Testimonials

“We began working with Rhona before the birth of our second child. We were stuck in individual and collective patterns as parents and as a couple that we knew we wanted to shift as we welcomed another baby into our life. We have learned a great deal from Rhona’s coaching and have developed a more common language that has strengthened us and our ability to problem solve and be more compassionate towards each other and ourselves. Rhona is incredibly skilled at working with our very different personalities and temperaments and she approaches us with an openness that we both value. She also brings evidence-based research into her coaching, which helps to normalize and ultimately navigate how we are in relationship to each other and to our children.”
– Kate & Hardy, Napa, CA

“Our new baby is now 10 months old. The prep work we did with Rhona was essential.…We had no idea what little tornado was about to hit! We have utilized the knowledge gathered during our sessions time and time again…. Now instead of spending time arguing we are tapping into our new knowledge and recover quickly from possible arguments and the defenses triggered by being new parents. This gives us more time to enjoy our new little one and ensures we are giving him the best parenting possible. We HIGHLY recommend new parents participate in this short useful program. Once the baby comes they will be very grateful!
– Patricia & Brian, Los Angeles, CA, USA

“We had the great pleasure of having Rhona speak at one of our Parent Workshops. Being a parent of three, I know how hard it is to take the time to communicate with my husband effectively but after the workshop I used the tools she suggested and was able to notice a huge difference right away. Rhona’s presentation was fun and interactive. Parents came back the next day saying that they have already started implementing what they learned.”
– Renae Plant, Director, Camelot Kids Child Development Center

“When my clients ask for a referral for couples support, I always think of Rhona. Her insight, compassion and ability to attune to others are at the heart of her work. The care and understanding she provides are extremely helpful and her clients are the better for it.”
– Gabrielle Kaufman, MA,LPCC,BC-DMT,NCC,PMH-C

“We strongly believe programs like Rhona’s are crucial in maintaining a healthy relationship for any new parent. The tools you receive help you navigate the uncharted path into parenthood with more confidence. We felt confident in your coaching skills and felt comfortable showing up authentically with you through the entire process. [Jayson adds:] I think the program offers dads a chance to really express what their needs are during and after the pregnancy. With all the focus on mom and the baby, dad’s needs can be easily forgotten. [Rhona’s program for expecting and new parents] ensured that my needs were made just as important as mom’s in creating a healthy atmosphere for our relationship to flourish.”
– Erin and Jayson, Calgary, Alberta

“I began working with Rhona 6 years ago after meeting her at a workshop where I said: ‘I need help improving my marriage. There is just one caveat, my husband is not comfortable with therapy or coaching. Can you help me?’ Thankfully, Rhona said yes and, last spring, my husband and I celebrated our tenth anniversary in Rome.” 
– Valorie, Long Beach, CA

“We have been very fortunate to have Rhona as our relationship coach. She is very insightful, intelligent and passionate. She was able to help us recognize relationship toxins that were sabotaging our relationship. Most importantly, Rhona creates a comfortable and safe environment for couples. She was there for both of us, never taking sides or making judgments; helping us understand the other person’s point of view. It is very hard to say in a few words the positive impact her coaching has brought to our lives. Now, months later, we still see the positive impact of her coaching. Thanks, Rhona!”
– Monica and Will, Vancouver, Washington

“[Rhona’s program for expecting and new couples] gave us a chance to get clarity prior to being sleep deprived and stressed by the changes that are associated with having a newborn. You are a great coach. We loved how animated you are and were impressed by your ability to really listen to us beyond our words. We found this program fun and therapeutic for us as a couple. It is a platform to help visualize, create and actualize the future you envision for yourself as an individual, a couple and as parents and a program to help unify and clarify parents’ goals and values prior to embarking upon the life changing experience of bringing their new baby into the world. The importance of working out potential differences and getting aligned as a couple prior to the arrival of the baby is also a huge selling point.”
– Rachel and Greg, San Francisco, California

“We loved Rhona’s workshop. Her thoughts on the dynamics of family life…were so insightful and helpful. We have implemented many of her ideas in our daily lives and will continue to do so well into the future. A truly educational and compelling experience!”
– Monique and Michael Schiff, Burbank, California

“Rhona Berens spoke at our school and she was fantastic.  Everyone who attended agreed that her talk was informative, useful and extremely educational.  She is accessible, relatable, engaging and really funny.  I learned so much about my relationship tendencies and took away some practical ideas to improve them.  I came away with actual tools to use in my everday life and in my realtionships with others.”
– Joanna Port, Parent Consultant & Parent Education Committee Co-Chair, The Franklin Elementary School, Santa Monica, CA

“Rhona’s workshop was super helpful in identifying and addressing relationship issues my spouse and I have. Having a baby tends to magnify existing issues and create new ones. We now have some tools at our disposal, so that we have a fighting chance in making those trouble areas less troublesome…and understanding each other a lot better in the process!”
– The Gormans, Los Angeles, California

“We had a great Parent Workshop, where we learned how to best communicate with our spouses, co-workers and children. Rhona was truly remarkable as she helped us navigate our different issues.”
– Sarah Thomas, Director, Sunnyside Preschool, Studio City, California 

