About Lisa Schmidt, MS, LAC
For more than 30 years I have been helping people improve their health and overall wellbeing. With a goal to reduce suffering in the world, I am passionate about helping my clients feel better physically, mentally and emotionally so that their improved health and happiness strengthens their lives and creates a beautiful, ongoing ripple effect in the world. I provide evidence based integrative tools and practices that enhance the way we live and encourage openness, kindness, curiosity and self-compassion above all else. Through employing mindful eating, counseling therapy, stress management, somatic (body-based) practices, meditation and proven psychotherapeutic techniques, I treat each client individually and holistically. Together, we work toward developing the long-term supportive habits, personal insights, motivation, resiliency and self-compassion that support sustainable whole-body health and optimal living.
My Personal Experience
I know both personally and professionally the demands, stress, challenges, confusion and misinformation that we face everyday while trying to manage careers, relationships, mental and emotional wellbeing, diet and physical health. So many of us struggle with weight problems, eating and health issues, depression, anxiety, trauma and heightened stress in an increasingly busier and more disconcerting and contradictory world. With mixed and ever-changing messages concerning diet and health, it’s no wonder that millions of people feel lost, overwhelmed and increasingly confused.
Personally, I grew up as an anxious child in an unhappy home and struggled with a weight problem, chronic skin conditions and IBS for years, unknowing then that all of it was interconnected. Some years ago while working as a corporate executive in healthcare, I became very ill. Medical tests suggested that my body was functioning well, but I knew that I something was wrong. That, coupled with my young son being diagnosed with ADHD in the early 90s when the pressure to medicate children was high, motivated me to leave my corporate job. Even then, seeing the intrinsic connection between food, mood, behavior and physical health, I earned a MS in Clinical Nutrition and Clinical Health Psychology and became a Licensed Associate Counselor. I also pursued advanced training in Somatic Experiencing™, a way of working with the body and nervous system to understand more and more that everything is interconnected. In order to fully heal, everything—mind, body and spirit—needs to be explored and addressed. This background, experience and training led me into my private practice, Mindful BenefitsⓇ, the home of Lisa Schmidt Counseling, as well as a faculty position at Arizona State University’s School of Social work where I taught and designed courses for 8 years in stress management and mindful eating.
A Holistic Approach To Healing
My overall goal is to help people understand that change is possible. And, with an integrated, individualized approach, it is possible to feel better and continue to feel good for the rest of your life. There is a direct relationship between food and mood, and whole foods, joyful exercise, mindfulness techniques, effective stress management strategies and an integration of psychotherapy and somatic therapy can dramatically shift how you experience the world and feel physically, mentally and emotionally. Everything I do is based in science, realistic and tailored to your unique personality, history, lifestyle, needs and personal goals. Despite what many weight loss, diet and other health-related programs out there say, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing, although I firmly believe that there is a healing path for everyone. It’s simply a matter of working holistically with a trusted guide and specialist to figure out what works specifically for you. If you are ready and willing to make realistic, informed changes—even if they are small at first—you can significantly and sustainably improve the trajectory of your life.
With decades of education, experience and advanced training and having worked with thousands of people over the years, I know that a holistic and integrative approach to health and healing is what works. Once you truly understand the mind-body connection and the correlation between food, mood and stress, how they all come together for you and what can be done to foster balance and ease, a sense of empowerment arises. With the insight, education, tools and practices and plans designed specifically for you, it becomes possible to make informed and thoughtful decisions; feel increasingly calm, centered and present in the moment; make more skillful choices around food; and feel more alive, aware and comfortable within your body.
A Little Bit More About Me…
Although I am passionate about working with my clients and students, I also understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance, as well as engaging in joyful exercise and self-care. Outside of the office and classroom, I love to walk and hike with my husband Ed and our two gorgeous dogs, Dolly and Layla. I’m also an avid runner and am currently training for another half marathon. I travel, and especially love visiting my son in Minneapolis, as well as attending yoga and meditation retreats. I also am highly passionate about being of service and believe that giving back is an essential part of living a whole and happy life. I serve as a matchmaker between people and dogs through the Arizona Humane Society; volunteer for companion animal and animal protection causes; and provide pro-bono bereavement counseling for parents who have lost their children.
You Can Live With Good Health, Happiness And Increased Ease
Regardless of what you, your teenager or another loved one is suffering with right now, it is possible to experience sustainable relief and develop the practical skills and self-care strategies that promote long-term health. With nonjudgmental kindness, curiosity and compassion, we can work toward changing unwanted habits and develop effective solutions that promote mind-body-spirit wellbeing and optimal, integrative health. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it is possible to feel better mentally, physically and emotionally and live with more ease, flow and glow.
If you’re seeking practical, holistic healing and believe that you are ready to make the changes needed to experience sustained health and happiness, I invite you to contact me through the website or at 480-675-4568 to schedule a no-obligation call or meeting to discuss your needs and goals and determine if we’re a good fit.
Due to the mind-heart-body-spirit centered quality of this work, I’m not the right fit for everyone; however, I truly love working with clients who are ready to increase self-awareness, cultivate self-compassion and make the changes needed to enjoy long-term relief.
Lisa Schmidt, MS, LAC, earned an MS in Clinical Health Psychology and an MS in Nutrition from Bastyr University. Lisa is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC Arizona #18242), trained as a certified Yoga Instructor, Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner and certified Provider in Compassionate Bereavement Care. In addition, Lisa formerly worked as an instructor and researcher at Arizona State University, teaching core courses in ASU’s Integrative Health Initiative curriculum based on her book Sustainable Living & Mindful Eating. Lisa’s work on mindfulness, nutrition and stress management has been published in various scientific journals, and she speaks internationally on topics ranging from Mindfulness and Self-Care to Building Mindful Food Relationships. Lisa is a member of multiple health and wellness organizations, including National Wellness Institute, Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute for Human Enrichment, National Counseling Association, the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists, The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Yoga Alliance, National Association of Social Workers, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, The Center for Mindful Eating, and American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education. Lisa is also an avid volunteer, believing that being of service is one of the best ways to live a full and fulfilled life.