Dan Peterson, founder of The Compass 4 Life, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and an advanced trainer for the Nurtured Heart Approach™ (NHA). He earned his Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Benedictine University in 2002.

Personally trained by NHA founder, Howard Glasser, Dan is considered the area expert in the Nurtured Heart Approach™ in the Naperville School District. He specializes in helping adults who work with or have challenging children develop strategies for their child to succeed in both the school environment and family setting. Dan wants to provide parenting tips for children with behavioral problems and encourage positive parenting.

Dan has developed his own unique coaching style based on the Nurtured Heart Approach™. He believes that in order for the NHA to be effective it must be practiced both at home and at school. To that end, he is passionate about training both parents and teachers. Dan’s vision is to train and coach teachers and parents in the Nurtured Heart Approach™ so that they can in turn provide all children with the best possible environment to flourish. He is committed to bridging the gap between home and school.

Dan created the Compass Program to provide:

  • Parent Coaching and Counseling (In Office or Telephone)
  • Specialized Small Groups (Fathers, Single Moms, Co-parenting)
  • Special Events (Parent & Community Workshops, Family Programs)
  • School Consulting and Training (Administrators and Teachers)
  • Individual Counseling (Parents, Children-Middle School and older)

It is Dan’s belief that the Nurtured Heart Approach™ not only uncovers the greatness within every child, but it also provides him with an internal compass for life.

The Compass 4 Life Mission
“Teaching adults to help ALL children flourish.”

In order to nurture and educate children effectively, Dan believes our vision must go beyond our children; our vision must include parents, families, teachers, and communities. That is why Dan is extensively involved in training teachers within school settings, coaching parents, and conducts community workshops for adults. In order to support his work with families and teachers, Dan is also actively involved as a school district consultant teaching a social curriculum grounded in the Nurtured Heart Approach™.