Problem-Solving, Counseling & Self-Inquiry

with Jonathan Eric Labman, M.A.

Helping You to Be You
At a basic level, human beings struggle with being human and often have difficulties coping with life.  This struggle can surface in your life as: anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, career problems, substance abuse or addiction, “coming out issues” or financial troubles.  Prejudice because of: race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, appearance and other things also have their harmful effects on people, and are often internalized by you as a series of negative messages about who you are.  In large measure, your human problems are created by false assumptions about yourself and the world. Usually these assumptions are learned from others (prejudiced or not), and sometimes you invent them yourself.  These assumptions can wreak havoc within your own psyche and in your interpersonal communications.

Counseling, psychotherapy and mentoring all describe interactive processes that can help you cope with your own struggles and issues.  These processes will help you to get to the root cause of things, which always have to do with whether your assumptions about yourself and the world are true or not. 

My approach as a counselor is not to see you as “ill”, but rather to see you as a human being with certain imbalances based on the false assumptions that you’ve learned about yourself and the world.  We will work together through a dialog that helps you uncover the truth about yourself: your real feelings, your thoughts, the influence of your history on your current life, and what your personality is like.  We will look at your entire life: physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual, to assess whether you are functioning at your optimum, and if not, how you might move toward balance and integration.

Mentoring is a subspecialty that I practice, related to spirituality and “waking up.” In the mentoring work that I do, I assist you into a condition that might be called “radical awakening” or “waking up.” I can only “see” as far as I have gone, but I am always going further in my own process, in order to help you to move further in yours.  The condition of “awakeness” is not something that is simply mythical, nor is it to be confused with a constant state of bliss or perfection…it is an ongoing and ultimately complete shedding of false assumptions, lies and illusions, in order to come to the simplest truth about being human in the world.  To summarize what I know of that truth, one could say: “I am” is all that I can actually know. 

How Can I Help You?
My work integrates the extensive and multi-faceted education that I have (summarized below), and brings it to bear on helping you to empower yourself. I act as your guide through the process of self-inquiry, which will help you discover the truth of who you are. Some people want the self-inquiry to stop at making their life easier to live. Others want to go all the way to the radical shift in awareness and perspective that is called awakening. The choice is yours.

Through pointed interactions with you about your life, I can help you to find your own truth and solve your current life problems through a counseling or psychotherapeutic alliance.  This alliance generally lasts for a minimum of one year, (with weekly sessions being required for at least the first six months), but some people have been doing ongoing work with me for as many as six years.  If your day-to-day life is running smoothly, but you are hungry for a spiritual life and your own experience of awakening, I can work with you as a mentor to clarify what awakening means. In both approaches, I sometimes use meditation as a form of self-inquiry (and will teach you how to meditate), and frequently assign experiential homework that will help you to make practical changes.

In these processes, asking the right questions can help to produce quick shifts and openings in your life. I've spent 18 years helping people to wake up and be themselves, the last 8 of those as a counselor, psychotherapist and mentor. I work with people in my private Lambertville, NJ office, and by telephone.  Real time interactive web-cam sessions may also become available in the near future.

Our conversations and investigations will point you to the answers that are truest for you. I won't give you the answers, however. I will ask you pointed and incisive questions that will cut through your habitual thought patterns and help you discover the truth about your own nature.

Educational Credentials:

• B.A. in English and Bible from Covenant College (1978),
• License in Massage Therapy from the Swedish Institute in New York (1992)
• Courses in Rehabilitation Counseling (Master’s degree program) at New York University (1994)
• 3-Year Certification in Psychic Awareness and Energetic Healing (1998)
• Master's Degree with a concentration in Counseling Psychology from Vermont College (2000), and
• 500 Hour Certification in Yoga Teacher Training (RYT with Yoga Alliance 2001) in New Hope, PA.

I can work with you individually by phone or in person. I also meet with couples, and small business colleagues in my Lambertville, New Jersey office or at business locations (by request). In addition, I teach ongoing groups and classes in meditation and awakening. Inquiries about this special work are welcome.

Fees: 
My normal fee is $110 (U.S.) per 55-minute session.

• A sliding scale fee is available for those who commit to weekly sessions. If you move to bi-weekly or monthly sessions, your rate will increase.
• My fee is based on a percentage of your household’s gross annual income. For example, if you make $60,000 per year or less, you pay $60 per session, which is my lowest rate for adults.  If you make $80,000 per year, you pay $80.  If you make $110,000 per year or more, you pay my highest rate of $110 per session.  
• Full-time, self-supporting students pay only $40 per hour. 
• Businesses pay $110 for an individual session or $200 for a group session, plus transportation expenses if you request an on-site visit.

All are welcome regardless of: race, creed, nationality, religion, spiritual affiliation, or sexual orientation.  

You can reach me by e-mail or by phone at 215-630-0528.

I look forward to meeting you….


Jonathan Labman