Judith E. Pearson, CHT, LPC, PhD - Expert

As a skinny little kid growing up in blue-collar family on the outskirts of Kansas City, I never imagined I’d get a doctorate degree, publish books, have a counseling practice, travel the world, or end up living just minutes outside of Washington, D.C.

My father had a 9th grade education and married my mom right after she finished high school.  She had me at 18, followed by three younger sisters.  I loved reading, drawing, and swimming.  I was a good student, so no one was surprised that I was the first person in my extended family to graduate from college. I paid for college by working summers as a life guard/swim instructor and by taking out National Student Defense Loans. 

I married my college sweetheart, a smart young Army officer. We were immediately assigned to Fort Huachuca, AZ, where I taught swimming with developmentally delayed kids.  Soon we transferred to Fort Bragg, NC. For the next five years I worked as a social worker, a counselor in a center for emotionally disturbed children, and on a childhood testing project for the state department of health. I added a master’s degree in counseling to my bachelor’s degree in social work. 

My husband took a position with the federal government and we moved to Northern Virginia in 1977.  I worked as a testing psychologist in a government agency. I hated the lack of advancement opportunities for women back then and the male-dominated politicking. I resigned, taking a job with a small federal contracting firm working on research and development projects for the Department of Defense. In 1980 I sat for the state boards, becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. 

Although my coworkers were likeable and professional, I knew I didn’t belong in a corporate culture. The salary was good enough to pay for vacations all over the world. Nevertheless, I wanted to work in mental health.  Like Andy in the Shawshank Redemption, I burrowed my way out.

For the next 19 years I led a double life. By day I worked as project manager. On nights and weekends I earned a doctorate degree, published in professional journals and magazines, and obtained certification as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Master Practitioner Trainer in NLP.  Through Toastmasters International I won several speaking competitions and held leadership positions, earning the title Distinguished Toastmaster.  I started a part-time practice, getting referrals by teaching adult education and continuing education for mental health practitioners. 

The next few years were difficult, with several setbacks, including a divorce, injuries from an auto accident, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome due to exhaustion.  I switched companies and worked as a Project Manager/Writer on an Air Force outreach contract to small businesses. Somehow I doggedly managed to continue publishing articles, reviewing books, teaching, and counseling clients on nights and weekends. In 2004, my life turned around.  I married John, a handsome, outgoing Captain in the US Navy.  I left corporate work for good. 

Today I have a busy private practice, Motivational Strategies, Inc. in Springfield, VA.  I specialize in hypnotherapy and NLP. I’ve published two books with an international publisher: The Weight, Hypnotherapy and You Weight Reduction Program manual, and Why Do I Keep Doing This? - a book on self-hypnosis. My first ebook is Stop Arguing: Easy Conflict Resolution for Couples. Improve Your Writing with NLP will be released in 2013. I speak at conferences and hold workshops on the applications of hypnosis and NLP for habit control and improved communication skills

I am the Executive Director of the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists, on the Advisory Board of the International Hypnosis Research Institute, and a member of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis and the Association of NLP. I am licensed in Virginia. I've published over 200 articles and reviews on habits, NLP, and hypnosis.