Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.
- Hellen Keller
Insight Brings Growth
There is a reason you experience anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. For most people, these issues arise together in a blend that needs to be understood as a whole.
When you understand your problems in the right light, your painful feelings will gradually resolve. You will grow into a broader sense of who you are and what your life can be.
The Heart of the Matter
Many patients are surprised at how quickly I help them get to the heart of the matter. My approach starts with taking the time to understand your life situation and who you are.
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You will usually feel better within one to two sessions as you gain a sense of hope and support. As our work progresses, my aim is to facilitate deeper self-knowledge, relational health and fulfillment in all areas of life.
We Need to Talk
Therapy is a place to discuss the very personal thoughts and feelings that you may not have shared with anyone, with total confidence and privacy. Most of us have seldom experienced what it means to be deeply heard and understood.
My role is to help you listen to your inner life more deeply.
A few sessions at the right time in your life can have tremendous impact.
I regard it as the noblest task of psychotherapy in our times to untiringly serve the personal growth of the individual.
- C.G. Jung
About Dr. Michael Damian
Clinical Psychologist
SC License #1827
NJ License #6612
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Being a psychologist is a calling for me. I enjoy listening, connecting the not-so-obvious dots, and supporting people's growth. It's a field that includes philosophical, scientific and spiritual inquiry in its scope, with the aim of understanding the human condition and uplifting people's lives.
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I think most of our lives are fairly ordinary, and yet also hold extraordinary moments, great love and unexplored depths. In my work, I enjoy the relationship between the practical, ordinary aspects of life and the deeper aspects of the soul and unconscious.
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It is very poignant for me to witness patients make breakthroughs and discover who they are and how much richer and more exciting life can be. I feel honored to take part in sessions where people's lives are quietly and profoundly changed through the process of self-awareness.
"Michael is a person of great depth and feeling. He is totally genuine and without artifice. He brings his learning from his own personal journey into the therapy process."
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~ Dr. Stewart Kiritz, Clinical Faculty at Stanford Medical School, 1983- now emeritus; Director of Training and Chief Psychologist at CHAC, 2006-2016; Clinical Assistant Professor at Department of Psychiatry, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Background
Prior to practicing psychology in Charleston, I held a very busy practice for three years in Manasquan on the New Jersey shore. I first practiced from 2008 to 2020 in northern California, which is where I did my doctoral training at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP).
ITP was an innovative, fully accredited graduate program combining a traditional doctorate in Clinical Psychology with the study of consciousness, meditation, and religion.
My PhD is in Clinical Psychology with a Jungian focus. My doctoral training was broad and rigorous. It included training to diagnose, assess and treat the full range of mental health issues.
The core of my doctoral training was the excellent supervisors I had during my clinical internships. These included Dr. Stewart Kiritiz, Stanford Medical School faculty; Dr. Charlotte Whitaker Lewis; and Dr. John McLaughlin of San Franscisco. Internships included counseling at elementary and high schools, as well as treating adults at the clinic.
A Connecticut native, I graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1997 with a BA in Political Science summa cum laude. My university years included studying abroad in Amsterdam and interning at a foreign policy thinktank in Washington DC. Today I am an intermediate speaker of Dutch and regularly travel to the Netherlands where I hold seminars on personal growth and spirituality.
The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.
- Carl Jung
We have an inner life and an outer life. The inner life is mainly concerned with developing awareness, love and wisdom. These qualities integrate the psyche, improve our relationships and allow our most authentic self to express its gifts in the world.
Whether you are a more introverted or extraverted person, in your 20s or 60s, I am here to help you unlock the treasure of your true self so that you can live your best life.
The main way I do this is by listening. When you are deeply listened to, you will learn to really hear yourself, to know what is true for you and what to do about it. This is true empowerment.
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If you're ready to be heard, please get in touch today.