Deciding to work with TEENS
My work history hasn't been linear. My degree is from University of Washington (Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Society, Ethics & Human Behavior). I spent 12 years working at Starbucks, both in retail stores and in HR at the corporate office. I was then fortunate to be a full-time mom before my kids were in school. In my most recent job, I spent five years working in an elementary school health room (think school nurse). Many of the students were there for injuries, but plenty were also showing up regularly due to emotional needs (worry, classroom avoidance, needing someone to talk to, etc.)
I developed a soft spot for these kids.
During the pandemic, I realized that I had a strong need to support the emotional needs of kids, especially teens, as I'd witnessed in my own household the effect of the isolation on this age group. I enrolled in a program and completed my coach certification through ICA (International Coach Academy). I strive to be a safe place for teens to open up about the joys and frustrations in their life. My goal is to help them strengthen their mental fitness in order to meet the challenges they face with greater ease. Check-ins with the parents allow me to understand what they are experiencing at home and which areas they would like me to focus during our coaching.
I'm honored to be an extra layer of emotional support for your family during the teen years. I sincerely enjoy parenting my own teenagers and would like to help others do the same.
Janene Panek
Coach
