Joe's Q&A

We can often be very curious and want to have more information. It is possible that you would ask me for more information concerning myself, Psychology and Coaching. Here are some helpful resources.

• JOE Qs
  • What are Joe’s academic credentials?
    Dr. Joe DeBruin holds an M.A. in counseling psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington. Joe completed an American Psychological Association approved clinical internship at the Arkansas State Hospital.
  • What are Joe’s professional clinical credentials?
    Dr. Joe DeBruin is a licensed psychologist in California (License #21895). Joe operates a therapy practice on the central coast of California providing cognitive behavioral treatment for adults suffering from depression and anxiety. Joe also maintains an online coaching practice that focuses on encouragement, inspiration, and structured accountability for everyone from surgeons and professors to athletes and CEO’s. Joe has provided over 25,000 psychotherapy and coaching sessions starting in 1993.
  • What are Joe’s professional forensic credentials?
    Dr. Joe DeBruin is currently a consulting forensic psychologist with the California Department of State Hospitals. Joe has formally qualified as an expert witness in dozens of counties in California and has testified as an expert witness in front of judges or juries approximately 600 times. He has conducted and written over 2000 forensic psychological evaluations. Joe is passionate about arguing opinions in court based on mainstream scientific data and knowledge.
  • What are the twelve words that describe Joe?
    Passionate, Vulnerable, Resilient, Loyal, Funny, God-Loving, Empathic, Trustworthy, Nonconforming, Honest, Creative, Pragmatic.
  • What are Joe’s life goals?
    Live to age 85. Encourage and inspire as many people as possible. Stay married his whole adult life and have a loving, passionate, sensual, healthy marriage. Travel all over the world with his wife Camille. Retire at age 84.5. Have an awesome relationship with his three children throughout their adulthood and be an active, supportive, and non-meddling grandparent. Collect lots of friends. Listen to as much music as humanly possible. Not only be capable of writing a phenomenal intellectual essay on the grace of God but have that grace be a daily emotional experience.
• PSYCHOLOGY Qs
  • What are the basic components of your training as a psychologist?
    Every psychologist undergoes the following parts of their training: dozens of academic courses, practicums (specialized training at various clinics or hospitals), doctoral dissertation (multi-year original research involving theoretical formulation, data collection, data analysis, and summation of results), and internship (additional broad clinical training usually at a hospital).
  • What are the academic courses that are part of the doctoral training of a clinical psychologist?
    They include but are not limited to the following: social psychology, developmental psychology, psychopathology, intellectual and personality assessment, ethical and legal practice of psychology, physiological psychology, research design, statistics, history of psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, psychometrics and test construction, medical psychology, humanistic interventions, family psychology, cognitive-behavioral interventions, personality psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, multicultural psychology, psychopharmacology, and psychodynamic interventions.
  • What is a clinical psychologist?
    A psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of people with mental illness or emotional/behavioral disorders. They integrate science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective wellbeing and personal development.
  • What is a forensic psychologist?
    A clinical psychologist who applies psychological knowledge and methods to both criminal and civil legal questions. The most frequent duty of forensic psychologists is the psychological assessment of individuals who are involved in one way or another with the legal system.
• COACHING Qs
  • What is the difference between coaching and therapy?

    Therapy is often a long-term treatment process aimed at facilitating healing/change regarding trauma or various kinds of pathology (psychological disorders). Coaching is a professional relationship that tends to be more short-term and is oriented around facilitating and supporting personal and/or professional growth.

    Therapy is diagnosis-based and is aimed at helping you solve personal flaws, problems, and deficits. Coaching is meant to help a person clarify goals, identify obstacles, and create action plans.

    Therapy is provided by a licensed healthcare professional. Coaching doesn’t require a license.

    Therapy usually involves utilization of a patient’s healthcare insurance and partial payments from the patient. Coaching only requires direct payment from the client.

  • Are there specific issues that you don’t deal with in your coaching practice?
    Addiction, focus on pathology or trauma.
  • Describe Joe’s ideal coaching client?
    A goal-oriented individual who wants help to get where they wish to be. A person solid enough to be okay with being pushed and prodded in the context of a caring and supportive relationship. A potential lifelong learner needing help with work-life balance, lifestyle modification, communication skills, financial independence/security, business planning, career plans, and personal or professional goals.
  • What are the actual components of Joe’s coaching?
    Listening, teaching, reframing, alternative perspective making, strength assessment, challenge, self disclosure, encouragement, humor, stories, metaphors, referral to external resources (books, podcasts, music, movies), utilization of resources (assignments, tools), and accountability.
  • Does Joe offer coaching online?
    Yes, via Zoom, Facetime, or WhatsApp.
  • How does Payment occur for coaching?
    Via Paypal, Venmo or by Credit/Debit card through the payment form on this website which can here found HERE.