Integral Psychotherapy
Integral Psychotherapy
Doug Goldschmidt MA, MSW, PhD
Doug Goldschmidt MA, MSW, PhD
Doug Goldschmidt has been practicing psychotherapy since 1997. His clinical work is grounded in the Buddhist theory of the mind that emphasizes the importance of clear observation of one’s present experience without relying on conditioned thinking or behavior, the importance of compassion in working with others, and the central function of spiritual practice in all activities. Doug has worked to integrate Buddhist theory with other contemporary psychotherapy practices particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Motion Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Clinical Hypnosis.
Prior to 1997, Doug was a telecommunications economist with a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School. He worked internationally in South American, Asia, and Ireland in the development of innovative communications systems.
During a sabbatical from this career, Doug participated in several extensive meditation retreats as well as formal in-depth studies of Buddhist psychology. From his personal experiential growth and understanding, Doug found that formal mindfulness meditations allows one to observe how mental images and emotions arise and fall to reveal an inherent impermanence. By neither judging nor attaching to these images and emotions, it became possible to observe what was happening in the present moment without reactivity or reference to what happened before (memories of the past) or to what might happen in the future.
Freed from a fixed, conditioned sense of what thoughts and emotions mean, experiences could have greater potential for Inner peace, clearer observation, more skillful judgments, equanimity and compassion. Although these insights were common fruits of deep meditative practices and reflection, they became a personal directive for Doug to transition professionally into combining psychotherapy with Buddhist theory and practice.
Doug earned a Masters of Social Work from NYU in 1997. As a psychotherapist, he has continued his studies and has earned certifications in EMDR, Clinical Hypnosis, and Child Psychotherapy. His extensive training includes treating trauma (particularly sexual trauma), sexuality, anxiety, substance abuse, geriatrics, and integration of physical and mental health care. His clinical work has included individual, couples, and group therapy within this broad range of psychological issues for individuals ranging from 4 to 85 years old.
Over the course of this career as a therapist, he also used skills from his previous career to manage a series of mental health clinics in western Massachusetts and Central New York. In three community health clinics, he helped to develop programs that integrated mental and physical healthcare, a personal goal in his own approach to serving clients.
He provides therapy in both English and Spanish.