Welcome, I'm Elizabeth

Confront Your Challenges With Confidence

Name: Elizabeth Clearwater Counseling & Coaching
Price range: $$

For over 35 years, I’ve had the privilege of working as a psychotherapist and life coach, supporting individuals as they navigate life’s challenges, opportunities, and reach desired goals.

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Licensed Therapist Professional Certified Coach 35+ Years Experience

Elizabeth Clearwater - Therapist and Life Coach

A Little About Me

My Journey To Helping Others

For over 35 years, I've had the privilege of working as a psychotherapist and life coach, supporting individuals as they navigate life's challenges and reach their goals.

My path to this work began unexpectedly. While pursuing a Master's Degree in computer science, I was asked to lead a consciousness awareness group. That experience changed everything—I realized working with people was my true calling.

I changed my major and earned a Master's in Counseling and Human Development from Montana State University. Since then, offering insight, clarity, and possibility has been the thread woven through all my work.

35+

Years Experience

ICF

Professional Certified Coach

NBCC

National Board Certified Counselor

NBCC

National Board Certified Coach

Full Bio

My path to counseling began in an unexpected way. While two years into pursuing a Master's Degree in computer science, I was asked to lead a consciousness awareness group for a psychology professor. That experience changed everything. I realized I missed working with people, felt a calling, and rather than continuing to live in the world of algorithms and logic, I changed my major and went on to earn a Master's Degree in Counseling and Human Development from Montana State University in Bozeman

On my first day of counseling classes one of the professors asked us to answer the question "Why do people change?" When I began to write I was surprised to find that I thought people were motivated to change because they were in pain of some kind — physical, mental, or emotional. And while I still see pain as a potent catalyst, my answer today would be broader, deeper, and wiser. I now believe we are born with an innate need to grow and change, to evolve, to become our best selves and to express our own unique gifts and talents.

During the last year of my graduate work, I was awarded a scholarship designed to help Native American students become psychotherapists. This was a great honor and a great gift. In order to show my appreciation, I went to work as a high school counselor on both the Hopi (AZ) and Zuni (NM) Indian Reservations. I treasure the relationships, the learning, and the memories from this time in my life.

I also spent several years working with inner city students in Boston. I ran a GED program for high school drop outs from the projects. Another great learning experience - especially for me.

In 1992 I opened my private practice. I am continually moved by the depth and uniqueness of each person's story. Never have I heard the same story twice. I am endlessly fascinated by the people I work with and the challenges they face and overcome.

I became interested in Brief or Solution Focused Therapy through my study of hypnosis. I was drawn to the idea of helping people move quickly toward meaningful change, toward new behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, without appending a lot of time focusing on pathology or it's origin. Regardless of diagnosis, real transformation comes from trying new things, taking new steps, and seeing ourselves in new ways.

From Brief Therapy to coaching was a short ideological jump for me. I trained at Coach U and became a professionally Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation, and began blending therapeutic depth with the momentum of coaching. I love the collaborative nature of coaching — it's an energizing, future-focused process that complements my therapeutic work beautifully.

My greatest hope for my the people I work with is that they come into their own in a deeply satisfying way. I hope they feel inspired and supported in initiating and bringing into being the changes that they seek in themselves and in their lives. I feel honored to be trusted, to support people in confronting their challenges, and to see them become powerful in their own lives.

How I Can Help

Ways We Can Work Together

Every journey is unique. Here are the paths I offer to support
your growth, healing, and transformation.

Psychotherapy

A conscious therapeutic alliance is formed to create a healing relationship, a safe place to explore the past, which recognizes and nurtures your inherent strengths as it encourages the practice and adaptation of new skills so you can lead an effective, authentic life -- free of past influences that are no longer relevant. Clients are encouraged to try out new options and to become comfortable with and enjoy new thoughts, emotional states, behaviors, and actions. To grow.

Life Coaching

If you already enjoy a measure of success in your life and now wish to maximize your talents and abilities, if you have a dream you wish to realize, then a coaching relationship will benefit you. Together, we form a powerful partnership to clarify your desires and goals, and then develop a plan and implement the actions necessary to achieve them. Take the steps to get where you want to go.

All aspects of the process are organic and dynamic, and this collaboration often leads you in new and unexpected directions as you learn more about your wishes, dreams, values, and intrinsic motivation.

Ceremonial Song Circles

Ceremony is a practice of focused attention. Intentionally gathering to deepen our connection to our inner life (self), to each other (our community), and to Spirit (medicine). Ceremony is an ancient pathway that helps us live in a connected and empowered manner. It provides a forum for sharing our individual stories, support for the next steps we wish to take in our lives, a place to know ourselves deeply, and to be known and witnessed by loving others who are also seeking to grow and change.

