Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (or Therapy or Counseling) is a multidimensional discipline that explores and seeks to resolve issues or unfinished business from the past that may be affecting an individual's current well-being.
As I practice it, therapy is an intentional, interpersonal relationship between the therapist (me) and the client (you). My theoretical approach is based in the work of Dr. Carl Rogers, Dr. Fritz Perls, Dr. Albert Ellis, and Drs. Ron and Mary Hulnick.
By multi-dimensional, I mean that therapy includes working on any or all of the following five levels:
- PHYSICAL: How we experience the physical world, our bodies, exercise, eating, resting, play, etc.
- MENTAL: What—and how—we think about our world. Our personal current beliefs, ideas of right/wrong, morals, and values.
- EMOTIONAL: How we feel about our world. There are four foundational emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, and anger.
- UNCONSCIOUS: What may be hidden motives for some behavior. Patterns of self-sabotage, self-destruction.
- SPIRITUAL: Where we connect with our Authentic Self and experiences such as loving, compassion, forgiveness, and joy.
While therapy may sometimes involve aspects of coaching, it is not possible, or ethical, for established therapy clients to become coaching clients or vice versa. If you have more questions about this, do not hesitate to contact me.
Coaching
Given my own former corporate experience, I specialize in the areas of sales, marketing, advertising, career development, achievement, and advancement, as well as educational enrollment, admissions, and retention.
As I practice it, coaching focuses primarily on physical world reality. This means I focus mainly with business clients, who are seeking practical support in planning, tracking, and executing new behaviors focused on setting and attaining goals. Coaching is results-oriented, supporting clients in achieving pre-determined milestones, acting more effectively in their given context or business, and accomplishing more than was previously possible. At the same time, a focus is also placed on maintaining a sustainable balance between the personal and the professional.
To learn more about coaching, please visit my coaching site.
Coaching is not therapy and never involves diagnosis or treatment. It is forward-focused and does not explore the past. It is not focused on alleviating or relieving mental or emotional distress. Coaching does not seek to resolve the deeper underlying issues that cause mental or emotional problems. Therapy may involve aspects of coaching, but coaching is not and should not be therapeutic. It is not possible, or ethical, for coaching clients to become therapy clients or vice versa. If you have more questions about this, do not hesitate to contact me.