You don’t need to be a psychologist to know that sleep, nutrition, exercise, substances and human connection affect your mental health. There’s no magic therapy that can help you prosper while ignoring these essential parts of life.

Working holistically just means addressing the whole person. For me, this means cultivating inner-sensing skills (noticing moment-to-moment experience), somatic (body-based) awareness, physiological well-being, and spirituality into the therapy when needed.

I’ve always been reflective, but since my early twenties I’ve been doing intentional growth work. I consciously chose to explore my mind to discern why I act, think and feel the way that I do. I’ve learned more about relationships and what it means to be human by investigating myself. It’s been and still is a long-term process of research and steady evolution!

I continue intentional personal growth work because I’m selfish. The more clearly I understand myself and develop skills to precisely express myself, the more I can connect with and be known by others, and the more I feel at home in myself. As I evolve I get closer to appreciating and enjoying life without my psychological issues frequently getting in the way.

I see a therapist and I'm not confident in therapists who haven't done a great deal of personal therapy and are currently engaged in a variety of growth work.

I spend much of my free time in nature which has been essential to my growth. I practice mindfulness meditation, play several instruments, sing and write.

My development and academic training allow me to engage with people in a challenging yet compassionate way, which accelerates their self-understanding and contentment.

I'm excited about growth work, personally and professionally. When people work with me, they understand that and are encouraged to do what is necessary to change. Facilitating growth and healing is my life's calling.

Many people assume therapists become therapists because we want to “help people.” And that’s true for me. I do enjoy being involved in other’s personal growth and healing. I like seeing people transform and learn about their world, gain clarity, improve their relationships and get out of their own way.

But it’s about more than helping. As young adults are encouraged to do, I was inquiring, “What do I want to do with my life?” And I realized that talking about relationships and supporting others in finding the truth and learning about themselves was satisfying. Unfortunately, this was unusual in the culture in which I grew up, especially for men (which could be said about most of the U.S.). However, because these qualities stood out, I thought that becoming a therapist would probably be a satisfying career. Nailed it!

So the short answer is: Because I was good at it. I wanted to formally develop what I already enjoyed and had a talent for — more self-centered than others-centered.

Therapists address beliefs, behaviors, emotions, etc. (personality) that might generate a patient’s life concern or psychological issue. Transpersonal therapists are trained to look at the personality as well as beyond (trans) the personality (personal).

This can involve spirituality, but for me it's more in the line of looking at existential givens in life, e.g. negotiating meaning, loneliness, freedom and death. These are philosophical themes and cross-cultural truths associated with being human.

Humanism is essentially putting the focus on relationships, which can mean exploring the relationship between therapist and patient “live” in the present. There is also an emphasis on empathy and respect towards the client’s subjective experience that demands a therapist’s wariness of assumption and projection.

See Justin’s answer in video form here.

See Justin’s answer in video form here.

See Justin’s answer in video form here.