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Gary Skow

Gary Skow

Location: Los Gatos, California

Phone: 408-395-3286

Experience: 14 Years practicing and teaching Option with individuals, couples, and groups. Also experienced working with parents of children with special needs.

Services Offered: Both in person and phone dialogues (For in person, I am in the San Francisco/Monterey Bay area.) and Option Method Practitioner training.

Schedule a Dialogue with Gary: 408-395-3286

About Gary...

Gary Skow has over 13 years experience assisting individuals, couples, families and groups in clearly seeing how their system of beliefs is often the root cause of their feelings of unhappiness, including depression, anger, resentment or fear. Using a gentle, accepting, yet highly effective approach called the Option Method, Gary has helped hundreds of people to rebuild their lives and choose happiness as a lifestyle. His work with parents of special needs children, couples in crisis and clients with chronic depression has made him well versed to work with people from all walks of life.

The Option Method was created by Bruce Di Marsico in the early 1970's. Based on the recognition that we are each truly our own best experts, this method uses a gentle system of non-judgmental, non-directive questions to encourage self discovery and self trust.

In our culture questions are often used as a sign of disbelief or as a thinly veiled judgment of ones actions. Consider the example of: Why haven’t you taken out the trash? Why don’t you have a job?

The Option Method presents questions in a very different way, more like a heartfelt gift, from one friend to another. Gary begins with the premise that when a person becomes more comfortable, more relaxed, more loving, in any situation (serious illness, death in the family, divorce, etc.) they will create their own workable and satisfying solutions to their problems.

When we are busy being unhappy, judging our situations, ourselves, our lovers or our children, we often lose the ability to make clear and effective choices. The result…we end up getting less of what we truly want for ourselves. Simple, straightforward questions, asked with an attitude of acceptance, leads to an understanding of the beliefs which fuel unhappiness.

Clarify the reasons and beliefs that are fueling your unhappiness people have been able to feel energy when there was only chronic illness before, feel a sense of peace and happiness when their was only depression, and experience their special needs child’s newest challenges with excitement rather than dread.

Interview...

How and why did you become an Option Practitioner?
"I was introduced to Option at a challenging time in my life, recently
widowed and raising a young son. Option offered me what I seemed to be searching for, a perspective for living based on love, acceptance and non-judgement. I fell in love with the beauty, simplicity of the Option Method. I joined the staff of the Option Institute in 1985 and had the good fortune of three years of extensive training with Kaitryn Wertz."

"My early experience with the Option Method proved to be a life changing journey of understanding the relationship between my beliefs and my happiness. Since that time I have used the Option Method professionally with people from all walks of life."

What do you think makes you a good OM Practitioner?
"First and foremost is my love of the dialogue process. After fourteen years of experience with the Option Method I continue to delight in the questions themselves. Having used (and continuing to use) the method for my own personal growth allows me to approach not only my clients, but the rest of my life as well from a perspective of love and non-judgement."

How long are your dialogue sessions?
"For a first session, I recommend a minimum of 1 1\2 to 2 hours. In general, sessions are scheduled for 1 hour, though longer sessions are available for those that prefer them."

What issues have you dialogued with others on?
"I have experience working with individuals and couples from all walks of life as well as many different countries, cultures and religions. Topics explored include marriage, career, health, relationships, family, parenting, self-esteem, divorce etc."

What hours are you available for a dialogue? Are you available in the evenings? Weekends?
"I maintain a flexible schedule. I am happy to do sessions on weekends or evenings as well as during the "work week". Sessions may be done in person, here in Los Gatos, CA, or in the San Francisco bay area, or by telephone. I have found the dialogue to be equally effective by phone as it is in person and I currently do many sessions this way."

Schedule a Dialogue with Gary: 408-395-3286

Testimonials...

"Everyone should have the gift of a dialogue. A bubble in time, where a loving, non-directive, non-judgmental person asks probing and targeted but gentle questions about whatever is on your mind. Where anything can be expressed and everything can be explored without fear of judgment, recrimination, or meddling. Where life can be re-encountered and recreated, and the self can be discovered in a wholly new light. Where you can enter the room one person and emerge a new person--or the same person with new self-awareness and self-acceptance. Where you become your own treasured playground, as you climb and romp--safely and under the tutelage of a loving guide--through your inner landscape of darkness and light, of fears, dreams, sorrows, and hopes."

"I have been blessed to enjoy this gift, via the gentle, loving, and skilled mentoring of Gary Skow. For many years, Gary has accompanied me on the often terrifying, often joyous, but always amazing journey into new regions of myself. Through his clear and competent questions, he has helped me to map out new pathways in my parenting, my personal life, and my professional life. He has shepherded me through this uncharted territory, as I have transformed myself with a series of increasingly self-embracing, self-supportive steps."

"Gary has helped me to find courage I never knew I had, and self-reliance I never believed possible. I am now living a life I never dared imagine before, and I exult in the doors that are open to me.
In short, I am utterly and wondrously transformed. Thank you Option!"
- Batya Swift Yasgur MA, MSW

"The first dialogue I had with Gary was a time of crisis for me. I had just revealed to my husband a lie of omission and he had freaked. After many years of difficulties he decided he couldn’t trust me anymore and wanted a divorce. Not one to make rash statements, I knew he meant it. I was in a total state of panic going into the dialogue. I wanted to shake Gary and say "Pleeeasseee make him trust me again!"

"Gary was so relaxed and laid back it had a calming effect on both of us. Through a series of questions, Gary helped Bernie identify whether he wanted to trust me again, and if he did, how he might go about doing so. As it turns out, Bernie really did want to trust me but could not understand HOW to trust me. Gary’s non-directive questions helped him figure that out. I honestly believe that my husband and I would not be together today had it not been for the dialogue with Gary. Thank you Gary for helping us preserve what is now an awesome relationship!"
- Jennifer Hautman

Schedule a Dialogue with Gary: 408-395-3286

Articles by Gary...

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