Category: Business Coaching

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Business Coaching

Could I Benefit from Business Coaching?

Why Would I Need a Coach?

If you have big business dreams, plans and goals and are concerned that you may not reach those objectives, then that is when a business coach may be the resource you need.

Generally, business coaching offers objective discussion, experienced guidance and practical support. Working together, you and your coach can more effectively and efficiently turn your attention away from unproductive worry and toward actions to attain your goals. Instead of fearing failure and disappointment, you’ll look at market realities and optimal solutions that can put you on the path to success.

All coaching clients have their own set of goals and many different types of benefits may be gained directly and indirectly from the coaching experience. Some outcomes are consciously aimed for while other results are an unintended by-product achieved along the way.

What Are the Benefits of Business Performance Coaching?

Here is a list of some common results from coaching: Which outcomes interest you?

  • Boost revenue and profits
  • Build self-confidence
  • Reach goals
  • Enhance productivity and efficiency
  • Reduce expenses and waste
  • Improve marketing and sales skills
  • Enhance planning skills and self-discipline
  • Build workplace morale and positive culture
  • Refine leadership style and communication skills
  • Develop successors and future leadership
  • Increase status in your industry or community
  • Reduce procrastination and getting side-tracked
  • Take on more responsibility with less stress
  • Improve delegation skills
  • Meet deadlines
  • Attract better employees
  • Improve management and executive skills
  • Transition easier into higher level positions
  • Improve team communication and productivity
  • Overcome obstacles, barriers and set-backs
  • Prevent losses and getting off-track
  • Reduce stress, isolation and fear
  • Manage unexpected changes and disappointments with resilience
  • Improve priority-setting, decision-making and risk-taking
  • Enhance negotiation skills
  • Become more creative

 What Results Would You Like to Earn?

From all those outcomes listed above, which ones attract you the most? Where do you need to grow and expand?

How would you feel if you achieved some of these benefits?

Bottom-Line When Hiring a Business Coach

Of course, you want to achieve some important goals. But as you consider prospective coaches, don’t look for a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, look for someone who has a record of helping companies and uses a basic plan to achieve specific outcomes with clients.

Basically, you want someone who is goal-oriented and can hone in on your particular needs, challenges and situation.

Don’t assume that a coach is not a good fit because they push you out of your comfort zone. Absolutely expect them to make you feel challenged and uncomfortable at times. It is their job to hold you accountable for working your action plan, following through with your commitments and achieving your goals.

When being coached, you should definitely feel guided in this process, not criticized, humiliated or isolated. Look for a coach who can encourage and support you with positivity and enthusiasm. You should feel a connection and commitment to your coach.

Coaching will help you to have a better understanding or your business and yourself and can springboard you to success. You will learn many valuable lessons during this supportive and guided experience – including your strengths and weaknesses.

 

Click on this link below to learn more about my “Business Performance Coaching” services: http://www.drrevelmiller.com/what-we-treat/business-performance-coaching/

If you’d like to read my blog article about “How Do I Select a Business Coach?”, go here:

http://www.drrevelmiller.com/2019/10/how-do-i-select-a-business-coach/

 

If you want assistance in reaching some of your desired goals, give me a call at 805-448-5053.

Categories
Business Coaching

How Do I Select a Business Coach?

How Can I Find a Business Coach?

Below is a list of 5 preliminary actions that will help you select a business coach:

  1. Ask friends and colleagues for referrals or search online for coaches.
  2. Look for coaches with a high degree of knowledge and practical experience. Your coach needs education and training, insights and direct experience preferably in your business niche or area of need.
  3. Call some coaches you are interested in and a have a brief phone consult.
  4. Tell the coach about your business situation and what you are looking for.
  5. If you prefer one or two coaches that you speak with informally, then call them back and ask for an” informational interview” to gather more information and determine if you two might be a “good match”.

What Questions Should I Ask a Prospective Coach?

What do I need to know about a coach before deciding to hire him or her? What qualities and experiences does a coach need to have? How can I be certain their help will provide long-term course-correction?