“What I got out of this most was that there were some fundamental elements to our current relationship (post baby) that had gone missing or faded away, and consequently new ones have introduced themselves – all without even noticing. Rhona talked about mourning the loss of our past lives – both as a couple and as individuals. This made a lot of sense to me and a number of light bulbs went off in my head. For sure both of us miss elements of our previous life. We also enjoy new parts of our relationship that we would never want to lose – foremost our daughter, who makes us smile whenever we look at her – except perhaps when she is screaming sleepless at 2 am. Regardless, we uncovered issues that rooted from the way things used to be and how they have changed. It was really enlightening and uplifting.”
– Jeanette, Toronto, Ontario

“Shortly after my ex-husband and I separated, we attended a communication workshop headed by Rhona Berens. We have 2 small children and we knew we needed help in order to have an effective co-parenting relationship. While we always knew communication was important, we didn’t realize HOW we communicate was just as important. What we learned in Rhona’s workshop has helped us to better communicate with each other without anger. As a result, it has not only helped our co-parenting relationship, but our friendship. Our marriage may have ended, but our friendship continues, as does our family bond.”
– Stacy Oliver, Los Angeles, CA

“Having recently completed [Rhona’s program for expecting and new parents], my partner and I feel ready to meet some of the many challenges of our upcoming parenthood. Our communication skills have benefited greatly from Rhona’s approach; we’ve discussed issues that we never thought of, and have been given tools to communicate on difficult and intense subjects that will prove to be very important as we raise our child. The program showed us how to effectively process some of our deeply engrained habits and baggage that we bring from our own upbringing–it made us a much stronger and better team. It also taught us how to diffuse difficult situations and to use humor to help us communicate. We highly recommend this program to couples expecting in the near future, and to parents with young kids. We use our new tools each and every day and feel confident that even during the chaos of new parenting, these tools with be a big part of our everyday lives.”
– Tammy & Jackie, Los Angeles, California

“Forget the bugaboo, the fancy crib…and the organic nipple pads. Rhona is definitely the number one brilliant gift when it comes to providing for the new arrival. Parent Alliance® is an honest, fair and helpful tool to anyone stepping into parenthood who wants to be the best parent they can. Rhona makes the things we take seriously into fun. You discover much about yourself. Rhona is a diplomatic teacher who genuinely cares. It has taught me things about myself that otherwise I would not have acknowledged. Thank you again for your endless compassion and patience.”
– Lena, Los Angeles, California

“Rhona engages the audience and gives real life examples and suggestions. Her strategies are applicable to work and life. Very informative, relevant and useful.”
– Public Health Nurse, Toronto, ON, Canada

“Rhona Berens never fails to bring her energy, enthusiasm and a practical insight to everything she endeavors. The Parents Education League of Los Angeles was fortunate to have her speak with a group of our involved parents. Rhona communicates her message about positive communication between parents in a way that shows her mastery of the subject matter coupled with her dedication to healthy relationships.  Her talk was incredibly productive, as she was able to reach all of us, and the take-away was apparent, so to speak. ;-)”
– Desiree Lapin, Past President, The Parents Education League of Los Angeles

“[Rhona’s program for expecting and new parents] is a way to address certain relationship issues more directly. It helped me understand the way my spouse approaches certain things that would have been difficult to see without this. It helped me understand how he thinks/approaches conversations. Parent Alliance® is a process to address opportunities and issues that will affect your future relationship and the type of family environment you want to create. It’s a comfortable and safe environment to look into some uncomfortable and unsafe topics in a constructive light, giving your relationship and family another way to address needs and wants, beyond the patterns we have likely established. It is well worth the cost to broaden your relationship.”
– Lori, Vancouver, British Columbia

“We have been very blessed by Rhona Berens and [her program for new and expecting couples]. It has created a place for us to discuss and develop a team approach to how we want to parent in the weeks leading up to the arrival of our daughter. If we hadn’t made the time to work this program with Rhona, we think there would be things left unsaid, that we didn’t even KNOW were left unsaid, that might have caused problems later.”
– Bonnie and Kim, Los Angeles, California

“[Rhona’s program for expecting and new parents] helped us establish a better understanding of how to approach situations that may arise as a couple and as soon-to-be parents. We highly recommend this program to help couples open their lines of communication and strengthen their bond as a couple and as parents. It prepares couples for open communication and how to acknowledge one another’s needs and it also allowed us to sit down as a couple and discuss the types of parents we want to be.”
– E and T, Los Angeles, California

“Rhona’s workshop was amazing and very, very helpful. It really provided some important tools for my “doula bag.” Not only was it informative but also entertaining, and the role-playing made it very hands-on. Rhona has been one of the best speakers this year for our organization.”
– Giuditta Tornetta, Birth & Postpartum Doula, Former Vice President of the Doula Association of Southern California, and author of Painless Childbirth.

“Rhona is an exceptional speaker. Not only does she bring incredible and updated evidenced-based facts, but she also brings humor and a contemporary view on families, raising children and relationships. Her words have brought so much awareness to my practice.”
– Ana Paula Markel, Doula & Birth Doula Trainer, Bini Birth, Los Angeles, California

“The Free Arts for Abused Children staff loved learning from Rhona at our recent staff development retreat. The 2-hour workshop on communication provided us with a shared team-building experience, a common ground to start from as we engage in dialogue with one another, our collaborative partners and hundreds of volunteers. Everyone enjoyed being reminded of communication skills and learning new ones, especially as they relate to conflict resolution. Several members of our staff found the Lands Work activity particularly helpful as it provided an opportunity to really see a situation relevant to our everyday work from a different perspective. All in all, we had a great workshop with Rhona and would be thrilled to receive more coaching from her.”
– Annie D. Armbrust, Former Executive Director, Free Arts for Abused Children, Los Angeles, California