December 20, 2019 marked my last day providing Addiction, Domestic Violence, and all other forms of mental health therapy.  We marked this event with a Lakota Give Away at the Franktown office.  This was a way of celebrating and remembering forty-five years as a therapist.  During that forty-five years I worked at the Women’s Prison, two hospitals, owned a Counseling Service (Running Creek) and was in private practice.  I also taught for the Office of Behavioral Health in Colorado and several other states for thirty of those years.  My time as a therapist involved working in many locations including Native American reservations. That experience has fueled my desire and interest in Native healing techniques. I taught Native American Studies for years and the more I taught the more I learned.  This proved my theory “we teach best what we most need to learn” and has been encouragement to practice Alternative Health care which includes Cherokee Body Work.  During my years as a therapist I have seen thousands of clients, taught many classes, sat on many boards and won some awards. The one I am most fond of is the Forquer Award for outstanding contributions in Substance Abuse prevention, treatment, intervention and education.  I also trained and mentored many counselors, wrote and implemented many programs and enjoyed working with many diverse populations.  It has been a wonderful career. It has also allowed me to give back a lot for my own healing.  My lively style has earned me many nicknames including OG which I was told meant “Original Gangster” for my pushiness about therapists maintaining an ethical practice. It has been so fun and special I could write for hours about it when I just wanted to let everyone know I have stopped doing therapy. I am very grateful for every client I have seen and have learned so much from clients and students.  Therapy requires great courage and I have been blessed to see the wonderful effects of people diligently seeking to change in positive ways with therapy.

For the past thirty years I have been learning Alternative models of healthcare including Reiki, Cherokee Body Work, acupressure, reflexology.  I have become qualified to teach these practices.  I provide these services now at my home office in Elizabeth, Colorado. I am also making another dream come true.  I am writing a book I wanted to write for many years and have worked on for many years.  It looks like it will get finished and published this year with some help from some very dedicated people. Watch for more information about the book on this website.  Look at our Events page if you are interested in learning any of the Alternative Health Care Practices I teach.

I have been extremely blessed and hope I have paid that forward. Doris

For many years I have taught Native American Studies and Cherokee Body Work.  I have often taught the Cherokee Body Work as three levels over six days.   The Intensive creates that material in a condensed and higher intensity format as a three-day learning experience.

 it will include the material from all three levels as well as experiential practice using the techniques and information from the class.

We will spend time learning storytelling, sound, vibration, herbal treatments, ceremony, Cherokee osteopathy, as well as many other experiences.

The class includes a book, written by Doris Kruse, so you can continue to practice and use the tools you learn after the class is over.  For more information look at the three levels described on the blog pages of my website topsient.com.

Hope to see you at the Cherokee Body Work Intensive.

Doris