 Ask the following questions before selecting your coach:

  1. How long have you been a business coach?
  2. Did you have any formal training as a business coach? Are you certified by a training institute?
  3. Do you have experience as a business owner?
  4. What types of businesses are you familiar with?
  5. Have you ever worked in or coached people working in my industry?
  6. How many individual business clients have you worked with?
  7. What level of managers or executives have you worked with?
  8. If I hired you, would I be working directly with you as my coach or would you assign me to another coach to work with?
  9. Do you meet with clients in-person, face-to-face or by telephone?
  10. Are you willing to visit my work place to see and assess our operations and meet with me, my boss, direct reports, colleagues and team members?
  11. Will you help me to identify targeted and measurable goals and objectives?
  12. Will you help me to develop a specific and strategic action plan with due dates?
  13. How do you ensure that I stay on track toward reaching my goals?
  14. Will we meet regularly? How often?
  15. Will we meet face-to-face or talk by phone?
  16. How long does each coaching session last?
  17. What is the duration of a coaching engagement? How many sessions or months?
  18. How do we manage changes and make adjustments during the coaching engagement?
  19. How do we assess progress?
  20. Do we draft and commit to a contract?
  21. What are the fees and additional costs for your services?

Gather this information and be ready to negotiate a contract.

Make a Decision

After collecting this information, review your notes. Make a list of the “Pros” and the “Cons” of each coach you interviewed and set some priorities. Also generate a list of additional questions to ask each coach.

Then consult with one of your trusted colleagues or your boss. Ask for their feedback and assistance in making a decision. Then finalize your set of questions and make a decision regarding your preferred coach.

If Needed, Get Your Decision-Maker Involved

After making your decision, get approval from your superior, the one who makes the final expenditure decisions. They should set some limits and expectations and help you with the contract. It may be wise to get your superior to participate in another discussion with the coach before making a final decision. Having his/her buy-in and support can be very helpful.

Finalize Your Decision

Then call the coach and continue your discussion. Ask your new questions and get clarification on issues. Allow the coach to set the agenda for hiring him/her. He/she will advise you how to go about creating a contract.

 

I’m an experienced business coach and ready to help you maximize your potential, tap your gifts, and help you run your business well.

To learn more about my “Business Performance Coaching”, click on this link:  http://www.drrevelmiller.com/what-we-treat/business-performance-coaching/

Call me today at 805-448-5053 to discuss your business coaching goals and my services.

Categories
Business Coaching Psychotherapy

How Do Coaches Differ from Psychotherapists in the USA?

What’s the Difference between a Psychotherapist and a Business Coach?

Here’s the main difference – Business Coaches assist their clients to achieve business and career goals while psychotherapists help patients to overcome mental, emotional, behavioral and relationship problems.

Here are some other significant differences:

     I. Psychotherapists:

  • Trained in graduate schools to receive Masters and Doctoral degrees
  • Highly supervised in their clinical experiences
  • Get a professional license in the state they work in
  • Commit to a strict set of enforceable licensing and professional association ethical practices
  • Required to attend continuing education courses to extend their annual state licensure
  • May be certified by a training program in a specialty treatment area
  • Focus on the past, present and future
  • Have psychodiagnostic and treatment skills
  • Work in clinics, hospitals, agencies, research centers, universities or private practices
  • May receive some reimbursement from health insurance companies

 

      II. Business Coaches:

  • Anyone may call themselves a “coach” with no prerequisite training
  • May be trained in coaching schools but not necessary
  • No educational requirements
  • Often have personal work experience in the specialty area they coach in
  • Little training supervision offered and no continuing education required
  • No state licensure required but may be certified by a coach training agency
  • May commit to a set of ethical standards but not enforceable by a state agency
  • Focus mainly on the present and future
  • Employed as an “internal” coach within a company or hired as an “external” coach working independently
  • No ability to collect fees from health insurance companies

As you can see from the list above, there’s a big difference between psychotherapists and coaches, mainly in the level of education, supervision and ethical standards followed. Psychotherapists may be called true “professionals” because, like attorneys, physicians and chiropractors, they are: 1) Highly educated, 2) State licensed, 3) Held to high standards of ethical conduct, and 4) Required to fulfill continuing education every year. Coaches may behave “professionally” but they are not held to a higher level of education or a set of state required standards and discipline.

