"Stephanie understood our son better than anyone he’s ever worked with in the first 5 minutes she met him. She’s extraordinarily personable and there’s no doubt she is 100% committed to helping kids and families navigate tough situations. We would highly recommend her!"

Sandy Risgaard

"I have experienced Stephanie work up close with those who need coaching and seen the miracles she's been able to create. She's patient and full of love for every single person she comes in contact with. I will always recommend her services!"

McKay Allman

"Stephanie is amazing what she does. She is able to look at a teen and a family and figure out a plan to build back to peace. She isn't afraid to get dirty working hard and to even challenge the child or the parents when it is needed. She does all this in a loving and caring manner."

Ryan Smith

This letter is not just a recommendation for the service that Stephanie Grothaus can provide for your family, it is a letter of gratitude for everything that she has done to help save our daughter from tragedy.   If you have a son or daughter with severe depression and you fear they may take their own life, then as you read this I can assume that your family is broken with unsufferable pain and sadness.  You likely feel anger towards an unjust system where therapists are only available for your struggling child one or two hours per week.   Outside of that short and sometimes inconsequential appointment, that therapist will not pick up your call when your child has an episode that requires immediate attention.  When that moment strikes when everything feels out of control and your child threatens harm themselves or others, you need a life coach at that moment because nothing that you are doing is helping.  The feeling of helplessness is what hurts the most.  The disheartening struggle that your child feels at these moments and has no one available except for the recommendation to call 9-1-1. 

This was our life for 2 years.  Our daughter was 14 yrs old and was dealing with a severe mood disorder that manifested itself in a deep depression.  She wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning because going to school meant that she would have to face her piers.  The extreme anxiety and low self-esteem was too much for her to handle so choosing to stay in bed all day was a much safer option.  When she exhibited heightened mood swings (something that happened daily) my wife and I were unable to calm her down.  The family dynamic was out of sync and the love that we tried to give certainly didn’t feel like it was received.  Nothing was working and to make matters worse, going to therapy twice a week for an hour just wasn’t enough…she needed an outlet for therapy at any given moment and that option did not exist.  It was at this time that we were referred to Stephanie. 

To give a quick background, two years prior at the age of 12 we made the unthinkable decision to send her to a residential treatment center as her suicidal ideation became increasingly stronger and more commonplace.  The psychiatrist had prescribed medication for her that ultimately was not the correct drug and intensified the suicidal thoughts.  We could not control the manic episodes every morning and every night.  She started cutting herself, first on her arms and then on her legs to where the sight of the blood and the scabbing became such an issue she couldn’t wear shorts or a bathing suit.  There were moments we thought she felt ready to leave this earth and our instincts told us that she needed to be confined to a place where that was not an option.  She ended up staying for 10 months and although her mental health improved greatly, she was still unable to adapt to the real world especially at school.  So fast forward to when Stephanie arrived.

The most simplistic way to describe the intangible services that Stephanie provides is that she is an on-call coach that will understand what your son or daughter is going through and will make sure that they receive immediate attention every time they need it.  Stephanie’s approach to being available 100% of the time for your child makes her a unicorn.  Our daughter had over 10 therapists in her lifetime and none of them made our family feel like you can reach them after “business hours” so you can be assured this relationship will feel much different.  You will also feel right away that the money spent is not going to waste.  Within a couple weeks of hiring Stephanie, my daughter was calling her several times a day, if not more, when her mood was heightened and out of control.  When necessary, Stephanie came to our house to be with our daughter in person and the time of day was not a factor so understand that this is not a traditional coach with “business hours.”  Beyond the availability factor, Stephanie is a psychological superstar in communication.  Her calm and direct approach with these struggling kids is something that is a true artform in managing erratic and inconsolable behavior.  She was able to successfully manage our daughter’s dysregulation every time things got out of control.  At our most helpless moments it was a blessing to have Stephanie to assist. 

Stephanie was sent to a residential facility by her parents at a young age so she can relate to trauma, depression and severe anxiety.  She also worked in and managed residential facilities so she understands how to deal with conflict and severe mood disorders.  Her life experience dealing with child trauma has provided  her with a magical way of communicating to teens/children that allows for change to happen.  In just 6 months we starting seeing a major change in the way our daughter was able to control her mood swings much better than before.  Our daughter also learned how to apologize and lift that heavy weight of guilt and shame off her shoulder.   Loving herself would come later down the road, but without Stephanie’s involvement in our daughter’s life she may not be alive today. 

As parents that tried so many things to help our daughter, Stephanie was instrumental in encouraging us to take a different approach to parenting.  Her coaching skills enforced to my wife and I that we needed to change our style of parenting.  Having Stephanie as a third-party mediator allowed us to have many productive conversations that inevitably would not have been possible.  Ultimately, we were able to phase Stephanie out of the parenting mix by adopting many of the strategies that worked and continue to work today.

If you’ve read this far and you are in a position to be able to hire Stephanie, I can assure you that you are going to make a life-changing decision in the best interest of your family.  I am happy to have Stephanie put you in contact with me as well if you would like to further discuss your decision.