Hi, I’m Dawn King. I’m so glad you’re here. I help stressed-out, high achieving professionals stop struggling, feel centered and find more meaning in life.
I’m particularly passionate about working with high achievers who question how they got where they are. People who feel that everything looks good on the outside, like they’ve got it all together, but on the inside, they feel like a fraud.
I’ve always had a soft spot for people who are high achievers and yet cannot seem to take in their brilliance. Because I’ve struggled with feeling this way myself at times, I have learned how to work with this belief and the feelings that come up. And although listening is a big part of that, I also found that having some tangible tools to help change behavior and unhook from the negative beliefs are equally important to help you take back control.
I use a combination of awareness practice supported by the latest research on the brain, aligning behaviors with what’s important to you all within an attitude of compassion. My unique approach goes beyond just listening, in addition to giving you a space to be heard, I will also give you practical tools for achieving what you most want out of life. After a session with me you can expect action steps to help you take the discoveries we make together and turn them into results in your daily life.
Specifically, I use mindfulness practices, EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) to give you different ways of operating in the world so that you can get new and better results. Having training in different types of therapy just means that we have options and can be creative in helping you get to where you want to go.
How I Got Here
It’s been a long, winding road getting here and I’m still on the path. My journey started out in a small rural community in the south. There I saw many people struggling, including my family, with many challenging issues – one of those being addiction. This was not something that was ever talked about or addressed in my family. But out of 
that painful time grew a desire to find a different and better way to live. This started a life-long journey of healing and seeking tools for transformation and change. From this also came a desire to help others who were experiencing pain, but it would take me a while to get there.
I have always loved reading and one of the books that made an impact on me as a young adult, was Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. He wrote “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” I’m pretty sure at that time in my life I didn’t fully grasp the meaning of this statement, but believed if someone could not only survive the brutality of the Nazi concentration camps, but also find meaning in the experience, surely, he had something to teach me about my own pain and that of others.
I really think I was born to do this work, but as I was trying to find meaning in my own life, I had many “mis-adventures” along the way. One of those was a stint in the business world that eventually led to a crossroads in my life. A crossroads that led me to where I am today. I believe it was a good choice.
A Little About My Background
Over the last 20 years I’ve had the honor of working with thousands of people in different settings including an intensive outpatient program for substance abuse, two community mental health centers, an eating disorders clinic, a jail and most recently in private practice. Because of my diverse background and experience, I have worked with many different disorders, problems and a variety of people. I also bring a lot of life experience, which has given me an awareness that no matter who we are, our cultural backgrounds, or how things may appear on the outside, that we all will experience hard times and sometimes need help.
I love my work and recognize the importance of work-life balance. When not in the office, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, staying active and of course reading. My passion and a big part of my self-care is painting with watercolor. I also enjoy practicing yoga and meditation.
Another quote from Man’s Search for Meaning that continues to guide my life and work: “Between the stimulus and the response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” What I take from that: we choose our response to suffering. Again, we will all experience pain in this life, but the good news is there is a way out and you don’t have to do it alone.
Dawn graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2000, she is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Addiction Counselor Level III. She has worked in various clinical settings including an intensive outpatient program, two mental health centers, an eating disorder program and in corrections. She is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher. She completed her training through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. She has also completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training. Dawn has owned a private practice since 2015 and specializes in addiction, anxiety disorders and stress management. Dawn is also trained in EMDR therapy, ACT and DBT. She utilizes her training in mindfulness to help clients increase self-awareness and recognition of choices to encourage optimal living. Her approach is effective for addressing various issues including addiction, anxiety and trauma. She provides tools to help clients reconnect with themselves, what’s important to them and their lives. She is motivated in her work by the belief that by virtue of being human we all have the capacity to change.
Think we might be a good fit? Call me at 303.229.2804 or visit the Getting Started page. If you’re interested in reaching out, I offer a free 15-minute consultation to learn more about you, your needs and how I can help