About Therapy and Coaching
Is this really worth it?
As you come to meet me for the first time, concerns of whether or not this is worth it may loom. It’s ok to feel that way…
“Who’s the quack behind the door?”
“What is this guy going to tell me about ME?”
“Maybe my time will be better spent at the bar across the street!”
“What is ‘coaching’ anyway?”
Throughout my lifetime, and the struggles I have encountered, the people who have helped me the most were the ones who told me to “keep moving forward” and “let go of the things that hold you back.”
When it’s time to do things differently…
As we go through life, there are times when we have to take an honest look at ourselves and acknowledge when we are doing what is necessary.
For us men, it can be that we don’t know how to verbalize appreciation for our partners, we dedicate our energy toward the wrong endeavors, or we know we can be better fathers.
This doesn’t mean that you are a POS; it just means we had adapted patterns that don’t work for us anymore. You know it is time to do things differently.
This is where I will help you. I will be alongside with you making your life what it was meant to be. To be friendlier, to be healthier, to be more loving, to be more active…
Taking a chance with a knock…
You take a breath and the chance to do something different than the usual. And you knock on the front door.
When I respond to your knock, I will greet you with a smile that is genuine and warm. I really like saying “hello” and will be excited to meet you for the first time.
You will be listened to.
Once we are seated (I won’t ask you to lie down to tell me about your deepest darkest visions-yet), I will ask you to tell me about yourself and what finally led you to seek some help and relieve what ails you internally.
I will ask questions to make sure I understand you and your struggle.
Making a plan…
Then, we will map out a plan using YOUR internal strengths (because you DO have them).
We’ll take some steps toward making things better…
AND explore ways for you to notice how much better you feel AND think about the things that can heal you.
We will conclude the session by asking how you feel internally and whether your body feels lighter.
About Me
Why am I a Life Coach?
Do I believe myself to be so omnipotent that I know how to solve everyone’s problems? No… definitely not.
As a kid, I used to watch a family sitcom, “Growing Pains,” where the father in the cast was a psychotherapist. For some reason, I thought, “That seems cool… I want to do that when I grow up.”
Now, many years later, I have been trained as a clinician and am an experienced Coach with over 15 years of working with clients all across the country to better their selves.
Mental health experience…
I’ve worked with adult men and women, children, teenagers, and parents.
I’ve treated very real disorders like PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance abuse issues, psychiatric crises and relationship problems…
I’ve helped folks struggling with stress management, co-parenting, homelessness, parent-child conflicts, and behavioral difficulties.
I’ve even managed an intensive mental health program treating the severely mentally ill.
A Shift to Coaching…
Through my experience, while many of my clients benefited from talking, they really overcame the emotional and mental pain from putting the talk into action.
Therapy and/or Life Coaching will help you discover your real capabilities to overcome and get through tough spots in your life and break unhealthy patterns.
Coaching is different from therapy. I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life talking about what makes you suck or whether you suffer from pathology. My approach towards therapy and coaching is much more active – it requires a doable plan and accountability – which is what I will provide you.
When I’m not coaching or therapizing…
I am a father of two young boys and spend a lot of time with them outdoors… looking at the world through their eyes (you may have seen me chasing one or both of my boys around).
I enjoy being physically active, and I love to cook for my growing family. I enjoy eating even more!
Some of my time is also spent in Academia as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at East Los Angeles College.