As Director of Wellspring Counseling Center, Merle Bombardieri culls her wisdom from thirty years of clinical experience and over fifty years of living. In addition to traditional counseling techniques, Merle has a wide repertoire of training and skills:

• Hypnotherapy (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Behavioral medicine (the science of mind-body connections)
• Cognitive/behavioral therapies (goal setting, positive self-talk, etc.)
• Humanistic psychotherapy and Jungian therapy (focus on self-discovery and the meaning of life)
• Gestalt therapy and Psychosynthesis ( resolving inner conflict)
• Ancient techniques (meditation, yoga breathing, and affirmations)

Compassion, optimism and humor are essential aspects of Merle's counseling as she helps clients find a balance between reflection and action. By raising self-esteem and decreasing negative self-talk, her clients learn to outsmart and quiet their inner critic. The endless inner struggle gives way to the freedom to create the life they want.
 

Four Specialties

1. Fertility, Parenthood Decisions, and Women's Lifecycles
2. Peak Performance
3. Insomnia
4. Addiction

1.     Fertility, Parenthood Decision-Making, and Women's Lifecycles Enjoy the relief of resolution. The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice. - George Eliot

Are you longing for a child and disappointed-again? Are you finding it impossible to talk to your partner? Are family and friends clueless about why you can't attend a baby shower? There are few situations in life that cause women and couples as much anguish as not being able to have a baby. At Wellspring Counseling you'll learn how to reduce your stress, communicate better, heal your grief, and streamline your decision making.

Successful pregnancy, especially after infertility, brings a new kind of stress: "Will our luck hold out? Will we carry to term and have a healthy baby?" Merle offers women and couples the psychological support so often needed to live with uncertainty and prepare for childbirth and the postpartum experience.

Or do you need help deciding among alternative fertility treatments? When is enough enough? At what point do you cut your losses, and move on to conception methods such as donor egg, donor sperm or adoption?

What if you don't have a fertility problem, but you are trying to decide whether to have a child or have a life without children? Counseling sessions and the self-exploration exercises Merle developed for her book, The Baby Decision, can help you find clarity. You'll feel confident in your decision to conceive or to remain childfree, and be well-prepared to make the most out of your choice. Merle is nationally known for her pioneering work with single women considering motherhood. She offers counseling and self-exploration exercises for choosing among pregnancy, adoption, and remaining child-free.

Wellspring Counseling can also help with gynecological problems and pain related to premenstrual and menopause discomfort, or preparation for a hysterectomy and other gynecological surgeries. Hypnosis is available for childbirth as well as for the above conditions.

Another aspect of women's wellness is the emptying nest, which often coincides with menopause. Along with mind-body methods of symptom reduction, Merle offers help in "letting go" of the college freshman and discovering joy, meaning, and mission vis-a-vis the now-available time and energy for love, friendship, work, and social contributions.

The Resource Catalogue, Your Mind's Own Medicine, carries the many guidelines and booklets Merle developed with her colleague, Diane Clapp (medical information counselor for RESOLVE, the national infertility organization) to resolve these difficult issues.
 
 

2.     Peak Performance Doing your best work with confidence and ease. Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which flows into you as life... - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Does it feel as if life is more of a struggle than it should be? Have there been times when your actions seemed to flow more easily and naturally? Merle can coach you on how to achieve "Peak Performance," also known as being "in flow" or "in the zone." Peak Performance is doing your very best work while your mind, body, and spirit are in optimal states.

Whether at work, in sports, creating art, or in relationship, achieving peak performance not only eliminates negative behaviors such as self-sabotage and critical self-talk, but also cultivates conditions that enhance and maintain performance consistently - without burning out.

You may be afraid of public speaking, auditioning for a performance, or experiencing writer's block. People come to Merle with a desire to work with less struggle, more "flow," and more joy. One strategy Merle teaches her clients is self-hypnosis so they can achieve peak performance on their own. Even artists who are producing very well benefit from Merle's interventions because they learn how to easily access their most daring, original creative powers.

For women, peak performance includes learning how to stay relatively comfortable and calm during premenstrual or menopausal times and pregnancy.

A critical factor in achieving peak performance is finding the meaning in your life and personal expression, not just high quality performance in itself. Merle's counseling and hypnotherapy techniques help her clients to identify and actualize their most cherished goals.
 

3.     Insomnia  Attaining restful sleep more easily.  A calm mind makes a sleeping pillow. - Loosely adapted from American Proverbs

Do you have trouble sleeping or do you fall asleep easily but wake up with your head spinning with all you need to do or should have done? At Wellspring Counseling you can learn how to take the struggle out of sleep and wake up refreshed on a regular basis. In a relatively short time period it's possible to change not only the quality of your sleep but also the quality of your day. You'll enjoy the many benefits of a good night's sleep: more energy, better concentration and creativity, better problem-solving, and a heightened enjoyment of life on a daily basis with the people you love.

With Merle's guidance, you will design a Sleep Plan that addresses your unique concerns and sleep patterns. You will learn how to create a soothing transition between your awake time and bedtime and how to put your worries to sleep at night. In addition to techniques for relaxation and falling asleep, your Sleep Plan may include tips on nutrition, exercise, or time management. Since women's insomnia is often related to hormonal problems, excessive worry, or caring for young children, we often address these issues as well. In these challenging times, a great thing you can do for yourself is to learn how to get the rest you need to live the life you want.

4.     Addiction  Finding freedom by mastering your cravings.  A contented mind is a continual feast. - Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs

 

Do chocolates or cigarettes call out to you? Have you vowed to stop doing something only to find you're doing it again? Overeating, smoking, and working too much are common ways women (and men) cope with worry, fear, anger, depression, and boredom.

At Wellspring Counseling, we take a common-sense and compassionate approach to permanent behavior change. Merle's approach takes into account the psychological and biochemical cravings and inner conflicts about whether it's worth it to give up an addiction.

Understanding the addictive behavior is the first step. Stopping it is the second, but lasting change calls for a crucial third step: learning new ways to cope with difficult feelings. Merle can show you techniques, including hypnosis to help you get through the cravings and other difficult times. She also knows the twelve-step programs and can help clients find the right combination of self-help and psychotherapeutic support. Clients often report feeling a wonderful sense of relief and freedom after working with Merle. They are no longer at the mercy of their addiction.

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