Psychotherapy to Life Coach:
Transformation in the Eighth Stage of Life

Explore my journey as I transition from therapy to life coaching in my eighth stage of life. Join in the conversation on aging with integrity, passion, and purpose.

This past May marked 47 years of private practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). As we all know, nothing lasts forever. Time moves on and hopefully, so do we.

Erikson: The Eighth Stage of Life

In his book, Childhood and Society, social psychologist Erik Erikson discusses the eight stages of human development. According to Erikson, the eighth stage, known as Integrity VS Despair, focuses on reflecting on one’s life and accomplishments, and either developing a sense of integrity and satisfaction or experiencing despair and regret.

I am in the eighth stage of my life, and except for integrity, I am not satisfied with my life’s work. I still feel a need to continue sharing my knowledge and experience with those who can benefit from the wisdom I have acquired over the last nearly five decades. Now, at the young age of 85, I have even more to give both professionally and personally as a Certified Life Coach.

Therapy vs Coaching

Coaching is not therapy. However, it serves a great purpose. Some people are not interested in therapy due to the length of time required and the cost. Others need guidance and a safe environment in which to share their concerns, work through issues, and resolve conflicts that are interfering with the quality of their lives. This is where life, relationship, and executive coaching can be beneficial.

At this stage of life, when I should be reflecting on my accomplishments, I am instead focusing on what else I can provide to others who may need the wisdom and experience that I can offer to effect positive change in their lives.

Many of my friends from childhood and adolescence are either in independent or assisted living centers, hospice, memory care centers, terminally ill, have passed away, or have retired, finding pickleball, golf, and Mah Jong satisfying. I feel blessed to have maintained a healthy, energetic, and mentally alert state, apart from occasionally looking for my phone, glasses, or keys, forgetting words, and wondering why I’m in a room looking for something. I want to be active, mentally stimulated, and challenged. I guess I still want to matter. Therefore, I have reinvented myself from Therapist to Life Coach.

We Are Made Up of Parts

We are not defined by what we do. We are larger than life and much like a rainbow. If a rainbow had only red, it would no longer be a rainbow. We are made up of parts, each with its agenda.

We need all our parts to balance our lives. We need to know them, embrace them, and utilize them. We are not monolithic.

Aging with Integrity, Passion & Purpose

Aging is inexorable. If you are fortunate enough to live into your 70s, 80s, and beyond, you come to realize that loss and grief are also inexorable. Gradually, you come to terms with your mortality and that none of us are getting off the planet alive.

While I am still alive and conscious, I want to share my knowledge and expertise with others who may benefit from it. Not unlike the caterpillar that morphs into a butterfly, or a professional football player who becomes a coach, or doctors and lawyers who become professors and/or authors, I transformed my life as a psychotherapist into a Life Coach, Relationship Coach, and Business Mediator. I chose coaching to continue being useful and providing help to those who still need my services.

If you would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments. I am available and ready to meet your needs, help you realize your dreams, and support your healing and metamorphosis as I have done for myself.

I look forward to hearing from you!