Elementary School
“Laurette has really helped my elementary-school aged daughter during her sessions this last Spring. My daughter is an energetic child who has trouble with social cues and reading social situations. Laurette has very patiently worked with my daughter to give her a concrete understanding of how social interactions work, what others expect from her during an interaction, and specific steps she can take to meet those expectations. They do a lot of role-playing together to put these new skills into practice. The by-product of learning these social skills is that my daughter’s self-esteem has increased, and she has been able to let go of emotional baggage (although she doesn’t recognize emotional baggage for what it is) associated with traumatic social interactions she experienced in the past. This summer, my daughter went to sleep-away camp, and used the skills Laurette taught her to keep her friendships going. We’re very grateful for Laurette’s talents in addressing my daughter’s needs.” – Celia
Middle School
Though Laurette is experienced in working with clients who have Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, and Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, your child does not need to have any specific diagnosis to benefit from her services. In the few months that our son has worked with Laurette, he has shown real improvement in his organizational skills. She is helping him take more responsibility for himself and his behaviors, and is beginning to do some role playing with him around social situations, which I know will be a great help to him as he enters middle school next year. She is knowledgeable of the latest research and practices, but she also has a lot of good old-fashioned compassion, understanding and wisdom. She is very accommodating as far as scheduling, and she is generous with her time, providing between session email communication.” – Amy
“Laurette helped my 11 year old with AD/HD organize his assignments, and worked with him on his social skills. And she is guiding him to attain more independence. She is kind and has a calm demeanor that helps him complete his tasks. With her help, he has kept up with out of the classroom work and subsequently seems to be doing very well in school this year.” – Kathleen
“Laurette provided the foundation for my son to feel successful in his new school.” – Jenny
“I like the way you broke things down for my NLD son.” – Joan
High School, College and Beyond
“I appreciate the help that you’ve given me these past few months. I have been returned to good academic standing at my college. I learned a lot from you and look forward to applying what I learned on my own. If there is anything else I need your help with in the future I will reach out to you.”—–Alex
“I met Laurette at a workshop we were both attending. At the workshops conclusion, I found out that she was a life coach,with her own business. I was immediately interested in finding out about her practice, background and experience. I realized that it might benefit me to work with a coach at this time in my life. I was trying to re-enter my career in education, but had been floundering around, not sure exactly what I was interested in pursuing. I began working with Laurette within a few weeks, and have continued to do so for almost two years. I can truly say that my instincts were right in deciding to work with Laurette. She is infinitely patient, and when I’m discouraged about my progress, I always leave our sessions ready to keep on trying. Her use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT) and Mindfulness techniques with me has been particularly helpful, given my tendency toward negative thinking. To address my ADD,we have spent time working on executive function skills. In addition, we continue to work on assertiveness and employment strategies. I would never have believed that I am now in a place where I am experiencing small successes, and most importantly, am focused on working toward what I now know I want to do with the rest of my life. Therefore, I highly recommend Laurette as an experienced, knowledgeable and caring life coach.”—- Kathleen
” Follow-up to above paragraph: Laurette’s persistent direction to not give up helped me to get a job where I was volunteering.”– Kathleen
“Laurette worked with our college-aged son for 4 academic years. Initially, he was very resistant. Over time he saw the benefit of Laurette’s tips and strategies on his ability to study more effectively, write papers and manage his time more efficiently, all personalized to his strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, over time, both my husband and I felt that Laurette guided and directed our son academically in a way that we could not, virtually eliminating academic-related conflicts in our home. We all agree that Laurette’s services were time and money well-spent!!!— Brian
“My family needed help to reach out with support to an adult child who with his wife and young child were involved in a long-standing pattern of dysfunction and financial failure. Laurette was extremely helpful in helping us establish some communication forms and boundaries, and she also demonstrated a great understanding of the differing needs of the people involved. Laurette helped us to a better understanding of the people we wanted to help; and she has been an effective guide and advocate for all of us. She was able to gain the trust of the struggling adult we were supporting and she was able to help him make some measurable progress. Laurette is a fine resource for people who want to solve problems and move along.”— Robert.
