I aspire to benefit the lives of individuals, couples, families, organizations and counseling students. I believe that the most efficient way for doing so is through education and application of the vast variety of counseling theories that exist today, as well as continually re-examining what exists in an open-minded and critical manner.
My life changed for the better through my own psychotherapy as well going through different rigorous programs such as the Contemplative Counseling master’s program at Naropa University, the Marriage and Family Therapy training at Denver Family Institute, the Doctoral coursework at Argosy, as well as additional counseling training.
These programs affected me in many ways. First and foremost, I had to take an honest look at myself and my own biases and beliefs. The process of personal inquiry helped to become a better counselor and a better human being in general. Second, I learned how to help others through counseling, which I believe is my calling. These programs both empowered me and challenged me to examine the intention behind what I am doing clinically. There is an essential balance between the ability to improvise and using evidence-based psychotherapy modalities. If I am too rigid in using a specific model, I might totally miss my clients’ needs by trying to fit them into my worldview. If I am trusting my intuition too much and trying to reinvent the wheel by completely ignoring the existing research and decades of work done by others before me, I might be doing a disservice to my clients by learning on them by trial and error.
I take helping others very seriously. As a clinician, clients trust me with their lives’ challenges and expect me to assist them in navigating these. Therefore, it is my duty and obligation to be as educated and as efficient as possible. I believe that a doctoral level education in Counseling Education and Supervision prepares me even better to be equipped in helping my clients by integrating and learning from the large body of theories, practices, and research that is out there.
I want to have a wide positive ripple effect as possible. I understand that my time is limited, and there a finite amount of time that can I devote to working with clients directly. By teaching counseling, supervising other counselors and writing about psychology and psychotherapy, I aspire to create a positive impact on the lives of others, through other counselors, whether it’s individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, or even business coaching.
A significant part of doctoral education is research. I believe that research is an incredible resource that should be used by counselors regularly. One of the most important things that I learned from John Gottman, one of my most important teachers in couples therapy, was that psychotherapy cannot be just evidence-based, it also needs to be results-based. Even if there is a change in the clients’ lives after a few months of specific psychotherapy and the change is consistent with other clients, but is minimal, that it is not really helpful. The positive change that needs to happen in counseling should be significant; This is why clients go to therapy, that is why they pay with their time, money, and energy. The only way to make sure that it happens is to examine assumptions, theories and counseling modalities continuously. My goal as a doctoral student is to take part in this crucial process, both through learning from what exists, and also by contributing new research material, synthesizing what already exists, critically examining what feels not complete or outdated, and proposing entirely new ideas.
Sasha Raskin, MA, is an international #1 bestselling co-author , the founder and CEO of Go New , a transformational education program, a life, and business coach and a psychotherapist in Boulder, CO. He is working on a P.h.D in Counseling Education and Supervision and is an adjunct faculty at the Contemplative Counseling master’s program at Naropa University, from which he also graduated. Sasha has been in the mental health field for more than 10 years, worked with youth at risk, recovery, mental health hospitals, and coached individuals, couples, families, startups, and groups. He has created mindfulness stress reduction and music therapy programs within different organizations. Whether it’s in person or via phone/video calls, Sasha uses cutting-edge, research-based techniques to help his clients around the world to thrive.
As a coach Sasha Raskin provides individual and group coaching in Boulder, Colorado, and worldwide via video and phone calls, drawing from over ten years of experience. His services include: life coaching, business coaching, career coaching, ADD / ADHD coaching, leadership coaching, and executive coaching. Schedule your free 20-minute coaching phone consultation with Sasha Raskin
As a counselor in Boulder, CO, Sasha provides individual counseling in Boulder, CO , family therapy in Boulder, CO, and couples therapy in Boulder, CO, marriage counseling in Boulder, Colorado, and couples intensives / couples retreats, drawing from over ten years of clinical experience. Schedule your free 20-minute psychotherapy phone consultation with Sasha Raskin