Derrick Mason

Anyone can call him-/herself a “Coach.” The professional title of coach is not regulated like “Doctor” or “Therapist,” nor is there an established and required training protocol and examination process for coaches. My professional background as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, combined with my training as a Level 2 CrossFit Trainer, combined with hours and hours of self-directed study, give me a unique holistic perspective. And to give the coaching credential more formal structure, I am a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach Candidate, preparing for national certification. This national certification program has been developed in a collaboration between the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching and the National Board of Medical Examiners (the same organization that determines what medical doctors—MDs—need to do in order to obtain their licenses). So you can feel confident in it’s legitimacy and thoroughness. Remember, anyone can call him-/herself a coach. Social media is full of self-proclaimed “experts.” Make sure he/she has legitimate professional training before you trust that person with your health.Although professionally trained coaches are experts in behavior change, they are not trained to understand the nuances and multiple layers surrounding our reactions and unhealthy choices. My training and experience as a psychotherapist gives me unique insight into why people have adapted the unhealthy patterns of behavior that they follow. Most importantly, I can help you understand it for yourself, so that you can change it.Anyone who calls him-herself a psychotherapist must have either a Masters Degree or a PhD, followed by supervised professional experience and a passing score on a national licensure exam. But those training programs only deal with mental health treatment, as if mental health is one part that exists separate from the rest of the person. There is no training about the scientifically-proven impact of a healthy diet, or of exercise, on mental health. Studies show that a healthy, real-food diet, combined with exercise, is as effective as (and often more effective than) medication. But most psychotherapists do not understand this. They were never taught it. They don’t recognize that we are an integrated whole, body, mind/brain, and spirit.I bring a unique blend of training as a psychotherapist, a CrossFit coach, and a health coach that allows me to truly understand your unhealthy patterns of behavior, and the struggles behind those behaviors. From there, I can better help you to understand the “why” behind those unhealthy patterns, then create a plan to replace them with healthier patterns, and help you work toward becoming your best self.I believe that most people spend most of their lives in relatively mindless reactivity. This can create a lot of problems in every aspect of our life, from the ability to make good choices regarding our physical health to how we deal with conflict or vulnerable conversations with our spouse, to what direction our career path takes.Unhealthy coping mechanisms create dysfunctional behavior patterns and have a detrimental affect on every aspect on our lives. Understanding how your past experiences created reactive behavior patterns, and how that reactively affects your current life, is crucial to your overall health and wellness.Moving from mindless reactivity to a place of mindfully responding involves cultivating awareness, then intention, then putting that intention into practice. This is crucial for holistic wellness: making healthier choices for our own physical/emotional/spiritual health, having healthier relationships with our loved ones, and living the life that is most fulfilling.