Jackie McCullough became certified in the Option Process® Dialogue in 2004 and currently practices in Rochester, New York. As a way to support and encourage private mentoring practice, we are pleased to provide a web page for each of our Certified Mentors. The following information has been provided to us by Jackie.

Jackie McCullough P.O. Box 64332 Rochester, NY, 14624 USA 585-752-0274 Email: jackiementor@gmail.com

1. What is your mentoring background and related experience?

I earned my certification as an Option Process Mentor/Counselor in January, 2004 and have been doing Dialogues with clients in person and by phone since then. My other experience is in real estate counseling and sales, a support person for senior citizens groups and tutoring learning disabled children. In working with the children I have always found that the emotional support and personal coaching I gave them were as useful, or more so, as the academics I taught them. I trusted them to learn the material when they were ready, just as I now trust the explorer’s to uncover their unhappiness producing beliefs when they are ready, and change them when they are ready.

2. Why did you become an Option Process® Mentor/Counselor?

I have found the Option Process to be the most effective tool I can use to help myself and others to know ourselves better and, hence, love ourselves and others more and lead happier lives.

I did my first mentoring in the spring of 2002 while in The Option Institute program Inward Bound. A fellow participant, who I was mentoring, took a giant step forward for herself and I was hooked on the process. I was thrilled at her ability to change her whole attitude about a “huge problem” in her life in 50 minutes time.

Also, I was planning to adopt a teenage boy and wanted more skills to parent him. He is now with me and I am amazed at the effectiveness of living the principles (“To love is to be happy with” and knowing that he is his own best expert on himself) in my interaction with him.

3. Why do you believe the Option Process® and the Option Process® Dialogue are so effective?

I believe this process is so effective because it allows individuals to discover the beliefs that fuel their feelings and actions. We mentors only ask questions, and people discover their own answers because each person is his or her own best expert. Mentors don’t give advice and don’t have any answers for those they mentor. When people see that they do have their own answers and can choose their beliefs (in fact have always been choosing them) they feel empowered in a whole new way. Now they can choose with awareness and from a happier place. Because all of our feelings and actions stem from our beliefs, choosing happier beliefs leads us to happier lives. We begin to love ourselves more, love others more and lead happier more empowered lives.

4. How can someone specifically use the Option Process® Dialogue to change their life?

So often in our lives when we become fearful, angry, sad, depressed or unhappy in any way, we believe is some thing or event that caused our unhappiness. Then we try to change the stimulus (the person or situation) or the response (the feeling) to make ourselves feel better. With the Option Process Dialogue we get to uncover our beliefs that are fueling our feelings about the situation or event. Beliefs are just beliefs, not truths, nor reality, just changeable beliefs. We see that there is a space between our thought (belief) and our reaction. This precious space is the space to choose. Once we become aware of our beliefs we can decide to change them if we want and, thus change our responses.
An example of this would be someone who believes he can’t make good decisions for himself. The Dialogue questions can uncover the reason(s) he believes this, maybe his mother yelled at him every time he made a decision she didn’t agree with when he was a child. The pivotal point of power could be when he realizes that he did make some very good, age appropriate, choices as a child and today, as an adult, he can and does make good decisions for himself.

We have all of our answers inside ourselves, and the Option Process Dialogue is a wonderful easy and fun tool to bring them to our awareness. Knowing ourselves is such an empowered way to live!

5. How have you used the Option Process® Dialogue to make changes in your life?

I had been trying to adopt a child, a specific young man, for over two years and then one day was told he could come in two weeks so he could be here in time for school to start (he was seventeen at the time). I was suddenly feeling overwhelmed and apprehensive about all of the things I would have to do to have him ready for school – get the necessary paperwork, enroll him, buy a whole new wardrobe and school supplies, get him settled in at my house (he had been in institutions since he was eleven) before school started, etc. I Dialogued this with a friend and realized I was afraid of going back into my old patterns of not being able to focus (think straight) when there are a lot of things to do in a seemingly short time. I believed that many things to do equals a chaotic mind. I realized that with all of the healing of my earlier life I had done with psychotherapy and Option Dialogues that I have lots of tools to keep myself focused in the moment no matter what is going on around me. In about 40 minutes my apprehension turned to excitement! I had a whole different feeling and attitude about the suddenness of the situation. As situations come up in my life, I continue to do Dialogues to find out my old disempowering beliefs and change them to happier, more empowering ones. Sometimes I do very short, one or two question self-dialogues and drop a fear of anxiety in just a few seconds and go on with my day thinking clearly and happily. I love it!

6. Do you recommend anything to help someone prepare for a Dialogue(any specific reading, listening, viewing, etc.)?

I always recommend that clients read Happiness Is a Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman to have a better understanding of the Option principles. Giant Steps and To Love Is To Be Happy With, both by Barry Neil Kaufman have examples of dialogues and help with the understanding of the Dialogue process and can be found on the Option.org web site and in libraries and book stores. The audio tapes, The Gift of a Question and Beliefs, both by Barry Neil Kaufman give information that is helpful for someone who is going to do a Dialogue.

7. Do you have any quotes from any clients that you would like us to include?

“Through weekly dialogues with Jackie, I have been able to sift through layers of anger, guilt, judgment and self-defeating beliefs to find renewed strength and a positive attitude about the present that I had never been able to achieve while dwelling on the past or fearing the future. Jackie’s very loving and non-judgmental presence during our sessions has allowed me to answer her questions in an honest way that leads to acceptance and ownership of what I am able to change for myself and from there, to palpable change. Jackie has the authenticity, honesty, patience and attitude that everyone wishes they could find in a friend!”

~MS

“I can’t express in words what the last dialogue did. When I saw, in my mind’s eye, my cousin step behind me it lifted a veil from my being and I could see that I can make good decisions and I have been believing all my life that I couldn’t. Thank you.”

~JB

“Jackie is using an advanced therapeutic method to teach us and guide us in our lives no matter what has been in the past or what our situation is now. She is a master at asking questions in a caring, loving and nonjudgmental way. The results of working with Jackie have been rapid growth of awareness and peace. She is caring, loving, committed and never gives up. Jackie is for those seekers who want greater happiness, self-understanding and peace of mind. How fortunate are those who find her.”

~DB

“A special thank you for those life impacting dialogues. Last night was amazing – clearing some of the murkiness in a long time issue. The light is always ready for us when we are ready for it. Thank you for your love and patience and presence.”

~Diane