What If a Psychotherapist Is Also a Trained Coach?

A psychologist like myself is uniquely positioned to provide clients with empowering services. Psychotherapists can assist clients to examine and develop aspects of personality, behavior and thought patterns. They can also help clients to better regulate and manager their moods and emotions at work. In addition, psychotherapists-coaches may assist business clients with social or “people” skills and provide helpful support to project team members and managers with interpersonal skills.

Fundamentally, this combination of training and experience can transform the everyday business life of a client, manager or executive in ways that extend beyond specialty coaching. Psychotherapists trained in coaching methods can professionally assist clients to overcome psychological issues that interfere with goal attainment.

What Is Dr. Miller’s Coaching Advantage?

I am both a licensed psychologist as well as an experienced and trained executive and business performance coach. I am trained in clinical psychology as well as business coaching. I have knowledge about business skills such as: goal setting, strategic planning, marketing, sales, communications, work team management, plus executive and management skills. I can assist individual business clients to overcome psychological issues that interfere with their attainment of business and career goals.  As a trained group therapist, I understand how work or project teams and their managers can communicate and perform more effectively.

I can coach managers and executives in corporations, small business owners and professionals to achieve their goals.

 

Click this link to learn more about my specialized “Business Performance Coaching” services:  http://www.drrevelmiller.com/what-we-treat/business-performance-coaching/

Call me at 805-448-5053 to discuss your business coaching needs. I can help you reach your goals.

Categories
Business Coaching

What Do Coaches Do with Their Clients?

How Are Coaches Used Today?

Individuals started hiring coaches to assist them in attaining their personal goals. And then companies and corporations started hiring coaches to enhance profits and improve the skills and effectiveness of their managers and executives.

Today, people are increasingly looking to develop new skills and/or hone existing skills. Whether it is for fame, fortune, or personal advancement and fulfillment, enhanced skills can bring rewards.

How Do Coaches Work?

Some experts become “coaches”, helping people learn new skills, concepts and strategies. Coaching can be a full-time professional career or a part-time vocation. They usually work with individual clients but sometimes they work with project or work teams. A coach may provide services face-to-face, remotely using the internet or a combination of these two methods.

Coaches differentiate themselves from teachers, consultants and therapists because they help clients or “coachees” to:

  1. Identity their goals,
  2. Develop plans to meet those goals,
  3. Maintain accountability to achieve the goals,
  4. Sustain motivation while striving to reach goals,
  5. Educate clients how to attain their targeted goals.

Therefore, coaches are:

  • Strategic
  • Goal-oriented
  • Action-oriented
  • Goal-focused
  • Accountability-oriented
  • Result-oriented
  • Future-oriented
  • Supportive

Coaches are always aimed toward the desired end-result.

Why Do Individuals and Companies Hire Coaches?

To achieve goals, of course – but that does not come easily. Goal attainment requires time, patience, hard work and guidance. Coaches provide that guidance but also a particular set of tools, insight, experience and talent in their client’s area of pursuit. They help coachees when they are discouraged, struggling and/or stuck by a barrier. The coachee’s accountability to their coach adds social pressure to take strategic actions already committed to.

Coaches strive to get their clients to the desired end result. Initially, the skilled coach taps into their client’s passion and encourages them to strive for distant but achievable goals. In addition, a coach may guide a client to discover their own talent and self-motivation. All people resist hard work but a trusted coach can help a client keep making progress when their motivation declines.

A relationship with a coach is a safe space. In that protected relationship, you will be taught ways to obtain a clear view of yourself and what you are trying to achieve.

