Are you a 'therapist'? Do you offer psychotherapy?

In the United States, a 'psychotherapist' is an individual who has been licensed by their State to practice a specific form of talk-based mental health care. I am not a psychotherapist, nor do I practice talk-based therapy. My client work is results-based, time-bound, and focusses instead on targeting ideal life outcomes and psychosocial challenges at their root. My method involves teaching transferrable emotional and interpersonal skills, as well as employing tools that leverage neuroplasticity to help clients heal and grow at the subconscious (or, 'pre-rational') level of mind. Please see On Methodology → to read more about the similarities and differences between conventional psychotherapy and what I offer.

Why did you choose not to pursue psychotherapeutic licensure?

In short, because degree programs that terminate in licensure do not necessarily equip putative therapists with the skills they need to succeed. To be sure, there are many traditionally trained psychotherapists and psychiatrists who do incredible work for their clients. However, vocational degree programs in mental health counselling in the United States do not necessarily teach licensees how to lead healthier lives, build deep and trusting relationships, heal traumatic emotional imprints, or navigate grief, uncertainty, or death. They do not ask difficult questions about the ideological and cultural assumptions that underlie accredited models of 'mental health'. Nor do these programs equip licensees with the pedagogical and interpersonal tools to teach their clients how to take charge of their own growth, and render the therapist redundant over time—which I believe is a key responsibility of an effective coach or counsellor.

The degree-granting programs that exist in Western countries are a product of their zeitgeist: A medicalized culture that focusses on pharmaceuticals to deal with outward symptoms of emotional pain, spiritual suffering, and relational dysfunction; and that treats the subjective substance of life as beyond the pale of scientific study. While this is changing, the radical paradigm shifts that are needed in governing institutions such as the American Psychiatric Association (APA) are lagging well behind fast-moving scientific criticisms of 20th Century Western psychiatry.

Beyond my education as a psychologist and philosopher of science at Columbia University, I am certified in Integrated Attachment Theory coaching—and as part of the certification process, was expected to learn from many of the best models, certifications, and schools of thought that conventional therapists also draw on. These include CBT →, DBT →, and IFS →. However, IAT goes further than these modalities in incorporating findings from 21st Century neuroscience relating to neuroplasticity, the collapsing of mind-body duality, research on nervous system function, science-backed Mindfulness-based techniques, and the empirical observations of researchers such as those at the Gottman Institute → and the Trauma Research Foundation →.

To sum up, poetically: I chose to do this work because I was not able to find a therapist or traditional counsellor who could help me, when I was at my moment of deepest need. The frustration I had with the system as a patient set me on the course to take my healing into my own hands, and to do what I do today, with clients seeking impactful insights and real results.

Whose academic or intellectual work are you particularly inspired by?

Dr. Gabor Maté: → One of the first Western thinkers to conclusively link addiction to trauma, abuse, and emotional neglect in the public consciousness. He brings incredible compassion to his research and his writing, and explores topics such as the collapsing of mind-body duality, the alexithymia of the Western medical approach, the emotional and environmental origins of AD(H)D, and conscious parenting, with wisdom, empathy, and the exactitude of a skilled scientist.

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: → Dr. van der Kolk's interest in trauma began when he was a staff psychiatrist at the Boston Veterans Administration's Outpatient Clinic, running up against major deficiencies in the way American instutitions and academics dealt with the treatment of post-traumatic stress in the country's ex-military population. Since then, Dr. van der Kolk has made major contributions to the field, primarily by popularizing the importance of a psychosocial and emotional understanding of trauma, and through his founding of the Trauma Research Foundation—one of the most influential catalysts for scientific research in this field.

I also draw from the work of Dr. Thais Gibson, Dr. Stephen Porges, Dr. Dante Cicchetti, Dr. Antonio Damasio, Alain de Botton, Dr. Richard Schwartz, and Dr. Ron Siegel, among others.

How many sessions will we need together?

The answer is highly dependent on your goals, and where you are on your journey towards where you want to be across the major areas of your life. For a rough range, however: Some clients with very specific goals are satisfied with eight to fifteen sessions. Others, who want to do deep and holistic work across many areas choose to do between twenty and thirty-five sessions in total, over the course of six months to a year.

Coaching and counselling is time-bound. We will design a program together in our first few sessions, which will give you a clearer idea of how long the process of learning the skills you need to succeed is estimated to take. Once you are satisfied that you are sufficiently equipped, I will encourage you to terminate our sessions together and apply your new skills and knowledge on your own terms!

I will stress here that coaching and counselling is a joint venture, between the client and the practitioner. It's my responsibility to give you the psychoeducation you need, and to give you exercises to complete on your own time, which will move you towards your goal. It is, however, incumbent upon you to do the heavy lifting of executing those exercises, and making time in your daily routine for personal growth work. In other words, you will get from this process some multiple of what you are able to put in, and I am happy to work with you to build a timeline that meets your needs.

Why did you decide to become a counsellor and coach?

I emerged into young adulthood suffering from depression, anxiety, a lack of authentic direction in my career, and painful patterns in my intimate relationships. I needed to figure out how to live a good life from scratch. I spent many years in therapy, finding out that conventional psychotherapy was not a good fit, and conventional psychopharmacology was at best a way to alleviate the symptoms of deeply-rooted yet eminently solveable emotional, relational, and life challenges. I needed something I believed was more results-oriented and effective in its treatment, and rigorous in establishing truth-claims (i.e., in answering the questions: What is at the root of the problem? And, how can we establish that our claims are both valid and true?). I subsequently decided to apply my education in philosophy and the natural sciences to trauma studies, the Psychotherapeutic Method, and to Integrated Attachment Theory.

In a nutshell, what is the goal of our work together?

To do the subconscious healing work and practical skills-building required to develop thriving, secure, and deep bonds with others; a healthy, compassionate, and illuminated relationship to yourself; a clarified understanding of your proclivities and talents, and where they meet the world's needs for labor; and to equip you to deal with the inevitable difficulties of living even the best and most successful life with calm, charm, and wisdom.

Do you offer in-person sessions?

Not at this time. I work with clients remotely.

Do you see clients outside of the United States?

Yes! I work with clients from around the world, and we meet remotely.