Perhaps best of all, we get to sing!

Kind Words

From People I've Worked With

I'm grateful for the trust my clients place in me.
Here's what some of them have shared.

Elizabeth Clearwater's strength as a Life Coach lies in her ability to create comfort for her clients. Her strong listening skills, thoughtful questions, lack of judgment and general openness really creates for me a space of unbridled self-exploration. Her talent is not the pointing out of shortcomings or the doling out of impersonal, cookie cutter advice, but, rather, the facilitation and focus of one's natural internal dialogue. She has a way of stirring up the dialectical process of the mind, and helping direct it to the root causes of an issue, leaving me with a feeling of progress at the end of each session. She does not give me the answers to my problems; she works with me to generate my own appropriate questions.

G.R.

Teenage Male, Writer, Performer, Santa Fe, NM

In my dealings with Elizabeth Clearwater, I have found her to have an uncanny ability to consistently offer laser-like analysis of situations and to provide extremely beneficial suggestions and strategies to manage and successfully overcome both personal and professional challenges. Simply put, her coaching has been invaluable to me.

M.R.

Entrepreneur, San Francisco, CA

I value every single coaching hour and women's circle I have experienced with Elizabeth. I am a more confident speaker, leader, health practitioner, mother, and social activist as a result of the excellent guidance, clarity, and wisdom I have received from Elizabeth.

R.B.

Entrepreneur, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Elizabeth helped me move through the most difficult period of my life by being totally present and grounded for me. She has the gift of being able to listen intently, and then she gently questioned me in ways that guided me to find my own answers from deep within myself. At the neediest time of my life, I found in Elizabeth a powerful ally who helped me regain my faith and my footing and continue to grow.

C.G.

Psychologist, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Elizabeth is truly a skilled and caring coach. Her coaching style combines the sensitivity of a therapist with the push and encouragement of a seasoned mentor who can see greater possibilities for me. Before I started working with Elizabeth, I felt trapped by some of my earlier career choices. Due to a life long debilitating lack of confidence, I felt I would never get out of that rut. She helped me recognize my strengths by walking me through my work history to acknowledge the successes and accomplishments I have always minimized. Through Elizabeth's guidance, I began to see a positive, realistic picture of myself based on a foundation of the good decisions and accomplishments I have been responsible for during my working life.

J.C.

MBA Agronomist, San Luis Obispo, CA

Elizabeth helped bridge the distance between me and my teenage son, after his mother's death from cancer, for which I am very grateful. She is a good listener, and provides practical suggestions to deal with the emotional challenges at hand. I think she is aptly named, as she has a talent for helping clear the feeling waters through grounding them in constructive response to the pain one is going through. I appreciate that her compassion is applied with common sense.

P.R.

Supervisor, Santa Fe, NM

Elizabeth helped me move through the most difficult period of my life by being totally present and grounded for me. She has the gift of being able to listen intently. She gently questioned me in ways that guided me to find my own answers from deep within myself. At the neediest time of my life, I found in Elizabeth a powerful ally who helped me regain my footing and continue to grow. Her own life experiences enable her to offer grounded, practical, focused support for others.

M.W.

Psychotherapist, Boston, MA

I feel so authentic, in the moment joyfully, truth with kindness. Thanks for helping me articulate my feelings, make connections, and find new pathways. Clichés all but so true.

M.K.

Divergent Thinker, Seattle, WA

Elizabeth Clearwater's strength lies in her ability to create comfort for her clients. Her strong listening skills, thoughtful questions, compassionate acceptance, and general openness really created for me a space of unbridled self-exploration. She does not give me the answers to my problems, she works with me to generate my own appropriate questions.

G.R.

Teenage male, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Elizabeth Clearwater does not suffer fools gladly. Six months of working with her was worth 6 to 7 years of therapy.

M.K.

Educator, Seattle, Washington

"Expect greatness of yourself. Invest. Become engaged. You'll enjoy your life a lot more. Gather your power, light your own fire, and create at a high level. Nurture your ambition. Cultivate your creativity. Expand beyond what you thought possible. Surprise yourself."

— Elizabeth

Let's Connect

Ready To Take The First Step?

Reaching out takes courage, and I want you to know that I'm here to listen without judgment. Whether you're seeking therapy, coaching, or simply want to explore what might help—I'd love to hear from you.

Send me a message below, and I'll get back to you within 24-48 hours. I offer free initial consultations to ensure we are a good fit for each other.

elizabeth.clearwater@gmail.com

Santa Fe, NM • All sessions are conducted virtually.

Your privacy matters. Everything you share is kept confidential. There's no pressure—just a genuine conversation to see if we're a good fit.

Colorful flowers - blue cornflower and pink geraniums