Mythic Counseling IFS-Informed Parts Work Philosophical Consulting

Mythic Counseling

At Mythic Within Counseling, we take a deep dive into the individual to see what themes, archetypes, and patterns are narrating the stories of their lives — consciously and unconsciously. We seek to bring what might be hidden or vague into the light of awareness, to forge new breakthroughs, and create new meaning and purpose to help our clients heal, grow, find serenity, and reach new heights.

The Mythic Journey

The Mythic Journey is the way that myths, fairytales, and stories of every kind have reflected the journey of life throughout time. You can think of it as the character arc of your own life, and just as every story has plot points, everyone’s life has certain archetypal plot points. We’re born and we die. We have rites of passage, trials and tribulations. We’re forced out of one state into another. We must face change, willingly or not. And how we react when we’re faced with our darkest fears determines whether we learn or not, grow or stagnate, and sometimes, live or die. Knowledge of these universal truths illuminates the passages we’re going through, and we guide our clients through this process.

Philosophical Counseling

Psychology was born out of philosophy, and psychologist Dr. Albert Ellis returned to philosophy when he developed Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the first of the major cognitive-behavior therapies, in the early 1950s. Building on his work, philosopher Dr. Elliot D. Cohen began developing Logic-Based Therapy (LBT), an applied philosophical practice, in the 1980s. Like psychological practice, LBT seeks to help clients with their behavioral and emotional problems. However, philosophical practitioners place greater emphasis on the use of philosophical methods and theories, including logic.

Logic is the study of reasoning, which provides standards for distinguishing good reasoning from bad reasoning. LBT applies these standards in distinguishing good (rational) behavioral and emotional reasoning from bad (irrational) behavioral and emotional reasoning. The process includes, (1) the examination of clients' arguments and justifications; (2) the clarification, analysis, and definition of important terms and concepts; (3) the exposure and examination of underlying assumptions and logical implications; (4) the exposure of conflicts and inconsistencies; (5) the exploration of traditional philosophical theories and their significance for client issues; and (6) all other related activities that have historically been identified as philosophical, according to Dr. Cohen. 

Some classical methods of refutation include reduction to the absurd (a favorite of Socrates); deducing a contradiction; showing that there is insufficient evidence to support a conclusion; showing that a premise commits an informal fallacy; or that the reasoning in question commits a formal fallacy (Cohen, 2009).

Areas philosophical counseling can be applied to include:

·       Recovery

·       Divorce

·       Parenting and Fathering

·       Issues of self-confidence

·       Finding meaning and purpose

·       Creativity

·       Finding one's place in the world

·       Issues of spirituality

·       Navigating relationships

·       Moral issues

·       Values disagreements

·       Political issues and disagreements

·       Writer's block

·       Time management issues

·       Procrastination

·       Career issues

·       Job loss

·       Problems with coworkers

·       Disability issues

·       Financial issues

·       Retirement

·       Aging

·       End of life issues

·       Midlife issues

·       Adult children of aging parents

·       Problems with family

·       Family planning issues

·       In-law issues

·       Breakups and divorce

·       Parenting issues

·       Becoming a parent

·       Sibling rivalry

·       Finding out one is adopted

·       Falling in and out of love

·       Loss of a family member

·       Loss of a pet

·       Friendship issues

·       Peer pressure

·       Academic or school-related issues

·       Rejection

·       Discrimination

·       Religion and race-related issues

·       Entertainment-related issues

·       Technology-related issues

IFS-Informed Parts Work

We’re currently offering a number of Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed groups. IFS is an evidence-based therapy approach that honors we as humans are all comprised of many parts inside of us that have helped to protect us and our wounded parts from childhood and traumatic experiences. It honors that each part of us is worthy of being seen, understood and supported.

IFS is helpful for group work because it provides:

  • a shared language, structure, and group norms.

  • a common language which enhances group cohesion & safety.

  • a less stigmatizing approach for working with symptoms of anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc. and views them as part of us and not all of us.

  • a way for us to speak for, and not from parts, which reduces risk of shame and increases likelihood of effective communication.

The goals of the IFS groups offered are to help you to: 

  • learn more about yourself and your inner world, especially parts of you that come up in social settings and in relationships. 

  • practice your IFS skills in being with and getting to know parts of you, and in learning to speak for them in a group setting. 

  • make connections with others, find resonance and compassion with your own and others parts. 

We offer both short-term and long-term, topical and ongoing process and support groups. ​Overall, the purpose of these groups is to support you in deepening your understanding of yourself, your relationships, and how you communicate and build healthy connections with others.

 

Meet our team

  • Melissa George, Ph.D.

  • Jason Gorbett, M.A., M.A.

 ABOUT MELISSA

As a Jungian-oriented, depth psychotherapist I integrate analytical psychology with transpersonal, archetypal, and person-centered perspectives in my practice with individuals and couples.  I am also trained as an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist and primarily integrate this along with other attachment-based interventions (like PACT: Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy) into my work with clients.  I'm located in Fort Collins, Colorado and provide therapy to residents across the state of Colorado.  In addition to therapy services, I also provide archetypal coaching, consultation, and psychoeducational services to individuals, couples, and groups internationally, often on IFS, attachment, and astrology, though also through archetypes present in the tarot, I-ching, and other archetypal systems.