What Are the Methods of Coaching?
Overall, coaches provide the following assistance:

  1. Identify goals to achieve
  2. Sharpen particular skills in order to achieve their goals
  3. Formulate strategies and tactics to attain goals
  4. Develop a written action plan to achieve the goals
  5. Modify the plan as necessary
  6. Hold clients accountable to their commitments, actions and deadlines
  7. Measure progress within the action plan
  8. Help clients overcome personal and external obstacles and barriers
  9. Tighten execution
  10. Support clients when floundering
  11. Push clients beyond their comfort zone
  12. Inspire clients to demand more of their potential

Generally, the coach-client connection is designed to identify blind spots, increase clarity, and cultivate more happiness in the client’s life. The road to success in any field is bumpy, winding and sometimes exhausting.

Even with the best intentions and discipline, at times it is easy to get side-tracked and lose sight of your targeted goal. Without a trained and focused coaching professional by your side, you may understandably waver and veer off your strategic plan.

Coaches understand this struggle and they work closely with you to keep you focused, motivated and enthusiastic. Your goals are important to them and a big part of why they’ve become a coach is to experience the joy of witnessing clients succeed

How Can Coaching Clients Succeed?

Coaching clients must be passionate, determined and self-motivated to reach tough or competitive goals. They must also be willing to set priorities, make tough decisions, remain disciplined, hold to their career vision, and sacrifice many extraneous desires in order to attain high-level goals. Trusting your coach and making a full commitment to your goals and your plan are imperative.

Click this link to learn more about my specialty Business Performance Coaching services:  http://www.drrevelmiller.com/what-we-treat/business-performance-coaching/

 

To stay on track and make tough decisions, Call Me at 805-448-5053 to discuss your coaching needs.

Categories
Business Coaching

What Type of Coaching Specialties Are Available?

When Did Coaching Start?

The concept of “coaching” has come a long way in the twenty-first century. It is a relatively new discipline that became popular about 2000. Before that period, coaches may have been referred to as consultants, mentors, supervisors, teachers or guides.

Over the past 100 years, coaching has been well known in field of sports. Almost all of us have had an individual or team coach in athletics or an instructor in a school physical education class. They were known to blow whistles and lead athletes in practice sessions and events. In the past, some of us may have also had or heard about voice and acting coaches.

How Has Coaching Evolved Over Time?

Over the past 20 years, many coach training institutes and organizations have developed and provided certifications and a few national and international professional coaching associations have been launched. Plus, the number of people calling themselves coaches, and the number of specialty coaching areas, have grown rapidly in the USA and internationally.

Valuable coaching relationships are no longer solely found in the domain of sports and other physical pursuits. Today, gifted coaches work in a broad number of areas and environments to help people reach their desired goals.

Many coaches have their own independent coaching business or they work for a coaching company. In addition, some are employed by corporations to coach their managers and young high-potential employees. However, business owners and corporate executives usually prefer hiring outside or “external” coaches to work with.

The 9 Most Popular Types of Coaching Specialties.

Wherever there are difficult challenges people face, there is a self-appointed coach who has expertise in that area.

Although there are many different types of coaches, below are some of the newer and most popular coaching specialties today:

  1. Business Performance Coach – Covers skills in management, team building, marketing, branding, sales, strategic planning and succession planning to help large corporations and small businesses succeed.
  2. Corporate Coach – Involves guidance in strategic planning, management, team development, personal presence, corporate culture development, adjustment to a new corporate culture, executive training, creation of presentations, plotting out a career trajectory.
  3. Personal Life Coach – Assists people to achieve a varying combination of personal needs and wants to improve their relationships and lifestyle.
  4. Career Coach – Provides information and strategic support in planning and pursuing a new job or career, application and resume preparation, job interview readiness, salary negotiations, contract review, career path planning.
  5. Fitness/Health Coaching – Guides clients with health, exercise and lifestyle objectives.
  6. Nutrition/Diet Coach – Supports people with information and guidance to become disciplined in weight loss or an improved diet.
  7. Skills Coach – Helps clients to learn new skills in focused areas, like yoga, martial arts, ice skating, bookkeeping, athletic competitions and beyond.
  8. Arts Coach – Helps people to enhanced and expand their natural abilities and talents in specific areas such as music, painting, acting, etc.
  9. Academic Coaching – Like a tutor or teacher, they help people learn topics, take tests, write essays and chart a path through college applications.

