Interview with Gina Clowes, AllergyMoms

Gina, could you please tell me your practice name, how long you’ve been in business and how a potential client can reach you online or by telephone?

AllergyMoms LLC.  I have been in business since 2006. I can be reached at [email protected] or (724)432-3811.

I help parents adjust to life with a child who has life-threatening food allergies.

I am a food allergy educator, speaker, certified life coach, and author of the best-selling children’s book “One of the Gang: Nurturing the Souls of Children with Food Allergies”

I write a regular column in Allergic Living Magazine called “The Parenting Coach” where I share my passion for supporting the emotional needs of families with food allergies.

Clients can purchase individual coaching packages here:

http://www.allergymoms.com/modules/xoopsfaq/index.php

My “Ten Things Children with Food Allergies Want You To Know” eBook and Teleseminar Recording is available here:
http://www.allergymoms.com/10things.html

I periodically send information on new group coaching and teleclasses through my newsletter.
Newsletter is available here: http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016DNjNiidDhSvcZnoj1cK5g%3D%3D

What training and/or degrees do you have?

I am a Certified Life Coach and will have Master Coach Certification in July 2011. I have a BA in Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Science.

Do you have food allergies or intolerances yourself? Or do you have children who do?

I have two children. My ten year old son has multiple food allergies. (Milk, wheat, egg , peanuts, tree nuts and more.)

What is your “typical client”?

My ideal client is:
The mother of a child who has been recently diagnosed or recently had a reaction and the parent is feeling overwhelmed.

 

 

What do you feel you can offer a client who is suffering from anxiety about their food allergies or celiac disease diagnosis?

The majority of my clients are overwhelmed, scared and depleted. They need support of a person who has been through exactly what they are going through. Our needs are unique and most people don’t understand the tremendous impact that food allergies have on every aspect of life.

I help clients feel calm so that they feel comfortable managing the shopping, cooking, label reading and that they are able to avoid, recognize and treat allergic reactions.

I help clients feel confident by showing them that overwhelm and fear can be part of the process and that we can work through these emotions and get to confidence and competence.

I show clients “how” to explain food allergies to others so they can get the support, care and compliance they need.

Once they have been fully heard, we can look at ways for them to integrate self-care into their daily lives and then everything starts to improve. The joy and the fun of life comes back, many times even more than before.

What type(s) of therapy do you practice?

A life-coach helps a person overcome obstacles to living a full and joyful life.  We do not practice therapy.  Some clients present with therapeutic issues and I refer them to a mental health professional.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The parents I work with find tremendous benefits in having their experience validated; opening up to see all of the options available for creating a safe and joyful life, and having someone support them as they begin on this path. It is a different way of life and the adjustment period can be brutal. But it is manageable and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I just point the way!