Rae Hight Bio

		RAE HIGHT was born in June 1949 and came of age during the turbulent years of the 1960s and 1970s. By high school graduation, Rae knew she wanted to work with people. She became a registered nurse in 1980 and began her work in the fields of rehabilitation and home health nursing. In 1990, Rae completed her master’s degree in counseling at Seattle University. She continued her home health nursing work for a period of time while she began her career in the mental health field as a home health social worker and rehabilitation counselor. She established her private practice in 1993, working with adults who were invested in holistic growth, using journaling, poetry and art work as integral components of their work. Rae has always been drawn to the unique presence of every person she’s met. During the late 1990s, she studied and experienced the mysteries of energy work. Without conscious awareness, she was seeking a way to round out her approach to holistic care. Throughout the years, Rae has found her greatest joy in listening to, and learning, people’s stories. Whether through nursing, counseling or energy work, she has loved the simple pleasure of connecting with people on a heart-to-heart level. After the attacks of September 11, this interest took on a new intensity and she began an oral history project with WWII veterans. In 2004, she published Voices of WWII Veterans... A Kaleidoscope of Memories. She followed this experience by providing memoir writing classes at a local senior center. In 2007, Rae became a certified Journal to the Self® Instructor through Kathleen Adams’ program (at the Center for Journal Therapy). Following this, she began an intensive advanced training program that will lead to her designation as a Certified Clinical Journal Facilitator. When Rae began the study and work of wellness coaching, she immediately recognized the final link in coming full circle with everything she’d learned and practiced for close to thirty years. With the same commitment to formal training and professional standards, Rae pursued focused coursework in programs through several professional life coaches, including Leia Francisco (Leia Francisco Associates), Dr. David Krueger (Executive Mentor Coach, MentorPath), Jim Strohecker (President and co-founder, HealthWorld Online) and Bobbie Burdett (Director of Training, HealthWorld Online and owner of her own coaching business, Authentic Coach). In the summer of 2008, Rae realized a long-held dream of creating pathways and laying down a labyrinth on her studio grounds for walking and writing meditation. Her clients are welcome to use them before, during, and after sessions and/or classes. Rae finds joy and pleasure in life through her work, writing and being out in nature. She is an avid student of meditation, QiGong and Tai Chi. She and Jim, her husband of thirty plus years, enjoy hiking, traveling, photography, bird watching and caring for their dogs and cats. Their home and Rae’s studio are nestled on five acres in the rural countryside of Port Orchard, Washington. Rae’s portrait by Fay Marley-Clarke Photography. All other photos on this site by Rae Hight. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING Tacoma Community College (1980) Associate Degree, Registered Nurse Pacific Lutheran University (1983) Bachelor’s Degree, Nursing Seattle University (1990) Master’s Degree, Rehabilitation Counseling Wellness Institute (1996) Certification, Hypnotherapy University of Washington, School of Nursing (1997) Certification, Therapeutic Touch Sacred Space Ministries (1997) Reiki I and Reiki II Colorado Center for Healing Touch (1997-1999) Healing Touch I, IIA, IIB, IIIA Colorado Center for Healing Touch (2000) Energetic Healing I, II Center for Journal Therapy (2007) Certified Journal to the Self ® Instructor Center for Journal Therapy (2008 - in progress) Certified Clinical Journal Facilitator (at program completion)		The paragraphs to the left describe the external container of my professional training and experience. The life breath, the heart, mind and soul that fill this container, come from my experiences with my patients, clients, fellow students, and colleagues who have shared the path with me. Through delightful times, and tremendous struggle, I’ve searched for the answer to poet Mary Oliver’s question, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”