“The greatest teacher in life is you.”

Education

  • Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Medical Sociology from Mount Saint Mary’s College

  • Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Mount Saint Mary’s University

Karla Castillo, Life Coach is seating on a bench in a garden, she is smiling and wearing a pink blouse and faded blue jeans. There is a green plant beside her and other green bushes in the garden.

Karla Castillo, M.S., Life Coach

Certification in Domestic Violence for Counselors

My passion has always been working with children, teens, and young adults. Working with this young group of people is very fulfilling especially when working in conjunction with their families and providing them with the support they need. Seeing the progress and changes within the individuals and families made me want to further my education and continue working within my community, hoping someday to open my own private practice.

Working in the mental health field for the past seven years, I have worked with all ages and genders and it’s been a blessing.

During the past seven years of working in the mental health profession, I received training and experience from a broad range of settings, including hospitals, school-based services, community-based services, and private practices. I began focusing on individuals suffering from traumas such as domestic violence, assault, human trafficking, and sexual abuse. I also, treated individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, school bullying, low self-esteem, and family conflict.

Self Awake Wellness, Karla Castillo Appears seated in a moss green chair, she wears a dark gray blazer, white shirt and blue jeans, with black boots, her hair is curly, her legs crossed and her hands on top, next to it there is a brown table

  • Be genuine

  • Create a safe environment

  • Build trust with you

My top values for coaching are to:

“Life is a school, and every day you learn from it.”

Coaching Theories and Approaches

Self Awake Wellness, Karla Castillo Appears sitting on a gray armchair smiling with her hair down, she is wearing a brightly colored shirt and blue jeans with black boots with her legs crossed and her hands resting on the armchair.

I work collaboratively with my individuals, as I provide them with empathy, warmth, understanding, and a good sense of humor.

I believe in people’s potential and their capacity to grow and that they are capable of making positive changes in their lives. My approach tends to look at the whole person rather than just one single area of the person’s life. In these cases, I don’t focus on what’s wrong with the client but on helping them overcome their difficulties through personal growth.

My goal is to coach people to develop a healthy way and to learn how to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their skills on how to associate with others. I incorporate techniques to help the clients focus to live in the moment. This technique helps the clients pay close attention to their thoughts, impulses, and feelings.

This technique helps them be in tune with what’s happening around them. These simple skills will keep the individual stay calm and avoid engaging in impulsive behaviors or negative thoughts.

As a life coach, I challenge my client’s irrational thoughts to come up with a solution to address the problem they are experiencing and to learn how to cope and identify specific challenges, especially when their thinking is out of focus with their reality.