What Are Dr. Gottfurcht’s Areas of Special Expertise?
Watch a CNBC video to learn more about the psychological importance of money.
Why Are Empathy and Psychology of Money so Valuable to Psychotherapy?
What Types of Psychotherapy Does Dr. Gottfurcht Practice?
What Types of People See Dr. Gottfurcht for Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a therapeutic process designed to help you to understand yourself much more deeply which allows you to live and express yourself with increasing freedom and choice. You can actually change your conscious and unconscious feelings, beliefs and behaviors that are blocking your happiness and success. While it is easy to get caught up in the details, stress and overwhelm of the outer world, therapy gives you the opportunity to become more knowing and understanding of your inner world. This provides greater awareness and insight so you can see more clearly the patterns and their underlying causes that contribute to your emotional, intellectual or relationship distress. Ultimately, this enables you to change yourself at a systemic level so you can improve your life significantly from the inside out.
How Does Dr. Gottfurcht View Psychotherapy?
I view psychotherapy as a process similar to Michaelangelo’s response when asked how he sculpted David so exquisitely. He replied that he simply removed everything that was “not David” until David was revealed. I believe at our core, we possess remarkable abilities, passions, and resources. However, recurring painful interactions or trauma may inhibit our ability to experience and express these aspects of our character. In an effort to protect our inner selves, we develop ways of being that were adaptive at an earlier time, but may be hurting ourselves or others now. We have the opportunity to get to know you deeply, so you can discover who you really are, and liberate yourself to fulfill your most important life goals.
What Are Dr. Gottfurcht’s Areas of Special Expertise
In addition to being Founder and President of Psychology of Money Consultants, I have been a psychodynamically oriented clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist for over 30 years specializing in individual, couples, and family psychotherapy. Areas of special expertise are:
Anxiety, stress or worry
Relationship issues (singles, couples or families)
Depression or lack of motivation
Self-sabotage
Lower self-confidence or self-esteem
Emotional abuse
Trauma or PTSD
Career blockage
Life transitions
Financial issues and your relationship with money
I have taught classes at UCLA Extension in Empathy Training and Psychology of Money for over 15 years with continuing education for professionals, and separate trainings for the public. My dissertation was on empathy, and I am Founder and President of Psychology of Money Consultants. As your therapist, I will share the proprietary material from both programs as it benefits you.
Watch the CNBC video to learn more about the psychological importance of money.
Why Are Empathy and Psychology of Money so Valuable to Psychotherapy?
Research reveals that the therapist’s level of empathy is the single most important communication dimension associated with successful psychotherapy. You will find that improving your own empathy can deepen your most meaningful and important relationships and enhance your ability to manage everyday interactions with business associates, clients, and customers. You can also increase your self-acceptance and self-esteem by developing what I refer to as “empathy for the self that lives within.” This can free you up from guilt and shame, enable you to understand the root causes of your challenges, and accelerate accomplishing your goals.
Psychology of Money is how our beliefs, expectations, and feelings influence our financial behavior, success, and disappointment. It helps us to become more aware of our money scripts, how we may be sabotaging ourselves, how we can improve our relationship with money and how we can re-write those scripts to create more success. Although Psychology of Money emphasizes money, the same mindset that creates financial success also creates success in relationships, career, health, lifestyle, etc.
What Types of Psychotherapy Does Dr. Gottfurcht Practice?
I am highly eclectic in my approach and integrate several primary orientations. To accelerate your progress, I draw upon the following types of therapy depending upon your preferences and needs in the moment:
When deeper work is indicated, I practice relational psychotherapy with an emphasis on attachment theory. This includes working together to develop an understanding of the impact, quality, and history of your primary attachments and how they may be influencing present day relationships.
It can also be important for us to tune into your bodily experiences in the moment as new emotions, insights, or even road blocks become present. As we pay attention and track your physical reactions, I will help guide you to safely release anxiety, pain, anger or trauma held in your body.
If you have difficulty connecting to your feelings, hear too much “internal chatter,” or are easily distracted, I also practice mindfulness. Mindfulness allows us to expand our awareness of what you are mentally focusing on each moment. This slows down your mental activity allowing for greater clarity, calmness, and flow in your actions.
I also find cognitive behavioral therapy effective if you are interested in directly addressing specific difficulties you are having or goals you wish to accomplish. This can include cognitive or experiential exercises from Empathy Training and Psychology of Money workshops.
Most importantly, I believe the foundation of successful psychotherapy is the quality of the relationship we develop together. It is from within the relational environment we create the safety to attune to and understand your spontaneous thoughts, dreams, and life metaphors. By supporting your truth and challenging what isn’t working, I can help you understand what’s holding you back and free you from it more rapidly and effectively. Together, we can accelerate your self-awareness, ability to live more authentically, and capacity to fulfill your most important hopes and desires.
What Types of Psychotherapy Does Dr. Gottfurcht Practice?
While I work with individuals, couples and families from a variety of backgrounds (ages 16 – 80s), most often clients come to see me when they are challenged by:
Anxiety, stress or worry
Relationship issues (singles, couples or families)
Depression or lack of motivation
Self-sabotage
Lower self-confidence or self-esteem
Emotional abuse
Trauma or PTSD
Career blockage
Life transitions
Financial issues and your relationship with money
I work with individuals, couples, and families who come to my office in Los Angeles, California (located between UCLA and Santa Monica).
Some clients commute from different parts of the country for quarter, half, all day, or weekend therapy sessions or trainings.
If you are interested in psychotherapy, please call Dr. Gottfurcht at 310-828-1818 or email psychmoney@aol.com for a free 20 minute phone consultation valued at $100.