“Laurette was recommended by a family member and professional in the field. I needed help for my 20-something daughter who has significant executive function challenges that made it difficult for her to obtain basic life skills and to function happily in a social context. She was in crisis when Laurette first started working with her.”
“Laurette made an accurate and insightful assessment of my daughter’s needs and began providing support immediately. The crisis was resolved and, as she continued her work, my daughter’s life skills improved dramatically. She is far happier and more successful now than before, and well on her way in all respects.”
“Laurette treats the whole person with understanding and compassion. She is quick to recommend whatever kind of additional help she thinks might be helpful. She has strong professional skills and a practical but sensitive manner that helped her succeed with my daughter.”
“My daughter has benefited enormously from Laurette’s help, and I am very pleased by the result. I can confidently endorse her to others who need her help.” — John, a satisfied parent and customer.”
“My time with Laurette on the phone was very productive. I took notes and went away each time with a list of things to accomplish and to think about. We also connected by e-mail when she had additional information for me or I had a question.”
“My purpose for seeking out a Life Coach was initially for my 19 year old son who has Aspergers. Since he was not cooperative, I talked to Laurette and learned how to help him and save my own sanity.” – Julie
“Laurette has done a great job advising me on how to improve my social life and life in general.” – 30 year old Male
“From dealing with anxiety-related issues to social skills training, Laurette has had a powerful influence on my life. I’ve been able to adopt a healthier, happier lifestyle since my meetings with her.” – 25 year old Male
“I have worked with Laurette for about a year and a half. She has inspired me with a wealth of ideas on how to better organize my home, my office and work areas. While helping me to better organize my living areas, she has helped me make my home and office actually look much more neat and organized, making it aesthetically pleasant as well as functional.”
“Laurette also has a professional background that allows her to better understand how to work with people with my particular handicap. I have ADD and a mild case of OCD, and she has been able to help me with organizational tools designed specifically for people with my handicap. She has also taught me mental exercises that help me relax, and concentrate, and just basically make life easier. I just wanted to put in a good word for Laurette Fine-Genest.” – Adrian
“My 19 year old son who has a non-verbal learning disability saw Laurette Fine-genest for a number of weeks during the summer of 2011. Laurette was quite helpful to my family in dealing with the stresses that come with his diagnosis. My son was not the most willing participant in his sessions, but we feel that Laurette helped him by pointing out ways to compensate for his issues. Laurette was always willing to meet with my husband and I, to talk over the phone or by email. Laurette is very open to any ideas or suggestions that a client may have, I only wish that my son had been home longer from college so that he could have continued his sessions.” – Lisa
“I liked working with you the other day, I think you have been blessed with one of them rare gifts I like to call the gift of motivation. I don’t come across many touched with it like you have. Specially impressed it affected me (not many can easily).” – Jeff
“Laurette asked me to make a chart to keep track of my thoughts/ feelings, so I can learn what triggers my anxiety.” – Mike
“With Laurette’s encouragement, my daughter with Asperger Syndrome, expanded her job search to areas outside her immediate interests. My daughter was recently offered a training position that she hopes will lead to a permanent job.”
“To follow-up on the above, my daughter was was hired on a permanent basis, and is really enjoying her job.” – Robby
“I found Laurette to be a very focused, task-oriented person, yet with a sensitive and friendly manner. As someone diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, this made it easier for me to cope with what otherwise would have been stressful and overwhelming tasks.” – Alan
“I wanted to let you know that Katie recently moved into her own apartment. It was a long time coming, but she is now working full time and living on her own! She was originally hired through a temp agency to work as a “long term temp” for the State. After about a year, she was hired as permanent employee. With higher pay and benefits, and having saved money in the past year, she immediately started looking for a place to live. She moved into her own apartment in December.”
“I think you helped Katie stay focused and organized during her job search. You helped her to consider other options and to think about her job search in different ways. We appreciate the work you did with her. She has matured a lot in the past few years. The responsibilities of her job (of just working and getting to work) have helped with that, and she is doing well.”
Thank you for your work with Katie.” – Katie’s mom