‘Peace with oneself, peace in the world.’ Thich Nhat Hanh
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What happens during a session?
A. During a session, you will choose the area of your life or the issue that you would like to work with. This may consist of an ongoing topic we are working on or an issue of immediate concern or interest. In an atmosphere of safety and trust, unconditional caring and acceptance, I will then help you to explore the topic through inquiry aimed at facilitating your self-discovery and insight. We will question assumptions and illuminate dark places. You will learn to notice and disregard self-defeating thought patterns, understand their origin and release their hold. You will discover a great expanse of fresh options and begin to naturally move away from behaviors that no longer serve you. You will learn to become a great ally to yourself, and you will learn that you unconditionally deserve lovingkindness from others and from yourself.
We will identify the feelings, ideas, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that are most resonant with your deepest values, and you will learn to live from that place. We will turn dreams and yearnings into goals, and actively take steps toward achieving those goals. Your curiosity about yourself will deepen and your range of perspectives regarding what is possible will break wide open. You will have moments of powerful insight and emotion as well as delightful times of humor, deep connection with yourself, and radical shifts in awareness and energy. You will leave a session with activities you have chosen to engage with and/or inquiries to reflect upon in between sessions. I do not merely offer advice; I will help you to find your own answers and truths.
Our work together will address your overall goals, specific projects, stuck places or any circumstances with respect to your experience of wellbeing, fulfillment, and connection in your life, and we will address the full scope of your life. Our work together will include clarifying values, setting priorities, establishing goals, identifying resources, brainstorming, creating action plans, deepening learning, and discovering meaningful ways of being. Depending upon the nature of our work, psychotherapy sessions take place in person at the start and may occur by phone once an appropriate therapeutic relationship has been established. Counseling and coaching sessions are equally potent and effective whether held in person or via the telephone.
Q. How do psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching differ from one another?
A. Psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching generally make use of different tools and paradigms in order to help a person achieve greater wellbeing in their life; all three modalities are powerful supports that can meet diverse needs, circumstances, and stages of a person’s growth and development. Counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy often address many of the same life issues, however, as discrete practices, the fundamental approaches diverge.
Overall, psychotherapy works to help a person uncover and understand the root causes of their unsatisfying behaviors and patterns, whether historic, bio-chemical, cultural, etc. in nature. Counseling generally consists of mentoring, advising, teaching, and guiding. Life coaching works primarily with the present day situation, facilitating your fulfillment and wellbeing through an exploration of your core values, dreams, yearnings, and intrinsic wholeness and then devising actions and further inquiries that will move you forward. Certain aspects of psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching work do overlap, however, the underlying approach to facilitating a person’s growth differs and can be suitable for different times and stages of development in a person’s life. Similarly each approach can be suitable for different times and stages of a single session or an ongoing journey.
Working with a skillful integration of the three disciplines lends a greater range of possibilities and potency in regard to a person’s self-discovery. This versatile set of resources affords an enriched range of access and insight into a person’s being more comprehensive than that of any one discipline alone. Such depth and range of insight is truly compelling and highly effective.
With over 33 years of experience as a licensed, practicing psychotherapist and certified life coach, I am able to offer a unique blend of counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy skills providing the advantages, best practices, and insights offered by each discrete practice. An uncommon blend of approaches and skills, this mixture of psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching is exceptionally effective and far reaching as a catalyst for increased personal awareness and deeply sought growth, forward movement, and fulfillment. This unique integration of skills exceeds the limitations inherent to a single approach.
Q. How long is a session, how often do we meet, and how many times?
A. Sessions run 50 minutes for individuals and 75 minutes for couples. Psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching are most effective when a person or couple engages with the process once a week and at a minimum twice a month. Several months of consistent work are typically advised in order for you to begin to experience the impact of our work together. The duration of our work will depend upon the issues and goals you wish to address. It will also depend upon any prior growth you may already have accomplished through previous experiences with therapy or coaching – though no prior experience is necessary. Most people will work with psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching for a minimum of 6 – 12 months, and many people find that an ongoing psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching relationship is an invaluable support in their life.
Q. What are the fees?
A. Below is the basic fee schedule for individual as well as couples’ sessions:
Sessions for Individuals:
$175, 60 minutes
Couples’ Sessions:
$200 – 225, 75 – 90 minutes
During last 10 minutes of your session, we will take care of any necessary business and schedule future appointments.
Flexible and income sensitive arrangements are available on an individual basis. Please inquire.
Please contact me with any further questions you may have about Áloka Psychotherapy, Life Coaching, and Counseling services or to discuss your specific interests.