ETERNAL HOPE
Addiction, crisis intervention coach teaches meaning of ‘Second Chance Living’
A West Bloomfield professional makes a living out of sharing her story of change, renewal and restoration in the hopes that she can help others rise up from similar challenges and situations.
Karen Donald is a certified life and family coach who works with parents and families. She’s also an addiction and crisis intervention specialist.
She has a degree in communications and is certified in various areas of counseling. She also is an ordained minister with a background in spiritual counseling.
“I’ve walked into every area that I work in,” Donald said. “Growing up, I had a very, very trauma-filled childhood. And once I grew up, I ended up on drugs and alcohol at a very young age. I started drinking at 13, which led to a heavy addiction to alcohol and drugs all the way until I was 24 years old. That’s when I had my son and daughter, Kris and Keli. They literally saved my life. I had to do so much to take care of them that I set goals for myself. I just got out there and did it. So, helping parents became a main goal for me.”
With over 30 years in the counseling field, Donald gained some of her early experience assisting parents and families in poverty. She did a lot of work in southeast Michigan with urban school districts and children in grades K-12. She also worked with state and county police rescuing atrisk children and assisting incarcerated parents.
“Moving forward, I just kept looking for opportunities to help people live better lives,” Donald said. “And ‘Second Chance Living’ is a true testimonial to, not only my own life, but it is important for me to let people know that, whatever you’ve gone through, there is a second