{"id":20,"date":"2018-02-12T14:47:11","date_gmt":"2018-02-12T14:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tovaabelmancoaching.com\/index.php\/about\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T20:22:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T20:22:25","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tovaabelmancoaching.com\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hi, I'm Tova! <\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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My Approach<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I am trained in drama therapy<\/strong>, an experiential, relational, and process-oriented approach that explores the nuances of human experience through story, symbol, and metaphor<\/strong>. I integrate additional perspectives to offer practical tools and exercises clients can apply in their daily lives. My work emphasizes cultivating curiosity, creativity, compassion, mindful awareness, and flexibility<\/strong>\u2014both toward yourself and others\u2014to support overall wellness and transformation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I hold an MA in Counseling Psychology with a Concentration in Drama Therapy<\/strong>, a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology<\/strong>, an MBA<\/strong>, and a certificate in Integrative Nutrition from UCSD Extension<\/strong>. I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and provisional registered drama therapist<\/strong>, combining scientific training, clinical expertise, and creative practice in my coaching.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I approach human behavior as contextual and relational<\/strong>. Every thought, feeling, intuition, judgment, or action has purpose within the unique social, cultural, and personal contexts of your life. We do not exist in isolation\u2014our relationships, experiences, and the meanings we assign to them shape our wellness and wellbeing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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My perspective on behavior is expansive<\/strong>. It includes both what is observable\u2014actions, speech, habits\u2014and internal processes such as thinking, sensing, feeling, intuiting, ruminating, and even how you relate to yourself. How you show up for yourself is a form of behavior, and it matters.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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One of the strengths of drama therapy is its relational focus<\/strong>. By exploring relationships with others and with yourself, we can uncover patterns, build connection, and support holistic growth. Healthy relationships\u2014both internal and external\u2014are foundational to wellbeing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I take a holistic view of wellness<\/strong>, considering domains such as your social connections, internal world (thoughts, memories, emotions, physical sensations, and urges), sleep, stress, movement, restoration, leisure, self-care, and sociocultural identity. These often-invisible forces shape your experience and capacity to thrive.<\/p>

Life is a process, and many of us operate under restrictive or limiting narratives that keep growth bound. Through exploration, insight, and creative practice, you can disrupt patterns, expand perspective, and move toward more freedom and fulfillment<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What We Can Work on Together:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Relationships<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Our relationships\u2014with others and with ourselves\u2014profoundly shape our wellness and wellbeing. I help clients explore interactional patterns, uncover relational dynamics, and cultivate empowering communication skills. We also explore the inner self, different roles, and how you show up in your life, helping you build more meaningful connections with yourself and those around you.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Flexibility<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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True transformation requires flexible thinking, feeling, and being<\/strong>. Together, we cultivate the ability to relate to your thoughts, memories, mental images, physical sensations, emotions, and urges in ways that open you to the full range of possibilities in any given moment. Flexibility also means breaking patterns that keep you stuck, discovering purpose and meaning, and embracing curiosity and creative exploration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Embodiment<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Your body is a powerful partner in transformation. I help you tune in to how physical experience shapes your wellness and wellbeing\u2014from sleep, nutrition, and movement, to posture, gesture, and nonverbal communication. We explore how body and mind inform each other and how cultivating embodied awareness can support clarity, resilience, and presence.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Additional Areas We Can Explore<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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