Individual Development

Life is difficult at times. Whether you are suffering from depression, anxiety or other mental disorder, simply want to move forward in your life, or understand yourself better, Psychotherapy or coaching can help. (What’s the difference?)

Personal development has been a goal of humans since we have been a species on the planet. Attempting to improve ourselves in some way or other is basic to life. We go to school to learn early on to gain skills that later can help make a career. We go to the gym to get bigger muscles or to improve our health. We read all kinds of books to improve everything from memory to our money-making skills.

Research shows that we are more likely to improve and achieve our goals if we get help with it. For example, studies have shown that people were much more likely to walk (as exercise) regularly if they have an appointment to meet another person and walk together.

In the same vein, while we can make some strides in personal growth by reading and taking classes, nothing works so well as to have assistance- to work with another person to achieve your goals. Whether these goals are to reduce your suffering (because of symptoms such as depression or anxiety) or you want to stop procrastinating, working with a professional can help propel your achievement of the goals to new heights.

Psychotherapy is broadly a form of helping designed to help a person heal from past wounds, whether those wounds come from a destructive relationship or from childhood trauma.

Psychotherapy, in general, helps people who are suffering by:

• Improving understanding of the behaviors, emotions, and beliefs that contribute to, or create the problems.
• Overcoming or healing childhood (or recent) trauma. Trauma can come from many sources and can affect on in many ways.
• Helping understand and identify the life problems or events – such as major illness, loss of important people, the loss of a job, or a divorce – that contribute to their illness and help them understand which aspects of those problems they may be able to solve or improve.
• Helping on to regain a sense of control and pleasure in life.
• Teaching coping techniques and problem-solving skills.

On the other hand, coaching is a powerful way of bringing change into your life and can help one get moving when they feel stuck in their life.

Coaching is the process of working with a thought partner (the coach) to clarify your passions, thoughts and desires and to develop meaningful goals and action plans to make these a reality. The job of a coach is to support a client to see clearly for him or herself the right action to take.

Fundamentally, a coach is dedicated to the principle that the client has his or her own answers. The coach recognizes that a client is not ‘broken’, they are whole and complete and nothing needs to be ‘fixed’ to engage an individual’s passion and dreams. The coach is not a consultant prepared to provide an answer to the client and a coach is generally not an expert trained in providing a diagnosis*. A client that engages a life coach is hiring an expert in self-inquiry, in empowerment, goal setting and motivation.

Coaches work with clients in the areas of business, finances, relationships, executive development, health and wellness, and spirituality among others. A coach supports action, and in doing so, creating lifestyle change. A coach provides an objective viewpoint, an empowering communication style and an understanding of what is required to be successful in your area of interest. A coach has your best priorities in mind and is a partner in supporting you to make relevant and empowering decisions, which will progress you forward.

Unlike most coaches who are either not credentialed or who have only coaching credentials and are not trained to diagnose, Dr. Davis is both a coach and a mental health professional trained in diagnosis and treatment. As a rule a coach does not diagnose, but with such broad credentials, Dr. Davis is better equipped to understand and guide one to the help with your needs than most unlicensed coaches.