Positive Psychology Coaching
Unlock Your Potential with Expert Guidance
As a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine for 17 years in person and 5 years online via Zoom, with three degrees in education and extensive clinical experience, I take the scientific findings from academia to help you flourish in structured and proactive ways.
The Essence of Coaching
Coaching emphasizes that as human beings, we can control our future and take action. Taking action creates momentum, leading to accomplishment. Coaching is about being accountable for your decisions and taking responsibility for your efforts today. It celebrates the uniqueness of each person, focusing on strengths and talents, and seeks improvement from where you are right now instead of where you used to be.
Positive Psychology Coaching is based on the premise that each individual has an innate capacity for positive growth. Positive coaching helps you learn about this natural potential with the ultimate goal of enhancing your well-being and maximizing your potential through various techniques.
Transformative Techniques for Lasting Change
Applying evidence-based positive psychology strategies and techniques, my clients have learned how to create lasting change to improve their lives. My clients are successful people who are typically highly functioning, self-motivated, action-oriented individuals. They are focused on their work, driven to get the task done, and intent on doing it well. With a life filled with many projects to complete and goals to reach, I help my clients rise above the ordinary and achieve an extraordinary life filled with meaning and purpose.
My Role as Your Coach
My coaching strategies are innovative and tailored to each client’s unique circumstances. Based on the client’s strengths, interests, values, and personality, I develop a coaching plan that is mutually created and agreed upon by my coaching client and me. My role as a coach is to help clients implement their plan into their everyday lives until it becomes an automatic habit or natural routine. It is the process of leveraging strengths for personal and professional growth through a collaborative coaching relationship.
Innovative coaching is when you break free from the traditional framework of coaching and view coaching as a relationship. It involves creating a dynamic and evolving process that adapts to the client’s needs and circumstances. Most importantly, it must be real, not just a scripted process developed by one person directed toward another. This means actively engaging with clients, co-creating solutions, and fostering an environment where clients feel heard, valued, and empowered to make meaningful changes.
How am I different from other coaches?
Education
I hold a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology and provide insights, advice, coaching, and education for people who want to embrace their lives in ways that create lasting change successfully.
Experience
With 25 years of experience using evidence-based interventions, tools, and strategies proven by scientific research to create positive change, I bring a wealth of knowledge to my coaching practice.
Teaching Experience
As a professor of psychology at Pepperdine Graduate School for 17 years in person and 5 years online via Zoom, I apply my deep understanding of Adult Learning Theory to tailor coaching programs that effectively leverage how adults learn best.
Individualized Sessions
My approach includes an initial assessment of your goals and needs, and I create a tailored coaching plan to guide you through the necessary steps toward reaching your desired outcome
Positive Psychology Coaching is a series of coaching sessions that may last a couple of weeks or a couple of months, depending on the client’s needs. The initial assessment session is typically 80 minutes, followed by multiple follow-up sessions to review learning and progress. Sessions are tailored to each client based on their individual needs. Our time together is about helping my clients and not just about coaching them. My style is based on openness, co-creation, and collaboration.
Difference Between Coaching and Therapy is Related to Your Goals
The goals of therapy:
Therapy is related to helping people address, cope, and resolve mental health challenges that make them feel down emotionally or impair their ability to live a more enjoyable life. Individual therapy has goals related to treating addiction, ADHD, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and other common diagnosable problems to improve overall mental health.
In other words, treating these types of challenges in counseling help clients to make meaningful changes in their lives.
The goals of coaching:
Coaching is related to helping people achieve their personal and professional goals. Coaching starts with the premise that 1) clients are not experiencing mental health symptoms/challenges, and 2) are motivated to accept guidance, support, accountability, and honest conversations about achieving their essential life goals. Coaching focuses on creating and maintaining motivation for change, exploring challenges to change, and developing plans to implement the desired change.
While on paper, this looks like a clear divide in providing services. It is not adhered to by many coaches, thus creating the biggest problem with life coaches not being educated or degreed in treating mental health issues.
Unless they have an advanced degree in counseling or psychology, most coaches have not had the education or training to treat clinical issues like depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. What does this mean for clients? Coaches should not cross over and attempt to help anyone with recognized mental health issues.