East-West spiritual counseling and life coaching represents a fundamental component of the institute's offerings, as this dynamic approach to inner guidance provides participants with opportunities to engage in both traditional forms of psychological counseling and the deeply healing effects of art and archetypal therapy. Mainstream psychotherapy typically involves what is known as talk therapy in which issues and
events relating to one's formative upbringing, cultural
identity, interpersonal relationships, primary challenges,
and the unique characteristics of one's life calling are
explored in depth and brought into greater clarity and
resolution through intimate discussion between the client
and counselor. Various forms of art therapy involve modes
of expression that bring issues and events to life through creating visual representations (in imaginal exercises, role play, drawing and other mediums) that mirror the deeper aspects of one's primary relationships and life experiences. Imaginal exercises, which may involve working with highly evocative images from the outer world or engaging potent dream figures that arise from one's inner world, provide channels through which the healing and revelatory power of archetypal imagery - universal themes and forms that are common to all human beings and found throughout the history of humanity - can foster both clarity and direction as part of a broader process of personal growth and spiritual transformation (see the link below for an in-depth description of the guiding principles, theoretical focus, and creative processes that are involved in this deeply therapeutic work). In its most essential form, this approach is guided by the awareness that genuine fulfillment, as well
as the answers to life's most pressing questions, lie within each person's own inner core, and it is the role of the spiritual counselor to act as a guide and facilitator in helping to establish an enduring link between the client and his or her inner-most being.  In each individual there exists a well-spring 0f deep knowledge and wisdom, and accessing these interior dimensions reveals far-reaching channels of healing, insight, and inspiration that hold the potential for profound transformation and an entirely new and holistic awareness of life. Within this context, it is the client who ultimately possesses the innate under-standing of, and answers to, the most crucial issues of one's existence, and the spiritual counselor thus acts as a guide in fostering an awakening to this deeper self-knowledge through a variety of creative methodologies and processes. 
      Founded on the therapeutic principles developed in the depth psychology of Carl Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz and others, and further expanding upon these precepts through the integration of mindfulness and meditation practices found in the Buddhist traditions    
of Tibetan Tantra and Zen, East-West spiritual counseling utilizes archetypal imagery and sacred motifs - as they arise in dreams and also in the cultural expressions of humanity -
to engender an abiding sense of deep spiritual resonance. 
Within these numinous images and figures lie clues to the
nature of one's personal journey and life purpose as well as
vital links to the broader collective characteristics that tie
each individual to the family of humanity in an unfolding
process of awakening. Each human being is thus under-
stood as a spark of divinity that emerges from a universal
matrix, and through engaging the archetypal symbolism and motifs that mirror the psychic processes of the interior world of the Sacred, these sparks of divinity expand into more complete and meaningful manifestations of their inherent potential. From within these therapeutic frameworks and processes, a deeper, more authentic identity arises, and this flowering, this emergence of the Inner Diamond that exists as both the source and potential
of every human life, brings forth the joyous and ever-expanding sense of wholeness that
lies at the very heart of East-West spiritual counseling. A more detailed description of this transformative process can be accessed in the link to the text below, and for inquiries and information regarding cost and payment options, please go to the Contact page of this site. 

                                 The Essential Tenets of East-West Spiritual Counseling:
                 Its Guiding Principles, Theoretical Foundations, and Creative Techniques