Do-It-Yourself Rite of Passage Design Services
In 2008, I felt a strong calling to create something I recognized was missing in our culture. The way we, in America, meet sexual maturity was lacking in so many ways… I had a vision to address that need in a profound and celebratory way.
I had worked as a Professional Childbirth Assistant, or Birth Doula, throughout my twenties. There, I experienced how supporting families through significant changes yielded empowered and satisfied adults on the other side. I’d been trained as a Sexuality Educator through Planned Parenthood. The connection was obvious to me then, and the vision was clear: it was time to do something for puberty.
For nearly a decade, I lived the mission of creating a model for a puberty rite of passage through Rooted Emerging. In that time, I learned all the core elements of what makes a successful Rite of Passage (ROP) experience. I grew to understand the natural emotional journey of a parent whose child is approaching early adolescence. I guided young people through their complex and rich feelings about moving away from childhood and into a new life phase. I helped the support the shifting dynamics between parent and child. I came to appreciate the three phases of a true rite of passage: severance, threshold and incorporation – and how to enact these well in modern times.
My personal philosophy is that no facilitated rite of passage is effective without truly addressing sexual maturity and everything that transition means for the young person…
I’ve found the best reference for this kind of rite of passage in the pages of Martin Prechtel’s “Long Life, Honey in the Heart”. 
His account of the Mayan initiation rites gorgeously captures the value of preparing young people to partner and mate well. They achieve this goal by instilling the quality of Eloquence, weaving a reverence for self and other through skillful language. They accentuate the necessary maturity that allows each person to claim the “divine within” so that they do not go seeking the unclaimed “god” or “goddess” in the other.
From 2010-2016, I often brought groups of young women through a rite of passage program, incorporating sexuality education with self-awareness exercises, wilderness exploration and a testing solo overnight vigil. After many months of guidance and preparation, we held a ceremony in which young women claimed their innate gifts – and their new place in their lives.
One Co-Mentor wisely pointed out, after witnessing the workshops and ceremony, “It’s like a wedding; only, the kids are marrying themselves before they can marry someone else.”
This observation speaks to one of the many goals of a Rite of Passage: self-love that eventually makes other great intimate relationships possible.
“Courting and initiation went hand in hand and, at some point during the course of the adolescent’s initiation into life, they became one and the same… Only by passing through initiation, motivated by the heroic and the romantic could a young person survive into adulthood.”
– Martin Prechtel, “Long Life Honey in the Heart”
Now, in 2019, I am keeping my connection to this work alive by offering customized rite of passage services to families of all kinds. This is a special offering for parents who long to give their children a beautiful, supportive and effective Rite of Passage.
DIY ROP Design Packages
A Do It Yourself Rite of Passage is an experience a parent plays a part in creating, yet does not fully oversee or lead. The beauty of hiring a consultant and facilitator is the chance to also be held as a family, as your lives change and evolve…
Packages are cumulative, with larger packages being more customizable to your unique family. With Facilitation, we have the chance to get creative and deeply meaningful in what this will look like for you and your child.
Consultation + Design, $125
A collaborative meeting that incorporates your vision for your child’s transition with my encouragement and guidance on key points for an effective experience.
A 90-minute Consultation
Held in the office, at a cafe, or as a home-visit
(also available remotely, by video conferencing)
You chose whether the consultation is with one or more parents, with or without the child present
Receive a detailed Outline with steps & practical resources (including local connections, where appropriate)
Consultation + Design + Facilitation, $250 – $345
A 90-minute Consultation
Held in the office, at a cafe, or as a home-visit
(also available remotely, by video conferencing)
You chose whether the consultation is with one or more parents, with or without the child present
Receive a detailed Outline with steps, practical resources (including local connections, where appropriate)
Also includes up to three (3) hours of preparation and in-person facilitation for events, including invitations to friends & family, and other supplemental services.
Price is dependent on how many events or services you choose, and is confirmed after consultation.
May include outdoor adventure activities, and welcome your child’s friend/s and/or their parents, for a truly celebratory experience.
Consultation + Design + Facilitation + Sexuality Education, $350 – $465
A 90-minute Consultation
Held in the office, at a cafe, or as a home-visit
(also available remotely, by video conferencing)
You chose whether the consultation is with one or more parents, with or without the child present
Receive a detailed Outline with steps, practical resources (including local connections, where appropriate)
Also includes up to three (3) hours of preparation and in-person facilitation for events, including invitations to friends & family, and other supplemental resources.
Price is dependent on how many events or services you choose, and is confirmed after consultation.
May include outdoor adventure activities, and welcome your child’s friend/s and/or their parents, for a truly celebratory experience.
This package includes Comprehensive Sexuality & Relationship Education (as informed by a parent’s goals) with the child and up to 6 of their friends. Workshops are generally held midway through an experience – after trust-building and before celebratory conclusions.
I am happy to design and/or facilitate experiences for a child of any gender or sexual orientation. I have a number of wonderful male colleagues in the Bellingham, Washington area, who can be brought in if a male facilitator is also desired. I also am well-connected to a range of sexual health professionals, who can support a meaningful experience of any kind.
You may also enjoy hearing my interview from 2017, on the “Like a Mother Podcast”, in which I talk to Emma Johnson about the essential qualities of rites of passage – and the intersection with healthy sexuality.
To learn a little more about my approach to Sexuality Education, please visit this page.
Here are the basics on Getting Started in Five Easy Steps
Schedule a Consultation + Design Package
Schedule a Consultation + Design + Facilitation Package
Schedule a Consultation + Design + Facilitation + Sexuality Education Package
Want to have a quick check-in, to help decide which package is right for you? Click here for a Free Call.