You can find specialty coaches and coaching companies online and they may need to work with you remotely via the internet.

Click this link below to learn more about my specialty Business Performance Coaching services:

http://www.drrevelmiller.com/what-we-treat/business-performance-coaching/

To overcome tough personal and business hurdles, call me at 805-448-5053 to discuss your coaching needs. 

Categories
Business Coaching Problem-Solving

What If Other People Are Involved in My Problem?

How Can I Get Others to Join Me in Solving a Problem?

Some problems may not be yours alone. A few of your problems might be shared with others or they may necessitate help from others. For instance, solutions could necessitate help from your partner, friends or family members or your employment boss, colleagues or work team members.

Here’s How to Get Others to Join You

Follow These 8 Steps:

  1. Solicit the help you need directly from the person who can help.
  2. Present the problem and explain how you would like to go about creating a solution.
  3. Let them know how and why they are involved and how they can help.
  4. Convince them of how they will personally benefit from joining you.
  5. Answer their questions and encourage their feedback and suggestions.
  6. Identify the roles you both will play.
  7. Make an initial plan for how to start.
  8. Get a commitment to join in.

Hopefully, they see their personal benefits in helping you, recognize the wisdom in your plan, and commit to joining you.

Couples Have Relationship Problems

Married and unmarried partners often have problems. Usually they work out their issues together but sometimes the problems become more frequent, complex, painful and destructive. At times one partner keeps nagging the other with little response. Or, both partners ignore the issues because they don’t know how to resolve the problems or they believe it will be too painful to try to work on them together. However, if they don’t work on the difficulties together then they may slowly lose their love connection, caring and affection for one another. This is a painful way to live with a partner.

Couple counseling and marital therapy are designed to help partners identify the obstacles between them and to help them remove barriers that hinder their relationship so that they can live with more love and intimacy with one another. This is not always easy but successfully working through problems is very gratifying, relieving and enlivening.

Families Have Problems

There are also problems within families. The issues, conflicts or misunderstandings may exist within the smaller nuclear family or smolder within the larger extended family. These, too, are very painful and cause suffering and resentment. At times issues blow-up and result in increased hurt or estrangement.

Family therapy was developed to assist family members face difficult problems and resolve them. Mental health professionals work with families to help them become more trusting, communicative, supportive and loving.

Business Work Teams Have Problems

Many employees work together to provide leadership, manage processes, solve problems, and create new products and services. Unfortunately, all employees do not function well with one another. When assigned to work teams the productivity may be high or low depending upon interpersonal relationships, level of commitment, leadership effectiveness and team member communication.

Sometimes, a project team’s productivity dwindles, goals are not met, and products and services are not produced or improved. The team gets stuck and discouraged and the business eventually starts losing money.

Many companies hire outside consultants or business coaches to come into their company to assess the team’s problem, create a strategic plan to solve issues, give guidance to the members and become more productive.

Who Can I Turn to When I Get Stuck Solving a Problem with Others?

You can ask for assistance from a number of different types of professionals:

  • With relationship problems, you can consult with a couple or marital therapist.
  • With family difficulties, you can work with a family therapist or consultant.
  • With work team issues, you can engage a business consultant or an executive or work team coach.

As a psychologist I am trained in couple and family therapy as well as executive coaching. I have experience working with couples and families as a therapist and with companies  as a business performance coach or an executive coach. If you need help in one of these areas, give me a call. I will definitely have some suggestions for you and you may want to engage me as the therapist or coach to help you in your particular situation.

Call 805-448-5053 for a brief phone consultation to assess your problem and get some immediate feedback.