With more than two decades of experience studying psychology, including researching, teaching, and training about what works to support mental health and wellbeing and how to help therapists be better therapists, I bring a conscientious, scientific perspective to my practice as a therapist.  More importantly, alongside this formal study, I also bring decades of my own experience personally in pursuing of health and mental health through which I've explored diverse, holistic approaches to supporting mind, body, and soul and discovered the wisdom that exists inside each of us. 

And it is from these experiences that I discovered the power of encountering the unconscious parts of ourselves, how striving for every solution to fix our problems in the outer world without attention to the inner world, fails to lead us toward wholeness.  As we reconnect with our psycho-spiritual lives, and follow the wisdom of the unconscious through exploring the archetypal messages in our dreams, mythology, astrology, tarot, meditation, and spirituality, we can consciously live.  We can learn to shed the layers of our lives that are not serving us, those that are the desires of our society, culture, and family but not truly ours.  As we discover ourselves, and explore the layers beneath those that we have built for protection across our lifetime (and those that we carry from generations of ancestral trauma passed down to us), we can live more fully and create an outer world that aligns with our soul.

This is the work that I do as a therapist; the areas I've studied and trained in, alongside my lived experience in the inner landscape of the mind, dream analysis, spirituality and the relational context of healing are what guide my practice.  Although this work must be undertaken by oneself, having a therapist by your side to witness it all is crucial for healing.  It is believed that trauma happens in real relationships and so healing can only happen in real relationships too as we are relational beings. 

I seek to compassionately hold space for you as you discover who you are becoming, to meet you in the depths of your experience as you explore your shadow and the deepest and darkest aspects of your psyche, and to sit beside you as you discover your soul's path toward wholeness.  

If you're feeling called to explore your own depths to find healing, feel free to call or email to learn more about my approach and to set up an initial consultation. 

 ABOUT JASON

With a master’s in philosophy, a master's in journalism, and writing for Futurama, I integrate philosophical counseling, narrative therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed approaches to help clients get unstuck, bring more clarity, and live more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

As a Philosophical Practitioner, I'm trained in Logic-based Therapy and recognized by the National Philosophical Counseling Association. I'm certified as a Philosophical Consultant, and trained to help clients deal with many kinds of problems (e.g., self confidence, finding meaning and purpose, creativity, spirituality, navigating relationships, divorce, parenting, and recovery). Learn more about Philosophical Counseling here. I use timeless concepts of philosophy with techniques of formal logic to help clients identify irrational beliefs keeping them stuck in unhealthy emotional patterns. With my training in Narrative Therapy I also help clients reframe narratives that may not be working for them so they may document meaningful aspects and aspirations for their lives. And with more than 25 years of professional writing experience, I have extensive experience in the archetypal processes underlying classic story structure and character development that mirror and illuminate life. Along with integrating the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model with individuals, couples, and groups, I also provide coaching and consultation services on a range of topics including Jungian archetypes, the Hero's Journey, and creative ways my clients can rewrite the narratives of their life stories.

I live in Fort Collins, Colorado and provide consultation services for people all over the world. I have formal education experience in the US, London, England, and Ontario, Canada, including a master’s degree in philosophy with a concentration in biomedical ethics and a master’s degree in journalism with a concentration in First Amendment Law. From travel writing to copywriting, from journalism to television writing on series like Futurama, from teaching Montessori to traveling around the world, I have an unusual breadth and depth of experience that helps me understand many different people, places, and cultures all over the world.  

I've spent a lifetime studying, teaching, and practicing the art and science of thinking and writing, specifically how we think about meaning and purpose in life, and how we tell ourselves and others the stories of our lives. It’s from these experiences that I discovered most people live lives that are too small for them, that they've created stories about their lives that leave them imprisoned in their own minds. I've realized most people, just as characters do, get stuck facing obstacles, enemies, and tests that can leave them feeling beaten down. Growing up in highly dysfunctional and unhealthy families of origin leaves people feeling trapped in personal, familiar, and societal mazes. I use narrative therapy and philosophical counseling principles to help people break down these inner walls, to find their way out of the maze, and to see there are a lot more possibilities in life than they imagined. I help them to identify the characters, archetypes, and plot lines they’re stuck in, to gain clarity and assist them in seeing beyond their irrational beliefs and current situations. 

 You probably know that you're the hero of your own story. But do you know the other characters who are riding along with you? Do you know what effects they're having on your life? Do you know where those characters are in their development and where they are in facing their obstacles, finding their allies, and facing their enemies -- all of which are necessary for growth? Using a blend of parts work, logic-based therapy principles, narrative therapy and classic story structure and archetypes, I'll help you to explore your heroic story arc and the arcs of the characters inside of you that affect your life in ways you may never have imagined so that you may rewrite the story of your life.  

 This is the work that I do as a counselor and consultant; the areas I've studied and trained in, alongside my lived experience and natural deep empathy, that guide my practice and help clients identify, explore, and rewrite the stories being lived out by the characters within them. This helps people reconnect or connect for the first time with their purpose, higher calling, and even spirituality, often through non-traditional paths.  

If you're feeling called to explore your own life story and the characters within you, to get unstuck from your patterns of thinking that leave you feeling unfulfilled in your work life and/or in personal relationships, or if you're seeking to live a more peaceful, self-aware, and meaningful life as you walk your journey with more purpose, feel free to call or email to learn more about my approach and to set up an initial consultation.