centered, neurodiversity-affirming approach, I guide clients to find their own inner strength to support autonomy and unmask. I help neurodivergent people who are experiencing overwhelm, burnout, self doubt, or self sabotage. We identify values and process emotions, which paves the way for validating lived experience. Clients gain self-acceptance in order to confidently move through the world authentically.
Before I realized I was neurodivergent, I thought everyone else experienced emotions the same way as me, I just did a poor job of regulating my emotions and expressing myself in ways people expected. In others’ view, I overreacted in some situations and under-reacted in others. Now I know that it’s a myth that ND people lack empathy or emotion. In fact, we often have empathy and emotional intensity in spades. In order to regulate our nervous systems in a healthy way and avoid burnout, we may need to stim or fidget, as well as minimize or avoid exposure to situations that are overwhelming to our senses and/or our emotions.
I have two bachelor degrees and a graduate certificate. I trained in Heather Morgan’s Values-based unmasking process, and I’m certified in hypnosis through the International Association of Counselors and Therapists.
What to Expect in a Session:
Each session is catered to you as an individual. A typical session includes both coaching (addressing the conscious mind) and hypnosis (addressing the subconscious mind) in relatively equal parts. However, a session can be coaching only, if that is what you want or we determine together that you need. The first part of a typical session is coaching, where we identify your values and needs and process emotions on a conscious level. We work together to determine how the beliefs that you’ve picked up throughout your life affect your current life struggles, and we gain clarity on the direction to take that aligns with your core values, what matters most to you in life.
The second part, hypnosis, is like a guided meditation, but longer and more deeply relaxing. You remember your session and are in full control of your body and responses. Hypnosis can help all kinds of emotional struggles, such as improving emotional resilience and confidence, and reducing unhelpful beliefs and anxious feelings. Regulating your nervous system, learning how to relax, is a challenge for anyone to do in an over-stimulating world, but it can be especially challenging for neurodiverse people.
Hypnosis brings you to a state in which the body and mind are fully relaxed through techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, followed by imagination exercises. The deeply relaxed state allows you to become aware of emotions that are stuck in the subconscious and make wanted changes. Plus, relaxing deeply feels good and provides a needed break from a cluttered mind and tense muscles.
Cancelation policy: Free cancelation with 24 hours’ notice.
*If there is a true emergency when canceling with less than 24 hours’ notice, please let me know.
Working with Me:
I make sure you know that when you are talking with me, you are free to move around, stand or walk, or use sensory/fidget toys. For Zoom sessions, we can turn on closed captions or you can turn the camera off during coaching. I’m flexible and happy to work in the ways that you need to process the session, whether that includes me reading out loud a story that you wrote about your current struggles, sharing my notes with you, or it can be that you need to share a drawing with me, or be guided through a body awareness technique to become more aware of your feelings. I use identity-first language, and I acknowledge that each neurodivergent person is unique and has their own ways of processing and approaching their experiences.
Book a free consult:
Consults are available via email, Messenger, phone, or Zoom—whichever way you are most comfortable with. Sometimes seeing a new person/being seen by a new person for the consult on Zoom can be too much for the first interaction.
Fees: $125 for 2-hour initial session. Payment in other currencies available upon request. There is a great need for accessible neurodiversity-affirming support—thank you to Thriving Autistic for your work in this area! I offer a sliding scale for session payment, and I work with anyone experiencing financial hardship to determine an affordable price.