Jeff LaPenna – Healing Through Empathy – Counseling & Mediation

When our community of 25 people had conflicts communicating and understanding one another’s needs, we sought a Non-​violent Communication Consultant, and fortunately, Jeff came quickly to our rescue! Jeff invited our entire community to a Non-​violent Communication retreat in his lovely home in San Rafael, and maintained a safe space for us to sit together and learn the basics of Non-​violent Communication. We learned the importance of distinguishing between a request and a demand, a very useful tool when living in community with others. We also learned about creating a healthy pause in a conversation, a tool I am practicing. I highly recommend Jeff’s method of counseling and communication training; he is patient and takes the mission very seriously. Our community left Jeff’s house feeling refreshed and relieved! We would be appreciative and lucky to return for another retreat!

It is crystal clear that Jeff’s passion for NVC lies deep in his heart and is sculpted by his very inspiring interpersonal skills. He is so comfortable with it, it leaves you feeling very taken care of by someone who knows what direction he’s steering the ship into. A gem of a man and a pleasure to work with.

I’ve been very fortunate to work alongside Jeff over the past year. He has been a leader in the world of empathy and communication and has a very special way of mediating interpersonal conflicts. Jeff has a way of creating a safe container which allows people to feel comfortable, open up, and listen to one another, thus resulting in peaceful resolutions. I look forward to witnessing more of this magic and hope to work with him again in the near future.

Jeff has a natural gift for his craft. Through his use of empathy and non violent communication he helped me realize some challenges I was facing were due to some unmet needs. These needs were deeper than i would have thought. By being able to identify what my needs were, I was then able to make real changes on my own and live in a way that was more fondling and much more enjoyable. Jeff can provides a framework, or tools that you can actually implement on your own. It truly is empowering. I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t benefit from at least a session with this guy.

Jeff was key in helping manage a dispute/​intervention with grace, expertise and compassion. The situation required subtle but tenuous, divergent realities to come to the surface and a solution to be forged. Jeff was a master at holding a safe space so what needed to come to surface could be shared and explored safely and truthfully. Healing is not always the most pleasant experience; a lot can come up for us that is triggering and upsetting. Having a force such as Jeff present enables so much to be let out, shared and a plan to be put in place for positive change. If you are considering a mediator or counselor, Jeff is a brilliant resource. Call him now!

Jeff is a gifted and natural born counselor and conflict mediator. He has helped me so much in gaining clarity around my own emotional process, allowing me to peel back the layers of my understanding to learn what my deepest needs are. In the time that he’s been practicing, I’ve watched him explode fully into this role, gain insight and clarity into his own life, and develop a strong desire to share it with the world. Know that your sessions with him will be rooted in that deep sense of passion and love for this practice. It starts with a series of exercises in self connection. The objective here is, «In order to know how to resolve my own conflict, I need to understand the underlying needs of where they are coming from.» This is where Jeff is truly gifted, in asking the right questions, employing deep listening and empathy to help you discover what those needs are.
He doesn’t push you in any one direction, but rather he is trained in employing tools to help you understand for yourself what you are truly needing underneath all the muck that might be clouding your judgement. For example, I had a difficult decision about which job to take when I was offered two. We sat and had a moment of self-​connection, during which we identified what my feelings were. Then, looking at each feeling, we identified the underlying need that was there, talking through ideas such as, «I feel this way, what am I needing that I am or am not getting?» After that, we determined was truly important to me based on each of those needs. I learned that one job would offer me security and safety, and the other would offer me creativity and freedom. Based on where I was at that point in my life, my need for creativity was far stronger than my need for safety. I was able to arrive at a solution that left me feeling empowered, because I had come to my own determination of what I wanted and had solid reasons for justifying them. I picked the creative job, and to this day I am extremely grateful that I made that choice! I now use these tools whenever I face a conflict with others, and especially as a tool for internal conflict mediation.
For me, this process has felt like turning on a light switch, and the sense of relief that has come with this has been invaluable. He has incredible intuition, endless patience and compassion for this practice. He’s worked not only with me about my own individual processes, but he’s also worked with me in employing this practice as it relates to my boss, my peers, and my relationship. I can’t recommend Jeff enough for sharing these incredibly valuable life skills.

If you want to learn ways of more conscious speech, I highly recommend connecting with Jeff.
He has been remarkably supportive, gentle and compassionate yet skillfully adept at helping me process my emotions. His techniques have helped me to understand more clearly and to connect more deeply with my wants and needs. With his own sense of intuition of language combined with his knowledge of NVC, he has enlivened my passion for connection by creating more confidence in the delivery of my words. I have become more conscious of my expressions and have learned to take the space I need so that I may avoid triggering a defensive reaction and instead stimulate a more peaceful dialogue with understanding and agreement. He has helped me listen more deeply, act more genuinely, and find acceptance in difficult situations. His guidance has truly given me the power to overcome conversations that I once feared to approach. I now have the right tools to connect with all relationship facets in my life. Thank you Jeff!

Jeff has worked with me on multiple occasions for processing both work and personal conflicts or senses of unease. On the professional front I was struggling with a choice around job choices and he helped me sort through my feelings and needs that were driving feelings about the two job positions. Ultimately I chose the direction that best connected and supported my needs and I couldn’t be happier. Personally he helped facilitate an extremely tense Roomate conflict and helped everyone involved have compassion for each other while driving to much needed conclusion and requests of each other. I whole heartedly plan to continue to work with him in the future and would recommend him for conflict resolution and communication sessions or workshops. He is extremely intuitive, professional, trustworthy and effective!