Posted by Helen on Mar 07, 2018 in Older Articles
CFU wants to give a big shout out to Sarabeth Bjorndahl who has been teaching with us since 1993! She is one of our most reliable instructors, always giving a terrific class and a joy to work with. She has taught Take Control of Your Life: Set Healthy Boundaries for years and now will be adding Assertiveness Training for Everyone. (See all of her classes here.)
Sarabeth has an MA in Counseling Psychology and a BS in Human Services from the Addictive Family Institute. She works with adults, focusing on family of origin, existential, developmental and relationship issues. She incorporates EMDR, Thought Field Therapy, and mindfulness practices into her work. She taught in the Master’s level Counseling Psychology program at Regis University for 15 years.
Sarabeth began teaching at CFU because she was building her private practice and thought that it might be a good way to connect with people. She has continued to teach for all these years because she loves teaching and she is fascinated by the subject of boundaries. She believes that it is vital to have community education available to people and she values being a part of CFU.
The age range of folks who take Sarabeth’s boundary class has been teens to 70’s – but the 30’s-60’s range is usual and more women than men are typically in the class. Folks take the class to figure out how to parent better or how improve their interpersonal work relationships. People who are newly divorced have found the class helpful as well as people who find that they keep hitting up against patterns they don’t like in their relationships.
Sarabeth believes that everyone benefits from learning more about themselves. In a classroom setting students can feel supported when they realize they aren’t the “only one” who feels a particular way. It’s also a way for people to learn more about themselves in an educational rather than therapeutic format. Personal growth also begins to help people search for a more meaningful life.
The Assertiveness Training Class is a natural addition for Sarabeth. In her Take Control of Your Life – Learn to Set Healthy Boundaries, she focuses on the why’s and how’s of boundaries. Assertiveness Training is the implementation or behavioral aspect of setting boundaries so it’s a perfect blend! Students are welcome to take one or both of these classes with Sarabeth.