 

Categories
Business Coaching Problem-Solving

Are All of My Problems Real?

Are They Real or Do I Make Them Up?

Yes and No. As human beings, we have the uncanny psychological capacity to be very reality oriented and also to blow some problems out of proportion. At times we even create dilemmas where there are none. Sometimes we make up problems in our head. Therefore, some problems are very real while others are distortions or imagined.

What Kind of Problems Do I Face?

There are 2 kinds of problems that humans face.

  1. Real life problems in the outer world demand our attention, like financial, social, parenting, automobile, medical, or work and career problems.
  2. Real  psychological dilemmas centered within us silently and unconsciously, such as emotional, mental, spiritual, sexual, relationship or self-identity problems.

Man sees other self in mirror

Why Do I Have a Problem in Solving Problems?

Humans are masters of distortion, exaggeration and imagination. Sometimes, in our head, we embellish or blowout of proportion a problem and magnify the size or importance of it. We are frequently drawn into a confusing world of demands, extremes, dichotomies and paradoxes. And this makes understanding and managing our problems all the more difficult and complex.

We may become very uncomfortable and get caught-up in doubt and uncertainty. We can also be overwhelmed with fear or anxiety when thinking about confronting some types of dilemmas. We get stuck and don’t know what to do. So, we procrastinate and avoid working on the problems areas. That’s why many of us have difficulty solving problems.

Are Problems Inevitable and Inescapable?

Yes. It’s not a “problem” that we have difficulties and obstacles to face and manage. They are inescapable. It’s just a fact of life that we all deal with and try to accept as our human condition. Problems are simply realities, big or small, that we face daily.

Give me a call if you want to consult with me about problem-solving – either personal issues or business concerns. Call 805-448-5053.

And if you want to be notified every time I post a new article, simply click the “Subscribe” link at the bottom of the page. Thanks!

Categories
Business Coaching Goals Problem-Solving

What about Procrastination and “Unfinished Business”?

What about Procrastination?

How can you reach your personal, career or relationship goals if you avoid solving and eliminating natural and inevitable problems that arise? Putting things off until “tomorrow” only works if you focus on them tomorrow. But if you keep putting them off continually, the difficulties will never be resolved. Placing issues and problems in some type of mental waste basket and forgetting about them seldom works out well. Confronting difficulties will bring more success, relief and self-confidence.

Some people allow a number of significant problems to mount up over time. They avoid and procrastinate in solving them. They put these obstacles off into some type of make-believe future. Some people believe and hope that issues will magically go away and disappear without attending to them. There may be many of these problems stored away in some type of imaginary safe container that seals  off and prevents them from being remembered. But they never go silent. They persistently nag at us.

Procrastination and “Unfinished Business”.

Procrastination is a very big problem in the USA and for most people it is a big frustration that plagues them. I refer to this as “unfinished business”. These are barriers and difficult issues that you are not dealing but still feel annoyed by, like incomplete projects, broken promises, unresolved issues, past abuses, slights, put downs, failures, betrayals, misunderstandings,  or losses and violations by others.

The Impact of “Faulty Prioritizing”.

Your passivity may be unintentional and you may want to deal with the issue yet you keep avoiding decisive action and putting it off. Procrastination is form of “faulty prioritizing”. You may prioritize or identify a difficulty to be taken care of yet you come up with excuses to avoid or delay taking action. This is often followed by feelings of guilt and self-criticism. Procrastination damages your self-esteem and self-concept. If you keep it up long enough and procrastinate on a number of important issues, then it is easy to painfully label yourself as a “failure”.

Old lingering issues weigh you down and unconsciously create depression, anxiety, resentment, guilt, shame and seething anger. These problems may be out of mind, but they persist, disturb you inwardly and drain your energy. Some of this unfinished business can linger in you for 10, 20, 30 or more years.

Keep Progressing Forward.

Once a problem is solved, from your original list of prioritized problems, select a new difficulty to solve. Go at it with the same method outlined above. Be sure to choose new obstacles that you will probably be successful at achieving. Over time, you will develop the ability and desire to solve your largest problems.

