A psychologist-coach is someone who has obtained the academic graduate degrees of a psychologist, along with the rigorous clinical training which results in a deep understanding of what constitutes individual personality, and an active license to practice psychology. With this background in psychology, I am in an optimal position to move you forward in life, as compared with a coach without psychological training and experience. Furthermore, if you experience a block to moving forward to meet your goals, my psychological background helps me explore the nature of that block so that I can unhinge it and get you back on track.
2. How do you know if I need coaching or psychotherapy?
I need to consult with you for one or two sessions in order to determine whether the main issues affecting your life, work, or relationships are simply minor dilemmas seeking fresh pathways to success, or whether you are experiencing anxiety, depression or other self-limiting life crises. In the former case, I recommend coaching; in the latter, psychotherapy. Sometimes a coaching process may stall, and I switch to using my psychological ear to move you back on course. When psychotherapy has helped a client repair his problem zones, he may prefer to use me as a coach as he explores new avenues for love, work and play.
People who come to me for psychotherapy do so because of emotional issues such as anxiety or depression, or relationship issues, or work issues such as concerns about stress, anger or leadership, or body-image issues, or issues with death, loss and mourning. Often, life transitions – such as moving into adulthood, changing jobs or careers, adapting to a love relationship or a marriage, becoming a parent, undergoing a divorce or separation, losing a parent, midlife crisis, retirement, adapting to aging – provoke a personal need for self exploration.
There is a universal need for people to come to terms with who they are at various turning points in their lives. What I do is help connect the dots to form the picture of who you have become at this point in your life. This process of self-actualization helps you move forward to find meaning in your life and fulfill your potential.
4. How is your psychoanalytic background useful to your work as a coach?
Psychoanalysis provides a wide-ranging psychological theory of how the human being functions in relation to himself, in relation to others, and in relation to the world around him. It offers an understanding of how someone’s character develops, how and why it resists change, and how it can be induced to move forward toward change.
As a psychoanalyst-coach, first and foremost, I enter into a relationship with you, a partner relationship which can be examined by both of us as a typical example of relationships experienced in your outside life. It is through your experience in the here-and-now relationship with me that insight and learning occur to help move you toward self-actualization and self-motivated change.
5. How does your training and experience in group analysis contribute to your work as a coach?
Groups function in recognizable and similar ways – whether we are examining a project team or committee at work, the hierarchical structure of a whole organization, a school class, a sports team, an interest group such as a book club, or a family. People often behave differently in groups than they do in one-on-one relationships, because groups have a way of controlling individual role behavior.
When you have difficulty in a work or family group, I can demystify the roles you feel forced into in such situations and help break the pattern. I will also help you understand the roles taken by the other members of your group. Then you are free to become your best in that group.
6. How do you work as a coach?
First, I need to know why you’ve come to see me and what life or relationship goals you wish to reach. In a safe, confidential environment, we form a partnership – in which you contribute the content of our sessions and I offer my understanding of our process. We meet at least once weekly or more often for a more focused continuous approach. We explore the avenues you have already tried to achieve your objectives. As a team, we develop insights about which strategies do not work optimally and which ones would. But the main answers to your questions will be found within yourself, and you will discover untapped resources for doing so.
7. How is your approach to coaching different from that of other coaches?
Most coaches only focus on short term forward-looking solutions because they are not trained to look at challenges in life or work experience. Thus, most coaches will remain in the realm of the present in order to work toward your preferred future; they deal with symptoms and not causal factors. If only the symptom is removed, it is akin to snipping a weed: the roots are still there and it will grow back. My background allows me to jumpstart you when you get stalled – by unearthing only those aspects of your past that are holding you back. This is why our motto is: We help you integrate the past and the present to create a better future.
8. As a psychologist-coach, what set of ethics and guidelines do you abide by?
Because I am a licensed member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario (Registration #4089), I am bound by its established regulations and ethical guidelines. This includes your rights to confidentiality and privacy.
The law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and a psychologist. Your information is not disclosed without your written permission. However, there are three exceptions to this rule.
These are:
Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person. The therapist must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, further measures may be taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.
9. Why do you not post any testimonials as other coaches do?
It is to uphold the ethic of confidentiality that I may not post client testimonials. My best advertising is word-of-mouth: grateful clients let others know that I have helped them and refer them to me.
10. How long have you been working as a coach?
I have worked as a coach since even before the term became fashionable and coaching became a career orientation. My approach to people has always been to reach out to you where you are in the moment and guide you in areas that you choose to work on. I see you as the expert of your own life, sharing with me those parts of your experience that we can use together to work toward your future goals. I believe in helping you discover your considerable strengths to maximize your future success.
