10 Things to Avoid in Deliberate Practice
“Those who control their passion and make it work for them have presence. Those who fail to control their passion look like excited, nervous teenagers. Those who have no passion at all have no...
In Search for a Personalised Professional Development
The aim of Frontiers of Professional Development (FPD) became clear to me only a few months back, even though FPD has been around for a few years now. At the heart of FPD is...
Being Average is Compelling
Singer Billy Joel said, “I am, as I’ve said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.” Being a good enough[1] therapist is compelling. Besides, there are real upsides of being...
Figure Out Where You Are Before Where You Need to Go
Don’t study the end result. Study the first step. ~ Josh Shipp One of the most challenging first steps in your pathway of professional development isn’t figuring out where you need to go, but...
Everyone Needs a Coach
I was consulting with an agency just last week, and one of the therapists said this to me, “I want to get better. This is important… If I don’t know this about my outcomes,...
Does Your Mindset Really Matter?
Over the last few decades, much research has been published based on Carol Dweck’s idea of Mindset,as summarised in her book, Mindset: A New Psychology of Success, which mainly contrasts fixed mindset (“You have...
The Biggest Stumbling Block Towards Individualised Professional Development
The biggest barrier towards your professional development is not on how to get from zero to 10, but from zero to one.[1] Many therapists struggle with systematically measuring their outcomes. Because of this, they...
Do Not Become Attached to The Outcome
“We cannot be attached to outcome, says Zen Roshi Joan Halifax. Similarly, the Stoics point out that we do not have control of outcomes, but only the process.” Here are two scenarios to think through the...
The Paradox of Focusing on the Therapist
Empathy has a hard time seeing a bigger picture. That is why fundraisers for charities do better when they tell a compelling story of an individual child with no access to clean water, rather...
Repairable Models: It’s Time We Fix This
Try opening up your latest iPhone or Samsung mobile device. It’s near impossible. That’s because tech giants are making phones harder to repair. Apple insists that their iPhones are so complicated that third-party repairers...
First Principles: The 5-Step Process for Deep and Accelerated Learning in Therapy
In a previous post, I’ve talked about the importance of Developing First Principles Before Methods. I’ve also talked about the ways you can develop first principles from challenging situations, therapeutic mistakes, and guidance from...
Three Ways to Develop First Principles in Your Clinical Practice
Try this little thought experiment: Take a piece of paper, and in the next 2-3mins, in no more than 2-3 paragraphs, write down your philosophy of what guides you in therapy. Most of us...
Develop First Principles Before The Methods
As a field, we were obsessed with methods, approaches, tools, theoretical orientations, and schools of thought. Money poured into establishing treatment efficacy differences have not yield much fruit; therapists investment in time, effort and...
Develop Your Own Wealth of Learnings
In a previous post, I talked about the iterative cycle that we can take in our professional development (click HERE to revisit it, and download the free infographic). Here’s something that I’ve recently revisited that struck...
Specific Ways to Build a Portfolio of Mentors
In a previous post, I advocated the need to go beyond seeking the help from one individual. It is up to you to Build a Portfolio of Mentors. It doesn’t happen to you; it’s...
The Iterative Pathway of a Psychotherapist’s Professional Development
There is no doubt, psychotherapists value professional development. After all, we are in the business of human development. We prize growth and change not only in our clients, but in ourselves. But the truth...
Terrible Gifts in Therapy
This is not some Catholic self-flagellating, guilt inducing exercise. Rather, if we see with fresh eyes, every moment of difficulty that we face in a session with you client, presents a gift to you. These...
I Get the Goose Bumps…
I get the goose bumps when I hear the type of questions discerning therapists raise at my workshops. It strikes me every time not only because these are the questions I’ve been pondering about...
What are the Perennial Pillars for Psychotherapists?
For songwriters, the perennial pillar is song craft. It is not technical mastery. A songwriter knows that technical agility at an instrument is not going help him create a better song. It’s easier to...
Do Not Seek Out A Supervisor
Seek out a portfolio of supervisors, mentors and coaches. The apprenticeship model of clinical supervision certainly has its merits. It takes us beyond what we read and what we derive from experience in clinical practice....
Our Real Work
What is our real work? It’s easy to think that the role of a psychotherapist is to treat a person or help our clients change. Indeed, that may be the outcome we hope for....
Stop Talking, and Start Performing.
What if one of the ways of transforming our practice in psychotherapy is to stop calling it talk therapy, but to see it as a performance ritual? What if we stop talking, and start...
Signs That Therapists are Barking Up the Wrong Tree in Our Professional Development
I’m going to re-look at some deeply held truths we were taught to believe about professional development in the field of psychotherapy. Actually, if these truths are closely examined, they are perpetuated lies.
Mastery Learning for Therapists: Figure Out the What Before the How
“I always wanted to be someone. Now I think I should have been more specific.” ~Comedian Lily Tomlin One of the most rudimentary, yet the most difficult thing to do in your professional development...
What Have You Changed Your Mind About?
Do you know someone who seems to know everything? When you share a new idea with this friend or colleague, they give you that “I-knew-it-all-along” kind of nod and smirk? This person is more...
How Do You Get Better At Eliciting Feedback?
In the previous post, we addressed the issue of how to receive feedback. In this post, we take a step back and address how we can elicit feedback.
How Do You Get Better at Receiving Feedback?
“How was your meal sir?” “Fine, thanks.” I lied. Five minutes into the meal, the waitress comes back to me. She’s wondering why I haven’t touched my pasta one bit since she last enquired.
Scenius vs. Genius
Not only does his brilliance shine in his collaborations, he’s also good at coming up with words. Heard of the term “ambient music“? He came up with it. Heard of the word “Scenius”? Probably not....
Why We Need This One Person For Us To Get Better
When this guy was in the room, I played better. We first met Randolf Arriola when I was about 17 years old. My bandmates and I saved up enough money to go into a...
Three Surprising Facts About Psychotherapy You and Your Doctors Need to Know
This is for those who are thinking about seeking help. Maybe you are wondering, unsure of who to go to and what to look out for. Or maybe you just need a reason to give...
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