If you don’t develop good problem-solving skills, then you may get emotionally overwhelmed and stuck. You may feel buried by a large or overwhelming number of issues to attend to and resolve. You must stop the procrastination and become more courageous and action oriented. To be dominated by anxiety, because you fear that you may fail, hurt omeone’s feelings or get injured or take further losses, can become paralyzing and self-defeating.

Keep Working at It.

Periodically, you will confront an issue or a series of issues that stop you dead in your tracks. But most of the time, you slowly work your way out of one problem and move onward toward the next issue in line. To get better and better at problem-solving takes repetitive practice and courage. It is a learned skill. And to improve, you constantly have to keep working at it.

Obviously, some problems are easier to manage and deal with than others. Some are daunting while others are minor routines. A few of the tougher problems will d

Problem-Solving Can Wear You Out.     

This continual process of facing problems, new and old, is stressful and tiresome. Sometimes you will block these persistent demands out of your awareness in order to relax and take a breather. But that strategy won’t work very well for very long. These issues will persist and disturb you mentally. Don’t allow yourself to become too discouraged. At times, take a break in order to reduce your stress and become more clear-headed.

What If I Get Stuck and Can’t Solve My Problems?

Unresolved problems can mount up and bury you psychologically. They usually persist in biting at your ankles, day in and day out, constantly bugging you until you face and deal with them. In fact, some big problems that you refuse to attend to end up wreaking long-term havoc in your life. Even money, distractions and drugs can’t make all of these difficulties vanish. And, new issues always arise and replace solved problems. We don’t live in a problem-free world.

If you are feeling overwhelmed then give me a call – 805-448-5053. I can help you overcome your stress and procrastination.

Categories
Business Coaching Problem-Solving

What If I Can’t Solve My Problems by Myself?

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Sometimes You Can’t Solve Problems on Your Own.

Most of us have the capacity to solve most of our problems. However, sometimes you don’t have the ability to work it out. So, you ask your friends and loved ones for assistance and advice. You might also ask your physician and minister for help. But this doesn’t always resolve the dilemmas.

doctor and woman patientSo, there are situations in which you may need to turn to a professional problem-solver who has the depth of experience, the psychological knowledge and the specialized ability to help you dig your way out so that you continue moving forward in your life.

That is where mental health specialists like me come in. We are trained to help people resolve difficult challenges and problems. We have experience in dealing with similar issues that you are confronting. Therefore, we know the terrain and have some helpful tools to share with you. Our work is to help clients overcome barriers and work around obstacles. 

Some treatment by psychologists and counselors is relatively rapid in helping you to decrease your issues and symptoms. You may be able to get some quick positive results. That’s what everybody hopes for.

However, some problems are stubborn and take longer to work on to resolve. That is just a human reality. Just because we want an issue to disappear does not mean that it will evaporate. There is no magic like that. Some problems are big and take time, effort and money to resolve.

What If My Problems Are Too Big for Me to Solve Alone?

If you are plagued by personal and/or business problems or they seem too overwhelming for you to handle, then I suggest that you seek out a qualified psychotherapist or coach who can assist you and also help you develop improved problem-solving skills that you can use far into your future.

As a psychologist, I’m a problem-solver. I collaborate with you to work on challenges that you cannot solve on your own. Once the issues are lifted, you go on your way. You can see what problem areas I specialize in by visiting the “What We Treat” navigation button drop down list on this website.

Cropped_stockfresh_57892_pretty-smiling-business-woman-showing-thumbs-up-sign-over-white_sizes_ed8cc2

What If I’m Too Ashamed to Ask for Professional Help?

Nowadays, many people turn to mental health professionals like me for help. The old cultural stigma about seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist has significantly decreased over the past 30 years. It is very common to seek assistance with personal problems and there are many professionals to choose from because the demand for our services is high.

