Meet Sharmen
Sharmen Kimbrough, MA
Sharmen has a knack for deep-diving into the nitty gritty and rooting out the dysfunctional coping mechanisms people use to get through life, which end up as self-sabotage when it comes to relationships. She emphasizes navigating life from a Christ-centered perspective, and brings a strong sense of optimism to the table; God is doing something here and you aren’t powerful enough to screw him up. She can often reframe issues in a way that brings insight and motivation to change, and with that, new found strength in your steps.
She loves speaking hope into complicated situations and watching people grab hold of that hope to find the sense of life, freedom and joy they’ve been craving.
specialties
- Attachment Dysfunction
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Emotional Abuse
Spiritual Abuse
Dating - Faith-based Coaching
pairs well with
- Couples
- Individuals
- Pastors
- Coaches
services offered
- Hourly Sessions
- Intensive Coaching
- Group Coaching
- Online Education & Support
mission statement
To speak practical truth into dark places so people can apply it to their own hearts, story, and relational shenanigans.
approach
A core part of Sharmen’s approach to her work is based upon the belief that we are created to be connected, and that attachment dysfunction is the basis of all soul-level trauma. In order to attach, we must be authentic. And, to be authentic, we must be willing to come out of hiding.
Attachment dysfunction looks like shame, fear, neglect, abandonment, rejection and deception. When we live in hiding, we cannot attach. Sharmen works primarily with adults who are struggling to come out of hiding, isolation, and self-protection, and helps them build a path toward authentic living which translates to authentic relationships and deeper connections. Whether the “hiding” looks like narcissism or codependency, she helps untangle the lies, the nonsense, and what trauma has done to your soul and ability to attach within relationships.
As a whole, every single person is born into this life a totally codependent narcissistic little monster. We come through childhood tending toward one end of that spectrum or the other based on our experience of our core relationships. In adulthood, we act out all the same self-protective coping mechanisms we learned, only as adults those coping skills are maladaptive in actually creating the freedom and aliveness we crave. Sharmen looks at the practical, pragmatic, and constructive ways to better understand and unfurl the parts that are negatively undermining interpersonal connection. Ultimately, it boils down to the soul-level, spiritual consideration of to whom does the heart look for purpose, meaning, security, and life — self or God. The fruit of recovery looks like coming out of hiding, living authentically, with freedom, aliveness and mutuality in your interpersonal relationships.
She is gifted at working with men and women individually, as couples, and within group settings.
education & experience
Sharmen received her master’s degree in professional counseling in 2012 from Liberty University. Part of her training included peer counseling at a Pregnancy Care Center (two years), an internship at an inpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment center (Walter B. Jones ADATC, one year), and extensive volunteering with teens and mentoring groups (since 1995). She opened her own coaching practice in 2012. Alongside maintaining her own practice, Sharmen is also an integral part of the Marriage Recovery Center with Dr. David Hawkins, based in the Seattle, WA area.
The backbone of her work has been built upon experience more so than book learning. She has experienced a lifetime of learning how to navigate dysfunctional, destructive behavior and emotional abuse, as well as divorce and single-parenting. The adversity of her own life has uniquely prepared her to speak wisdom into the lives of those around her. If you would like, you can read more of Sharmen’s testimony here.
