Dr. Marc Hafkin on His Success in Psychotherapy and Coaching

Dr. Marc Hafkin has been in private practice since 1975 seeing individuals, couples, and running psychotherapy and coaching groups as well as supervising Master and Doctoral candidates in their clinical work.

Dr. Hafkin completed his Doctoral degree in 1981 and went on to complete a Post Doctoral Fellowship in Clinical Psychology in 1984. Additionally, Dr. Hafkin did graduate work at Washington University in St Louis completing two Masters degrees in Clinical Social Work and Counseling Psychology.

Dr. Hafkin completed various trainings in numerous approaches to psychotherapy and has combined his expertise with an educational approach to coaching. He has moved from a “medical/pathology approach to an “educational strength-based” approach when working with individuals.

Dr. Hafkin has worked with Masters and Johnsons in their sex therapy clinic assessing individuals and couples and treating them for various sexual and emotional difficulties. He has also worked in a treatment center for “emotionally dysregulated” children and adolescents as well as various hospitals, and prisons.

While in St Louis, Dr. Hafkin trained police officers in domestic dispute and conflict resolution in order to de-escalate volatile situations. He has consulted with numerous organizations to help their senior staff become more effective in their professional careers and peer relationships.

Early on in Dr. Hafkin’s career, while on active duty in the U.S. Army, he was in charge of several Psychiatric wards and later the outpatient clinic of a major Psychiatric Center in Frankfurt Germany. After several years of Active Duty in the military, Dr. Hafkin left to pursue further education in 1973.

We had a chance to talk with Dr. Marc Hafkin to hear more about his business, including how he got started and what the future holds for him.

How did you get started?

I began making the transition from psychotherapy to coaching when I realized that I prefer to focus more time on teaching and empowering people to face their challenges. In psychotherapy, we focus more on why their blocks are in place.

What inspired you to start this business?

Reading books on Positive Psychology helped me to transition my thought process from a medical model to a strength-based model.

This strength-based model helps me to empower individuals and teach them skills that encourage growth while the medical model looks at problems or blocks based upon the person’s prior personal history.

How do you make money?

I have had a successful private practice as a Psychologist for over 45 years, seeing individuals, mixed therapy/growth groups, and couples.

Additionally, I have been a consultant to numerous consulting organizations to empower their senior staff to become more successful in management.

How long did it take to become profitable?

Like any business, it took time in order to get my name out there and become more visible in the profession.

Within the first several months my practice grew and I became well known as a consultant.

When you started out, was there ever a time you doubted your business would work?

Like any person starting a new business or practice, I wondered how and if it would grow. I did feel anxious but I stayed the course and watched my referral base in consulting and private practice grow.

I became even more confident with time and additional training.

How did you get your first client?

I was groomed to take over a group private practice and began by offering professional workshops. As my name became more known, clients began to inquire about my services.

What does the future hold for your business?

I believe that the combination of my prior professional experience as a therapist combined with the training I received as a Master Certified Coach enables me to address a wide spectrum of issues.

As people are more interested in learning and want to move forward in their lives, coaching will become more widespread. Coaching has already grown exponentially in the past 20 years. It has appealed to a wide range of individuals who do not wish to be diagnosed with any type of mental disorder that therapy requires for insurance reimbursement.