Some people feel the stigma of engaging a psychologist. They fear others will judge them as if they are “crazy”. However, seeking assistance with problems is the intelligent and practical thing to do. If you had a medical concern, wouldn’t you consult a physician? If you had a dental problem, wouldn’t you go see your dentist? If your car wasn’t working so well or made some strange sounds, wouldn’t you take it to an auto mechanic? So, you need to over-ride the old unrealistic stigma and ask for help with psychological issues.

Getting Help Is Smart.

Don’t feel alone because you aren’t alone. Seeking out help is a common action to take in the USA. Don’t make excuses to avoid getting help. And please, for your sake, don’t be ashamed of seeking out and requesting the guidance that you need and deserve.

If you’d like help in solving some problems, give me a call – 805-448-5053. We can work on them together.

And if you want to be notified whenever I post a new article, go ahead and click the grey “Subscribe” link at the bottom of this page. Thanks!

Categories
Business Coaching Goals Problem-Solving

How Can I Solve My Problems?

 In a previous blog article entitled “Do I Really Believe that Life Is a Series of Problems?”, I said that life constantly presents us with problems to solve. Here I will give you tips on how to go about solving difficulties that you face.

How to Solve Personal Problems

This post will give you a detailed method to use to go about solving your own personal problems. Check it out and then put it to the test!

The goal in solving your personal problems is to chip away at one issue at a time, to successfully work through each problem in an unending sequential series. You must prioritize the issues that you intend to confront and then leverage your focus and problem-solving skills to overcome the different types of challenging obstacles and difficulties you choose to deal with.

6 Steps to Solve Your Problems:

  1. Write down a list of problems to deal with.
  2. Prioritize the problems from biggest to smallest.
  3. Assign each problem a number from highest to lowest priority.
  4. Assign some type of attractive reward to give to yourself after solving each problem.
  5. Make a new prioritized “working” list to start following and working on.
  6. After solving one issue, replace it with a new problem from your prioritized list.

Why Create Rewards for Myself?

Rewards are motivating and keep you working toward the desired goal. They give you something to look forward to. Rewards, or positive reinforcers, soothe the pain of your risk-taking and  hard labors. Match the size of the reward to the size of the problems. If you are working toward solving a big problem, then award yourself a big reward after successfully completing the task. Even if a problem is small, be sure to grant yourself something small when you succeed.

You should always congratulate and reward yourself after achieving something. You probably don’t praise yourself enough but you do deserve to give yourself more positive feedback when you accomplish something that took time, energy, money and/or courage. Give yourself recognition and esteem. Make sure the rewards match the problems to be solved. Avoid over-rewarding and under-rewarding.

Write down these rewards on your list of problems to be solved. Make the rewards visible so that you can refer to them in the future after you have worked to accomplish something. Then when you solve the problem refer to the list and follow through with making the reward to yourself.

How Do I Select Which Problems to Work On?

After making your new prioritized strategic “working list” to start your problem-solving adventure, select those issues to start with that you feel assured that you will successfully solve. Don’t start by tackling your most difficult or highly prioritized issues. The goal is to successively move forward, one success after another. Set yourself up for success because success breeds more success.

Don’t start with the most difficult or pressing problems. You want to move forward and gradually build your problem-solving skills, courage and confidence. Start with easier or moderately easy difficulties. Start with minor issues first to gain self-confidence in your problem-solving skills. This will take decision-making, commitment and persistence.

Be sure to protect yourself from failure when starting this process. Move slowly and keep your expectations as realistic as possible. By successfully moving through one problem after another, based on a chosen list, you are becoming smarter and stronger, hardier and wiser. Plus, you will eliminate problems and feel good about it!

Keep Progressing by Solving Problems One at a Time.

Once a problem is solved, from your original list of prioritized problems, select a new problem to solve. Go at the list with the same method outlined above. Be sure to choose new issues that you will probably be successful at achieving. Over time, you will develop the ability and desire to solve your largest problems.

Reach out now! As a psychologist and business coach, I am in the problem-solving business. Call for more information: 805-448-5053.

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