Cynde achieved her dream of becoming a California licensed architect by passing five ARE and the CSE in less than a year.
Cynde Lee Spence, AIA
Project Architect & AIA Central Coast Board Member, Associates Director
San Luis Obispo, CA
Client Case Study: Aspiring Architect Acing the ARE Program
From Stuck to Licensed: Going from overwhelmed by exam anxiety to licensed in less than a year.
Facing Challenges
When I first met Cynde, she had passed two ARE (Architect Registration Examinations) and failed another one twice. When we met for her initial consult, Cynde shared her frustration with the exam process and how her anxiousness and low self-confidence kept her from passing her exams.
Since she had experienced hypnosis before for something else and had found it helpful, we discussed how she’d see benefits from self-hypnosis quickly. Cynde signed up for my online services and within a month and only 3 private hypnotherapy sessions via Zoom, felt prepared enough to take the problem exam again.
The Solution
By teaching Cynde how to take herself into the hypnotic state by relaxing her mind and body, I was able to help her feel empowered to control her own mind and emotions. She was able to lower her anxiety and re-take the Construction & Evaluation division and finally pass it.
This success and the positive feelings and deep relaxation that she experienced from her self-hypnosis homework kept her motivated to keep going.
Over the next nine months, Cynde signed up and took the rest of the ARE. I continued to support Cynde along her journey to licensure via text and updated customized recordings for each exam.
I was able to help Cynde pass five of the ARE in under a year. Then when Cynde was eligible to take the California Supplemental Exam (CSE), she reached out again and we did two more sessions. Cynde only had to take the CSE once because her self-hypnosis practice had helped her develop the inner resources she needed to feel prepared and confident. She told me afterwards that she trusted her gut instinct and was successful in lowering her anxiety on exam day.
One other important part of working with Cynde in one-to-one coaching calls is that I helped her realize that the exams test her book knowledge, not her job skills. This change in perspective helped Cynde feel more confident at work and in her test-taking skills, because she knew she was doing all the right things to prepare for her exams.
Cynde's Results
It was important to Cynde to get licensed to fulfill the goal that she set for herself and her kids when she went back to school to become an architect. It was this desire that helped Cynde stay motivated and consistent with her studies and change her self-esteem around to help her instead of holding her back.
Having worked in the architecture profession for more than 20 years, I know how important it is to obtain your state architecture license to expand your career potential. I was so proud and excited to hear that Cynde was receiving a raise and job title advancement now that she has acquired her license.