About

I Offer Life-Changing, Compassionate Counseling to Uplift Your Life and Facilitate Your Self-Actualization

Hi, I'm Dr. Michael Damian. I would be deeply honored to assist you in your journey, if you feel moved to work with me. I specialize in helping adults (24 and up) live their best life and become who they truly are. [***Please understand that I do prefer to work with age 24+. In my experience, that is the age group where I am most helpful.]

It is my honor to work with motivated clients around the world, who resonate with my empowering approach to human flourishing.

My work focuses on a positive, humanistic approach to well-being and self-actualization. Self-actualization means a state of emotional wellness where we experience mostly positive feelings in our daily lives; enjoy enriching, stable relationships; engage in productive work and creative achievement, and find meaning and fulfillment in the life we are creating.

MY STYLE
My approach centers on deep listening, taking the time to really understand who you are and what your life situation is. First, we begin with the immediate, practical details and issues you're struggling with. I will aim to help you find practical solutions for your present concerns and symptoms, so that you start feeling better soon. That usually happens within one to two sessions, as you gain a sense of hope and support.

Then, as our work progresses, my aim is to facilitate self-knowledge, integration and self-actualization in all areas of life. That means understanding yourself better, exploring what is most meaningful to you and where your joy comes from, working on replacing your negative habits with a positive lifestyle, improving your relationships with partner or family, and aligning with your goals.

Counseling with Me is both Practical and Soulful
In my experience, the best guides and mentors to the inner life have a very deep consciousness of truth, love and beauty -- they get the Big Picture in terms of the meaning of it all - while also being skillful problem-solvers in a crisis.

I am very solution-focused while also helping you to understand your mind and soul in a deep way. Paradoxically, all our little problems also connect to the big questions in Life: What is it to love another person? How do I face my mortality? Is the world conscious and spiritual or merely material?

It's all part of the journey and, as a depth psychologist, my role is to compassionately accompany you in your process. I must be thoughtfully engaged while also giving you space to just feel what you feel, and proceed at your own pace.

Self-Actualization Process
I work from a humanistic, depth-oriented approach that I call self-actualization therapy. Self-actualization is the innate drive to discover our authentic self and fulfill our highest potential. I define it as a state of calm awareness, self-knowledge and wisdom that allows us to:

1) Express our natural talents and inspirations;
2) Create deep and lasting relationships;
3) Navigate life's challenges with courage and clarity;
4) Experience meaning, wholeness and joy (full consciousness) in the present moment.

I have found that holding this vision of human potential is itself, healing. The goal is not just reducing symptoms. It is to build a foundation for long term wellness. The first step in self-actualization is to explore where we feel stuck and limited.

In this phase, I use a psychodynamic approach to assess important factors such as family history, key relationships, trauma, lifestyle, core values and spiritual-existential dimensions. The core of this phase is careful listening, compassion and trust. I also offer plenty of feedback and reflections. Clients have been surprised at how quickly I am able to pinpoint what they are feeling and reach the heart of the matter. When appropriate, I also suggest forms of "homework" in between sessions that can increase learning.

Research indicates that if you feel comfortable with your therapist, then after a few sessions you will feel a significant increase in hope and confidence. As therapy progresses clients begin to find new ways of seeing and being. They can then follow their inner voice to let go of what no longer serves, and pursue a renewed vision for their lives.

Getting Started
During our first meeting, I will ask some basic questions to start things off, and give you plenty of time to describe your concerns. I take the time to understand the whole picture. If you are looking for a compassionate ally for your growth, I would be honored to be of service.