By Jill Draper
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Find a card that says “I love you” and send it to yourself.
Well, not literally, says Ginger Rothhaas, but the idea that we all need more self-love in order to be better humans is the cornerstone of her counseling and coaching business called Compassion Fix.
The business recently moved into the former HyVee pharmacy store in Leawood at 12122 State Line Road. There, in a sunny space filled with colorful art, Rothhaas leads a team of eight specialists and coaches who work with clients from ages 5 and up.
She started a private practice in Brookside in 2017 by asking therapists, “Do you have any clients who can’t forgive themselves?” They did, and her business grew by word of mouth, especially during Covid. Eventually she hired team members whose specialties include grief, divorce, parenting, LGBTQ issues, teens, faith topics, career changes and anxiety.
“It’s hard to be a human right now. That’s just a fact,” says Rothhaas, who saw a gap in the mental health system for people who didn’t need a long-term therapist but would benefit from talking to a neutral person with training. Her team members are accredited through the International Federation of Coaches and include two licensed social workers and one licensed child therapist.
“Social media gives us a false sense of community,” Rothhaas says. “There’s a difference when people are in a room together having real conversations.”
Compassion Fix offers in-person group workshops and classes (some free and others fee-based) plus private counseling and online sessions. Interested persons can sign up for a newsletter and podcasts, as well as weekly email prompts that Rothhaas has published as a book called “Being Human: 150 Practices to Make It Easier.”
One popular topic is how to quiet a racing mind. Other topics include learning self-compassion and lessening self-criticism. “We see a lot of people with anxiety who are feeling stuck,” says Rothhaas, who adds, “many times people solve their own problems while sitting here. My job is to hold the space for that.”
If she or her staff notice signs of mental illness or more serious symptoms—bipolar, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder, for example—they will refer the client to an outside expert. “We don’t diagnose and we don’t prescribe medications,” says Rothhaas.
“We help people problem-solve and move forward.”
She considers her business a unique model shaped by her uncommon background. After earning an MBA and working as a business consultant and adjunct professor in sales and marketing, she changed course, enrolling in a seminary and graduating with master’s degrees in theology and divinity. She considered a church-related career, but didn’t enjoy the structure or politics. As a self-described “recovering perfectionist,” she decided to use her mix of skills to coach others feeling overly critical, lonely or angry.
“If you want to be a compassionate person in the world, you have to be compassionate to yourself. It took me a long time, and now I want to help people do it faster,” she says.
One antidote is to engage in creative activities, and her team offers classes in art, crafts and cooking. These are open to the public as well as clients. On a recent evening at a Wine & Woodburning class, a group of men and women chatted while decorating charcuterie boards with family names, sports themes or clever phrases (Praise Cheeses!).
“Research shows doing something creative makes people less anxious. And doing it in a community setting is better,” says Rothhaas, who mentions books by famous life coach Martha Beck as inspiration.
Upcoming February activities include an evening meetup of widows, a watercolor workshop, a Valentine’s cookie class, an exploration of chakras, a class on building stronger relationships with your teen, and a discussion on Christian mystic Meister Eckhart.
On Feb. 20 from 6-8 pm, Compassion Fix will hold an open house to celebrate their new space on the east side of Duck Donuts (they moved a short distance from the west side in the same plaza).
See more at compassionfix.com.
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