Mental Health Leaders that Inspire My Practice
There are so many inspirational figures that have enriched my personal life and guided my professional career. Here are a few that I have followed, trained with and studied from. This will give you a better idea of my theoretical orientation and style of practice. I include suggested inspirational publications as well.
Tony Robbins, Strategic Life Coach known for peak performance training, pattern recognition and creating behavior change. His clients have included three US Presidents, many professional athletes, musicians, actors and professionals around the world. His techniques are extremely effective, creative, dynamic and rooted in human psychology. Some of my favorite publications from Tony are: Unlimited Power, Awaken the Giant Within, and audio programs Unleash the Power Within and Relationship Mastery.
Cloe’ Madanes- A Psychologist from Argentina well known for her work as a Strategic Family Therapist and her collaboration with Tony Robbins and the Robbins-Madanes Center for Strategic Intervention. Madanes has written a number of books including: Strategic Family Therapy, Behind the One-Way Mirror, Sex, Love and Violence, The Secret Meaning of Money, and The Violence of Men. Her approach is creative, solution oriented and dynamic.
John Gottman, American Psychologist best know for his research focuses on divorce prediction and marital stability through relationship analyses. He has the greatest amount of empirical data reflecting what makes healthy relationships work, specifically focused on what not to do. Some of his most well know publications are: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, The Relationship Cure: A Five-Step Guide for Building Better Connections with Family, Friends, and Lovers. I incorporate much of his work into my couples counseling techniques.
Esther Perel is a Belgian-American psychotherapist, known for her work on human relationships. She has a wealth of knowledge regarding marriage, monogamy and infidelity. Perel promoted the concept of "erotic intelligence" in her book Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence.
Viktor Emil Frankl (26 March 1905 – 2 September 1997) was an Austrian neurologist, psychologist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor, who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force. He is considered the father of Existential Therapy. My favorite book written by him is Man’s Search for Meaning. It is nothing short of life-changing.
Dr. Marshall Rosenberg (October 6, 1934 – February 7, 2015) was an American psychologist, mediator, author and teacher. Starting in the early 1960s, he developed nonviolent communication, a process for supporting partnership and resolving conflict within people, relationships, and society. He worked worldwide as a peacemaker, and in 1984 founded the Center for Nonviolent Communication. He published many books. I highly recommend Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life.
Daniel Gregory Amen is an American psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist. He is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Amen Clinics that has revolutionized mental health with diagnostic technology. He has great publications on brain health, child development and treating mental disorders. My favorite publications I recommend are: Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, and Healing ADD from the Inside Out.
Carl Jung (July 1875 – June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist. Jung established himself as an influential mind, developing a friendship with Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis. Jung is widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists in history. The principals that stand out regarding his work are his interpretations of dreams, the use of metaphor as a tool for psychoanalysis and his appreciation for the natural world as a source of healing and inspiration. I recommend: Modern Man in Search of a Soul, and Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.
Milton Hyland Erickson (5 December 1901 – 25 March 1980) was an American psychiatrist and psychologist specializing in medical hypnosis and family therapy. He is noted for his approach to the unconscious mind as creative and solution-generating. He is also noted for influencing brief therapy, strategic family therapy, family systems therapy, solution focused brief therapy, and neuro-linguistic programming. He has inspired thousands of therapists around the world that manifested into the formation of the Milton Erickson Foundation.