Services

in-person and online therapy in Minnesota

A Developmental and Relational Trauma Treatment Model

Healing Our Core Issues (HOCI) is a trauma-informed treatment model developed by Jan Bergstrom, M.Ed, LMHC, SEP, and Dr. Rick Butts, LPCC-S, SEP. Designed to address the lasting impact of childhood trauma, this approach offers deep, sustainable healing for those struggling with patterns that no longer serve them.

Drawing on Pia Mellody’s definition of trauma—“anything less than nurturing”—the HOCI model helps individuals uncover how early caregiving experiences shaped their sense of self and relationships. Many of us unconsciously adapt to dysfunction in childhood, only to find those same survival strategies causing challenges in our adult lives.



Healing Our Core Issues (HOCI)

The HOCI process follows a three-phase path to healing:

  • Insight & Awareness
 Recognizing the origins of relational and developmental trauma and identifying the coping patterns that emerged in response.

  • Healing Through Reparenting
 Gently tending to the wounded inner child by offering the care, protection, and validation that may have been missing.

  • Releasing What Isn’t Ours
 Letting go of inherited beliefs, roles, and emotional burdens that were never truly ours to carry.

All of the healing happens from within. The result? A more empowered, emotionally regulated self with stronger boundaries, healthier relationships, increased confidence, and a deeper sense of worth.



Resources

Healing our Core Issues Institute

Gifts from a Challenging Childhood: Creating a Practice for Becoming your Healthiest Self

“When we encounter difficult times in our lives, often our initial strategy is to simply run away. But we find that our troubles follow us. Paradoxically, one of the best ways to heal is to turn toward that which is injured within us.” - Jack Kornfield