A little about me…
I’m the little one in the picture on the left, and my beautiful mama is wearing the black and white checks. Her mother is on the right, and her mother’s mother is the one holding me. And that’s my lovely dad riding his horse when he was 16.
My experience
I was a Focusing counsellor (a body-based emotional work developed by Eugene Gendlin) for 15 years and then trained in constellation work in 2017. I trained with Francesca Mason-Boring, Stephan Hausner, and Jonathan Hooton, who is a less well-known but very skilled trauma worker. I’ve also studied or worked with many other constellation practitioners (listed below). I graduated from Ray Castellino’s 3-year, pre- and perinatal training program in 2023, which I studied because it’s the one other discipline I’ve found that has as much power to transform.
My approach
If you already know this work, it may interest you that I take seriously what Stephan Hausner says about the real constellation happening in the body of the client. It’s central to me to respect and listen to the person I’m working with.
“I have done my part. The rest will be done by many others. It (this work) deepens and broadens as it goes, just as a stone when it falls in the water throws out ever-widening rings.”
—Bert Hellinger, who created constellation work
Training in constellation work
Francesca Mason-Boring: 20 days training 2017
Jonathan Hooton: more than 30 days of workshops and tens of individual sessions
Stephan Hausner: 26 days of training between 2018 and 2020
Johannes Schmidt: 3 days 2018 and committed to 20 days of training from 2020 to 2022
Observed more than 20 facilitators including:
Internationally
Stephan Hausner, Germany
Bertold Ulsamer, Germany
Francesca Mason-Boring, US
Jane Peterson, US
Mark Wolynn, US
Anngwyn St. Just, US
Peter de Vries, US
In Canada
Marina Toledo
Annette Aubrey
Shannon Zaychuk
Jonathan Hooton
Jan Hull
Helga Beer
Peer training and community service
I participated in or set up many peer training groups for new facilitators when I was learning the work.
I have constellated often for people who can’t afford the fees, including lots of work with young people and youth at risk.
I hold training for new facilitators each year.
“Learning, growing, and healing are all the same movement.”
- Stephan Hausner
What people say about working with me:
“I like how honest this work is.“
“This work calls for a high degree of listening—Chari holds its integrity in a very nuanced way. The space she creates is the safest and most held of any we’ve experienced.”
“They shouldn’t call this constellation work; they should call it the only thing that works.” (from a young person in an at-risk program)
“I did a constellation on a serious conflict with my father, something I’ve been pouring thought and energy into for months, or even years. Then I had the thought week or so ago, “How did I even get sucked into all that mess?” and I realized the conflict didn’t have a hold on me anymore. The constellation had moved me into a new space without my even noticing.”
“Chari works in a very kind, genuine way. She has the ability to support you to get closer to your true self.”
“I came to realize that each constellation we do is a puzzle, put together of pieces of ancestors and experiences to give us a picture of clarity. However, yesterday all these constellations came up in the work again with even greater clarity and insight about each piece (some from 15 years ago) the pieces formed a big (for now) final picture. It’s just beautiful and feels so good and complete. After 15 years of constellations, I now realize what great inner freedom and peace the work can provide if you just keep chiseling away at the layers and combine the puzzle pieces one by one.”