About

Five years ago, I welcomed my first foster child. Several months later, I became his full-time parent. My world turned upside down as I received a significant education in the often misunderstood world of parenting a child who carries complex trauma. Often, we have lived from crisis to crisis. I am intimately acquainted with the education system, the adolescent mental health system, the treatment system for children that struggle with substance use disorder, and the profound challenges those systems bring to families in crisis.

I received my coaching certification from Your Infinite Life in 2021. YIL has equipped me with tools to not only manage conflict and stress, but to relate to conflict and stress in such a way that it has deepened my relationship with my child, and clarified my sense of purpose and fulfillment in my parenting and in my career.

I’ve taught high school English for fifteen years. My parenting journey has informed not only the way that I work with students, but has opened a whole new dimension in my professional work: as an advocate for students and families who have experienced trauma and are trying to navigate the school system while also creating space for healing. I’m passionate about examining how the narratives we construct about our experience inform the way we live.

In my spare time, I enjoy writing, reading, being outdoors, and spending time with my son and our two-year-old chihuahua mix, Harper. I have also long been a practitioner within the cultural space that has opened as a result of the ongoing dialogue between the Buddhist and Christian contemplative traditions.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, or to arrange for a free, one-hour initial consultation. My email is matthewmkingcoaching@google.com