Living On MauiI am now living on Maui! My family and I moved to Maui last month for a school-year-long family adventure. Although we all still consider Santa Cruz our home, we decided that the timing was right to shake things up a little bit in our lives. I am continuing to work with many of the same clients that I have worked with for years, which has been wonderful. I have consistently heard from my clients that doing sessions by phone, FaceTime, or Skype is just as effective as in-person sessions. Although I look forward to being back in my office next year, I’m glad that I can continue working with the clients about whom I care so deeply. Uprooting my life and the lives of my husband and my 3 kids (ages 14, 13, and 10) has been a learning experience, to say the least. We rented out our house, put all of our belongings in storage except what we brought here in suitcases, converted our private practices to remote sessions, pulled our kids out of school, said goodbye to our friends, and got on a plane. Despite landing on this island of so much beauty, we have all missed home. We have missed our friends and we have missed our things. It sounds ridiculous, but I can’t believe how much I miss my abalone shell that I decided not to bring! But we are learning to live here and we are doing our best to be present with all that we do have rather than longing for what we don’t have. The aspect of Maui that drew us here was the outdoors. Our appreciation of Mother Nature and all of her tropical delights has helped us to be present. Although I have found myself longing for home at the end of a long day of homeschooling kids, I do my best to go outdoors to marvel at the warm breeze or the bananas growing outside of my bedroom window. If I look up our street, I see the summit of Haleakala, the tallest volcano of the two volcanoes that make up Maui. If I look down our street, I see the “head” of Maui with the ocean visible on either side. Spending unstructured time in nature is a gift that we can all give ourselves…I’m just finding it easier to accept that gift here because of the natural beauty all around me. Watching the clouds or feeling the strong, humbling current as I swim introduces me to an unpredictable aspect of life that I miss out on when I schedule every minute of my time. I appreciate how supportive our friends, family, and clients have been of our experiment. I feel like we have all come to this island to learn from her, and I feel honored to be here despite the simultaneous longing for home. As the Hawaiians say as they greet or part from one another, “Aloha.” My favorite translation of this (as there are many) is, “”To consciously manifest life joyously in the present.”
Therapy With Kristin
My goal as a therapist is to help each of my clients feel more empowered, balanced, and whole in their lives. Achieving this allows each client to uncover his or her unique path toward leading a fulfilled and meaningful life. Seeing my clients achieve and embrace a life of being at ease is a gift I receive nearly every day. 
Kristin Nemzer
LMFT
Kristin Nemzer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified Hypnotherapist. She has been working with individuals, couples, and families for over 20 years and loves her work. She holds licenses as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California (License MFC 42308) and in the state of Hawaii (License MFT 480).