HopeAllianz has been described as a sanctuary ...

HopeAllianz Inc was organized in 1994 by Jody L Friesen Grande PhD LICSW BCD and provides a full spectrum of therapy/counseling, lifeskills coaching, and consulting services to address the needs of individuals, couples, families, and the community. Professional services include psychotherapy/counseling, couples assessments, lifeskills coaching, workshops including DBT LifeSkills Training and LifeSkills™ ... a free online newsletter focusing on motivational thoughts and action plans connecting your mind, body and spirit for the challenges and opportunities that daily life present.

Our mission is to inspire and empower you to create an authentic meaningful life -- with knowledge and wisdom -- while promoting mental, physical and spiritual health. Knowledge defined as obtaining the facts. Wisdom the process of applying those facts to life = action.

Clients have described HopeAllianz as a sanctuary, which provides an atmosphere of acceptance and guidance, is non-judgmental, safe, unique, confidential, supportive, inspiring, creative, optimistic, hopeful, understanding, honest, stable, compassionate, and peaceful. Clients feel like they make a connection with others, learn about emotional management, and are forever evolving and growing. A place where preventive medicine and health is encouraged and personal renewal is found. (A special thank you to the DBT LifeSkills Training Group that provided this description.)

I am committed to helping you on your life journey ~ assisting and supporting you in creating an authentic meaningful life that reflects Your beliefs, values, and priorities.

I welcome you to HopeAllianz and believe that the therapy/counseling, lifeskills coaching, and educational programs provided will be beneficial for you to develop and enrich your quality of life in a positive, nurturing and motivating way. Let me tell you a bit more about me ...

Mindfulness Emphasis: I emphasize the importance of "mindfulness" in everyday living ... awareness of self and surroundings. We need time to remember ... time to just be ... time to dream ... nourishing our mind, body and spirit, while embracing each moment of the day. HopeAllianz provides you with a safe place to come ... to ask questions ... to address your concerns. I will provide you with a compassionate, caring, nonjudgmental atmosphere in which to find your answers. HopeAllianz focuses on challenging, supporting and guiding you to reach your fulfillment of wholeness, identity, dignity and sense of self!

Educational Background: I received my Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have received my doctorate (PhD) in Professional Counseling with an emphasis in Clinical Social Work from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Clinical Licensure: I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) licensed by the Board of Social Work in the State of Minnesota (License #10662), as well as a Personal LifeSkills Coach and Consultant. I have been certified as a Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work (BCD), a national credential issued to advanced practitioners by the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work.

Professional Affiliations: My professional affiliations include the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work (ABE), Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA), International Society for Mental Health Online (ISMHO), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and the National Association for Social Work (NASW).

Clinical Practice: In my clinical practice (in-person and online), I provide holistic services (understanding the "whole person"), which focuses on the mind, body and spirit connection, as well as promote mental health, wellness, and lifeskills education to individuals, couples, families and the community.

Program Development

• A Family Affair: Helping Families Cope with Mental Illness. The onset of mental illness represents a crisis to the family; crucial to the individual's recovery is the quality of support these families receive. The goal of the presentation is to bring awareness of the importance of including families in the treatment process of individuals who have a mental illness, thereby encouraging collaboration between individuals, families, and mental health providers.

• DBT: LifeSkills Training Groups.  Utilizing a psychoeducational and life-coaching approach to teach effective coping skills in the following areas:

• Mindfulness in Everyday Living—Learn Tools and Techniques for Everyday Problems

• Intrapersonal Effectiveness—Build a Roadmap to Self-Discovery

• Interpersonal Effectiveness—Enhance Communication and People Skills

• Emotion Regulation and Well-Being—Manage Your Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions

• Distress Tolerance and Clutter Clearing—Promote Health ~ Acceptance in Change

• Balancing/Strengthening a Healthy LifeStyle -- Find Your Path to Health and Resilience

• Reflections of the Soul -- Exploring Life Lessons and Spiritual Journey

• Wellness Workshops. Provided to the community for individuals and families experiencing mental illness at no cost. A half-day program held in a park setting in order to take advantage of the peacefulness and enjoyment of the surroundings. The program focuses on the mind (e.g., mindfulness training, lifeskills), body (e.g., massage, exercise, touch) and spirit (e.g., forgiveness. handling criticism, self-awareness).
  
  

Research

• A Study of Resources for Families of Individuals Who Have A Mental Illness within Hennepin County State of Minnesota. Unpublished master’s thesis, Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minnesota (1995).

• The Ties That Binds and Heals: Families Life Experiences with Mental Illness. Published dissertation, Capella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2006).

 

Enjoy your journey and remember to stop along the way to embrace the days' gifts of love, happiness, harmony, surprise, laughter, strength and peace!

______________Jody L Friesen Grande PhD LICSW BCD