Tim Holtzman, Full Bio
My Path to Becoming a Coach
My career as a coach and psychotherapist is largely inspired by my own journey of self-discovery and inner growth. During my teenage years, I became fascinated by books and lectures on a variety of topics such as psychology, eastern philosophy, and cultural studies. Around that time, I also began utilizing meditation and journaling as personal inquiry techniques. The two practices enabled me to reflect more deliberately on who I was as a person, and allowed me to create a life aligned to my core values and ideals. My journey of self-discovery has and continues to be a great source of joy and satisfaction, especially when I gain new insight about the personal deficits that impede my full potential. Based on how much I benefited from my pursuit of self-discovery and inner growth, I decided to pursue a career as a psychotherapist and coach. I knew the line of work would be greatly fulfilling since it would allow me to help others in their processes of discovery. Happily, it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. I feel fortunate to be able to offer my clients support and guidance during difficult transitions in their lives, and to witness them transform into stronger and wiser people.
Experience
I’ve worked as a psychotherapist and coach for 12 years, which includes private practice and a variety of Bay Area agency positions. For my master's degree, I studied Counseling Psychology at SFSU, and graduated in 2013. While at SFSU, I completed a clinical traineeship at Peggy Smith Psychological Clinic, where I provided long-term therapy to college students who experienced anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges. I’ve worked in private practice since the summer of 2017. Certifications, trainings, and experiences include:
May 2023 - February 2024: Internal Family Systems group consultation and training, with Jay Earley, author and psychotherapist
February 2023 - May 2023: Internal Family Systems, Level 1 Training, 80-hours of training
Sept. 2020 - March 2021: Hakomi Mindful Somatic Therapy, Professional Training 1, 74 hours of training
May 2020 to July 2020: Six day training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) (Core Skills certification, 80-hours of training)
Jan. 2019 and September 2017: Two one-day trainings on Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Feb. 2018 to June 2020: Regular, on-going clinical supervision in Hakomi Mindful Somatic Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
May 2018: 50-hour training in EMDR Therapy for Trauma (earned a certificate of full completion)
March 2017: Six day training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) (earned beginner-level certification)
Feb. 2014 to October 2019: Provided psychotherapy and case management services to homeless individuals in San Francisco
2004 to present: Regular, on-going practice and training in mindfulness and meditation. I maintain an eclectic practice that integrates western research, and is heavily influenced by Theravada Buddhism which I’ve studied through several Bay Area meditation groups and retreat centers
My Approach to Coaching
Honoring your uniqueness: In the coaching room, my principal aim is to honor and encourage your unique values, viewpoints, and personality qualities. As a highly skilled facilitator of therapeutic experiences, I guide you to understand yourself better so you feel empowered to decide which steps you will take to re-create your life in new, more fulfilling ways. I aim to understand your unique strengths, challenges, and cultural influences as much as possible, so that we can formulate strategies that work!
Coaching, for many people, is in part about finding new ways to overcome oppressive societal forces, than it is about overcoming what is personally “wrong” with them. Therefore, we may determine that the focus of our coaching together will be about investigating the ways social oppression has affected you. And then, when the time is right, we’ll move to help you stand up against injustice, and achieve your full potential in opposition of the societal forces that attempt to hold you back.
Past clients and colleagues have described my style as warm, understanding, and emotionally grounding. I serve as a reliable source of acceptance and support, so that you can feel safe to explore new ideas and experiment with new behaviors in and out of coaching.
Mindfulness focused: My 17 years of study and practice of mindfulness techniques deeply informs my work in the coaching room. In my view, mindfulness is a practice of living a life of maximum awareness. Mindfulness is also a practice of deliberately living each day in full alignment with our innermost values and aspirations, as a means of caring for ourself and for other people.
Relationship focused: I emphasis the importance of developing socio-emotional capacities in order to help clients improve their relationships. I believe that all successes and failures in life are at least partially related to a person’s ability to effectively manage relationships. If you can interrelate well with others, and not let unresolved pains from past relationships weigh you down, you will vastly improve your ability to reach goals in all areas of your life.