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Common Questions
1. What is a psychologist-coach?
A psychologist-coach is someone who has obtained the academic graduate degrees of a psychologist, along with the rigorous clinical training which results in a deep understanding of what constitutes individual personality, and an active license to practice psychology. With this background in psychology, I am in an optimal position to move you forward in life, as compared with a coach without psychological training and experience. Furthermore, if you experience a block to moving forward to meet your goals, my psychological background helps me explore the nature of that block so that I can unhinge it and get you back on track.
2. How do you know if I need coaching or psychotherapy?
I need to consult with you for one or two sessions in order to determine whether the main issues affecting your life, work, or relationships are simply minor dilemmas seeking fresh pathways to success, or whether you are experiencing anxiety, depression or other self-limiting life crises. In the former case, I recommend coaching; in the latter, psychotherapy. Sometimes a coaching process may stall, and I switch to using my psychological ear to move you back on course. When psychotherapy has helped a client repair his problem zones, he may prefer to use me as a coach as he explores new avenues for love, work and play.
3. How do you work as a psychologist?
People who come to me for psychotherapy do so because of emotional issues such as anxiety or depression, or relationship issues, or work issues such as concerns about stress, anger or leadership, or body-image issues, or issues with death, loss and mourning. Often, life transitions – such as moving into adulthood, changing jobs or careers, adapting to a love relationship or a marriage, becoming a parent, undergoing a divorce or separation, losing a parent, midlife crisis, retirement, adapting to aging – provoke a personal need for self exploration.
There is a universal need for people to come to terms with who they are at various turning points in their lives. What I do is help connect the dots to form the picture of who you have become at this point in your life. This process of self-actualization helps you move forward to find meaning in your life and fulfill your potential.
4. How is your psychoanalytic background useful to your work as a coach?
Psychoanalysis provides a wide-ranging psychological theory of how the human being functions in relation to himself, in relation to others, and in relation to the world around him. It offers an understanding of how someone’s character develops, how and why it resists change, and how it can be induced to move forward toward change.
As a psychoanalyst-coach, first and foremost, I enter into a relationship with you, a partner relationship which can be examined by both of us as a typical example of relationships experienced in your outside life. It is through your experience in the here-and-now relationship with me that insight and learning occur to help move you toward self-actualization and self-motivated change.
5. How does your training and experience in group analysis contribute to your work as a coach?
Groups function in recognizable and similar ways – whether we are examining a project team or committee at work, the hierarchical structure of a whole organization, a school class, a sports team, an interest group such as a book club, or a family. People often behave differently in groups than they do in one-on-one relationships, because groups have a way of controlling individual role behavior.
When you have difficulty in a work or family group, I can demystify the roles you feel forced into in such situations and help break the pattern. I will also help you understand the roles taken by the other members of your group. Then you are free to become your best in that group.
6. How do you work as a coach?
First, I need to know why you’ve come to see me and what life or relationship goals you wish to reach. In a safe, confidential environment, we form a partnership – in which you contribute the content of our sessions and I offer my understanding of our process. We meet at least once weekly or more often for a more focused continuous approach. We explore the avenues you have already tried to achieve your objectives. As a team, we develop insights about which strategies do not work optimally and which ones would. But the main answers to your questions will be found within yourself, and you will discover untapped resources for doing so.
7. How is your approach to coaching different from that of other coaches?
Most coaches only focus on short term forward-looking solutions because they are not trained to look at challenges in life or work experience. Thus, most coaches will remain in the realm of the present in order to work toward your preferred future; they deal with symptoms and not causal factors. If only the symptom is removed, it is akin to snipping a weed: the roots are still there and it will grow back. My background allows me to jumpstart you when you get stalled – by unearthing only those aspects of your past that are holding you back. This is why our motto is: We help you integrate the past and the present to create a better future.
8. As a psychologist-coach, what set of ethics and guidelines do you abide by?
Because I am a licensed member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario (Registration #4089), I am bound by its established regulations and ethical guidelines. This includes your rights to confidentiality and privacy.
The law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and a psychologist. Your information is not disclosed without your written permission. However, there are three exceptions to this rule.
These are:- Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
- If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person. The therapist must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
- If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, further measures may be taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.
9. Why do you not post any testimonials as other coaches do?
It is to uphold the ethic of confidentiality that I may not post client testimonials. My best advertising is word-of-mouth: grateful clients let others know that I have helped them and refer them to me.
10. How long have you been working as a coach?
I have worked as a coach since even before the term became fashionable and coaching became a career orientation. My approach to people has always been to reach out to you where you are in the moment and guide you in areas that you choose to work on. I see you as the expert of your own life, sharing with me those parts of your experience that we can use together to work toward your future goals. I believe in helping you discover your considerable strengths to maximize your future success.