Karen Miller Jick: A Steady Presence Through Life's Hardest Changes
Life coaching and end of life doula support from a social worker and psychotherapist who has spent a career sitting with people through the hard parts. Based in Wisconsin, services are available via video across the country. Begin your journey with a 30 minute complimentary consultation.
My Name is Karen Miller Jick
I am a life transitions coach and end of life doula.
Before that I was a social worker, psychotherapist and social work educator. I have a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, plus years of ongoing specialty training and professional counseling experience.
Your Journey, Supported
Whether you are navigating a major life change, seeking clarity in your personal growth, or looking for a compassionate presence during an end of life journey, you do not have to walk this path alone.
I will not tell you what to do. I provide support and encouragement as we focus on your goals for our time together.
Life Transition Services
Two kinds of work, taken separately or together. Both start with the same complimentary 30 minute consultation, and both are available by video wherever you are.
End of Life Doula
Death is one of life’s changes. It is a part of life. We celebrate lives well lived. We prepare for births, so too can we prepare for death.
I support individuals and their loved ones as they prepare. We talk openly and honestly about what is eventually coming and work through choices and necessary actions. Through planning and emotional support, death with dignity is possible.
Life Coaching
Life is change. Most days, we don’t notice. Until it does. An event happens, a decision is made, a threshold is crossed. Together, we will sort through the impact, face the changes and challenges, acknowledge what is lost and work out what you want the next part to look like.
Invest in yourself. Come for a handful of sessions about a specific change or stay for a while to rebuild. We have but one life. Live yours well.
What People Bring to Me
There is no threshold you have to cross before this is worth a conversation. People arrive at all kinds of moments, including:
Divorce, separation, or the end of a long relationship
Retirement, or the odd stretch of months just before it
A career change, a layoff, or work that no longer fits
Caring for an aging parent
The house going quiet after the last child leaves
A serious diagnosis, yours or someone you love
Grief, whether it is recent or thirty years old
A move away from a place you thought you would stay in
A sense that something has to change, with no clear idea what
If yours is not on that list, it still counts.
How We Begin
It starts with a complimentary consultation, and that call carries no obligation to book anything further.
A complimentary 30-minute consultation
You fill in the contact form, we talk, and if I am not the right person I will say so.
An agreement in writing
A contract covering the services and the cost, with a card payment link. Unused balance comes back to you.
The work itself
Coaching by video at doxy.me/KMJLTG or FaceTime. Doula visits at your location where practical, or by video when that suits better.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
No, and the difference matters. Therapy usually works backward, into the things that shaped you. This work faces forward. We start from where you are now and deal with the change in front of you. My background is in psychotherapy and I bring all of that training into the room, but I am not acting as your therapist here. If what you are carrying needs clinical treatment, I will say so and help you find the right person.
-
No. I am based in Wisconsin, where I grew up and trained, but we can work together wherever you live in the country.
-
It is a complimentary 30-minute phone or video call. We use it to work out what kind of support you need and how much of it, and to see whether the two of us are a good fit. Fill in the contact form and I will be in touch to arrange a time.
-
All coaching is virtual, through a dedicated link at doxy.me/KMJLTG or over FaceTime, so I can work with clients across the country. Doula services take place at the client’s location where that is practical, or by video where it suits the circumstances better.
-
It varies. Some people come for a couple of sessions to get through one specific change in their circumstances. Others stay on for months while they learn to navigate and accept a life that is changing. I offer one to three individual sessions, or packages of 4, 6, or 10 sessions.
-
I work alongside your medical and hospice team, offering a depth of care that goes beyond their scope.
I sit with you and we talk about what is coming. We make plans together, and I help you prepare for the things that may be hard to say out loud. Speaking about death, your own or a loved one’s, can be frightening, but it is also freeing. I help you identify the many practical choices ahead and support you and your loved ones in getting them taken care of. Often I am the one steady person in the room when no one else can manage what has to happen.
-
Yes, and it usually goes better when they are. A death is not something that happens to one person on their own. It affects everyone in the house, and the people around the bed often need as much support as the person in it.
-
Never. It is important to plan for death while you are still well, and just as important once death is approaching your doorstep. Most people find it makes the time they have left more peaceful.
-
No. A health savings account is usually an option for payment.
-
Once we agree on the number of sessions, I send a contract and a link to pay online by card. Everything is paid in advance. If the prepaid sessions are not used in full, the balance is returned to you. You will find specific pricing on each service page.
In Their Own Words
Nurturing Your Journey
One email a month, with a short reflection on finding your footing while everything is moving. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.