Meet Jill Wu of Wu4You Life Coach & Hypnotherapy in Fullerton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Wu.

Jill, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My journey includes many life experiences & a lot of education. I graduated from Chapman University with a Psychology degree in 2001 & knew I wanted to be in mental Health. There was a lot going on in my life at this time –traveling, living, relationships, family stuff, etc. In 2008, I decided to go back to school & get my MBA so that I could start a business & also I wanted to prove to myself that I could get back on the academic track. In 2010, I graduated from University of Phoenix with that MBA. I didn’t want to stop there though because I needed to further my psychology knowledge so I went to National University getting my second Masters degree in Counseling (Marriage & Family Therapy). This is when it all come together for me. I interned for 1 year in Santa Clarita’s St. Francis Psychotherapy Center to develop my craft. Here I worked with couples, young college girls, individuals’ going through divorce, and individuals struggling with depression & anxiety. I was in these sessions with these people who looked at me for help. They trusted me with their secrets & I didn’t want to let them down so I continued to read books & do research overtime I saw a new client. I started my business from home shortly after this in 2013. In 2014, I became a certified Life Coach, certified Hypnotherapist, & took 2 Gottman Couples trainings by John & Julie Gotten themselves. Later that year, I opened up my office in Fullerton and started groups in addition to my practice. Since then I have made a commitment to myself to complete several trainings every year. Some of them include, Infidelity in marriage, Sex addiction, Trauma, & PTSD in marriage.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were many struggles on the way before I opened the Fullerton office. Before I knew that Life Coaching was most fitting for me, I struggled trying to decide if I wanted to become an MFT & work for someone else or just begin practicing on my own. I also have many student loans to pay off which is always stressful. The most difficult was when my house burnt down including the home office I was using to see clients. If I’m being honest, I have to say that my clients got me through that traumatic event. The fire was on a Friday night & I was fortunate enough to borrow an office from my mentor, which got me back to work on Monday. Being with my clients in those sessions made it possible for me to continue to focus on the brave & positive changes I saw in them. As soon as I opened my Fullerton office, it was smooth sailing. Within 6 months I had a full schedule seeing 6-8 clients a day. Now in my 5th year, I have to be more careful not to take on too many couples or see too many people. My husband, friends, & 3 dogs have me every weekend & I try to go away for long weekends four times every year. Self-care is very important in this line of work.

Wu4You Life Coach & Hypnotherapy – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My office resembles a comfy living room with lots of books & pillows. I specialize in couples (gay, straight, unmarried, married, and even separated co-parents). However, I see just as many individuals for all different reasons. I help people reconnect with family members that have been estranged, assist young women to increase their self-esteem & self worth, work with individuals on anger management, I do groups (healthy relationships, women’s group, codependency group, anxiety group). I developed a 12 week codependency program that I’ve done in groups, but am now doing individually and getting amazing results. I get to watch my clients grow & literally transform into emotionally independent happy individuals.

Hypnotherapy is an effective tool I use with many of my clients to enable my clients to shift to healthier perspectives. Using hypnosis, I can often yield the results of weeks of therapy in 2 or 3 sessions. What I am known for is my open & nonjudgmental style coupled with my availability & directness.

It is not uncommon for me to bring in one of my 3 small dogs to a bereavement session or hop in the car with someone to show them breathing & exposure techniques to end their fear of freeway driving. I love what I do & feel so honored that I get to be a part of my client’s lives & see their positive changes first hand.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Most of my proud moments are very intimate or private. For example, I had client who came to me a while back, a virgin, who was extremely anxious of the thought of dating & was having trouble finishing college after quitting (due to anxious fears of failure) mid senior year. I saw him weekly for about 4 months. We started with hypnosis & guided imagery until we found where these deep seeded fears from childhood came from. We changed the language he used to describe himself & separated out the fearful feelings from the truth.

Once he was in a relationship & back in school we kept in touch every so often. A while later, I received a letter stating that he was celebrating his one year anniversary with his girlfriend & his college graduation. I get to be a part of successes like this everyday! I feel so lucky! I also enjoy seeing couples reinvent their romance & sexuality after years of just coexisting. One of my other favorites is about a married couple of 5 years who fought so much that the whole building could hear them out in the parking lot after their first session. Both of their parents were divorced & they had never witnessed a healthy relationship or been in one. I used the Gottman communication & intimacy tools with them for 6 months & they are so happy now that they decided to start a family. I believe in the work that I do because I keep in contact with these couples & families & see their lives change. Whenever I have families thank me for helping their loved ones, there are no words for how fulfilled I am.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2601 E. Chapman Ave., #211
  Fullerton, CA 92831
• Website: www.jillwulifecoach.com
• Phone: (818) 941-3389
• Email: wu.here4you@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifecoach.jillwu
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jillrwu
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wu-4-you-hypnotherapy-and-counseling-fullerton
• Other: https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/name/Jill_Wu_CLC,MA,MBA,CHt_Fullerton_California_182758

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.