Dorothy Firman is a licensed mental health counselor in Massachusetts. She offers psychotherapy services for people seeking to understand their lives, while learning to live more deeply in tune with their inner wisdom and truth. Dorothy is also certified in hypnotherapy, has training in Gestalt and Transactional Analysis, as well as being an ACES certified supervisor. Psychosynthesis is the psychological framework upon which her work is founded. The work done in psychotherapy includes healing the past, connecting with spirit and living in the present in a meaningful and effective way. Didi works with individuals and couples and works on a sliding scale. She has had over thirty years of experience in the field, working as a psychotherapist, as a trainer and supervisor, as a professor of psychology and as a coach and consultant. The combined experience of this work, over many years, has made her a seasoned and well rounded psychotherapist. Click here to read an article she wrote about psychosynthesis and psychotherapy from Counseling in a Complex Society. For more information, contact her at 413-256-3020 or e-mail for more information on counseling services.

Taking Time For Me: A Personal Coaching Opportunity

What is Coaching?

“A recent development on the personal development genre is the emergence of life coaching. Life coaching can be broadly defined as a collaborative solution-focused, result-oriented and systemic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of life experience and goal attainment in the personal and/or professional life of normal, nonclinical clients” (Grant, 2003, p.254).

(Grant, A.M. (2003). The impact of life coaching on goal attainment, metacognition and mental health. Social behavior and personality. 31(3), 253-263.)

The field of coaching, variously referred to as personal coaching, life coaching or in business, executive coaching, has emerged strongly since 1998.  Its application extends to a wide variety of client populations.

Taking Time for Me: Personal Empowerment Coaching

Dorothy's (Didi) coaching is designed to promote autonomy, better communication skills, self-esteem, and clarity about life’s purpose, meaning and values. Dr. Firman has been a spiritually-oriented psychotherapist in private practice for over thirty years and is now, for the first time, offering her coaching and educational process on-line to people interested in moving deeper into the understanding of who they are and who they want to be.

The coaching process involves a 10 session commitment that starts with the articulation of specific goals by the client, moves through a variety of exercises, on-line conversations, and “homework” assignments, and ends with a plan in progress for meeting goals and continuing the process of personal and spiritual growth that has begun in the coaching sessions. 

“Taking Time For Me” requires a commitment by the client of approximately 20 hours, over a five to ten week period. By that time, desired changes will begin to become habits, plans and strategies that have momentum and create a sense of accomplishment and reward by their very action. These changes become the basis for lifestyle improvement, increase of personal wellbeing and a sense of empowerment.



The cost of “Taking Time For Me” is on a sliding scale from $1500.00- $1000.00 and includes ten 30 minute sessions with Dr. Firman (via email or phone or both), as well as Didi's construction of personal exercises and homework assignments for the client and e-mail responses to those. Payment can be made via check or credit card.  To begin, contact Didi at: dfirman@comcast.net. Please put “coaching” in the subject box. You may also call her at 413-256-3020.

 Who will benefit from “Taking Time for Me?”

Counseling and Coaching: What's the difference?

There are significant differences between the field of counseling (psychotherapy, psychology) and the field of coaching and these differences define why an individual would choose one or the other. 

• Counseling addresses issues that span the whole spectrum of psychological need, from family of origin issues, trauma and psychological wounding to issues in present time in all areas of life, to issues of future orientation. 

• Counseling may be long term, depending on the need.

• Counseling may focus on the client’s express need for deepening self-awareness and a general desire to explore the inner and outer reaches of their own human nature.

• Counseling is done face to face in hour-long sessions.

• Coaching focuses more distinctly on the creation and manifestation of specific goals. Like the sports coach, from which this field has emerged, there is a desired outcome that is articulated and worked towards.

• Coaching does not orient itself towards issues from the past, though might reference those if they present as blocks to current goals.

• Coaching will typically be short-term.

• Coaching will not be appropriate for people struggling with deeper psychological issues, people needing trauma work. It has been said that coaching is for “the worried well” Another way to frame the intention of coaching is that it is for the goal-directed person.

• Coaching is done by telephone, email or face to face in 30 minute sessions, with an emphasis on “support” work done by the client outside of sessions.

Self Exploration

WHO AM I? Take a moment to explore yourself with a classic psychosynthesis exercise. Working towards self-awareness is a key aspect of both psychotherapy and coaching. Enjoy the journey!