Part III: Depth Psychology Coaching · 40 hours
Coach the Patterns Under the Patterns
The depth most programs never teach: shadow, archetype, and meaning as coaching awareness lenses.
The Pattern Under the Pattern
A client knows exactly what they want. They have the plan, the calendar, the accountability partner. And still they stall the promotion, repeat the same argument, circle the same wall for years. The thing in their way was never on the surface.
Strengths and goals take a client only so far. Underneath sits the disowned material that drives self-sabotage, the roles a person plays without choosing them, and the meaning they are reaching for but cannot yet name. Most coach training never reaches that layer, so the work plateaus and neither coach nor client knows why.
Depth Psychology Coaching gives you the language and the moves to work there, as a coach, with a clear ethical line.
The Acorn and the Oak
Inside Every Acorn Is an Oak It Already Knows How to Become
The blueprint is already there. What decides whether an acorn reaches its full height is the soil, the light, and the shade around it.
People are no different. The patterns a client circles but cannot name, the material just beneath the surface, are the conditions that shape how they grow. Depth Psychology Coaching is the work of tending those conditions, so what is already patterned in a person can reach its full height.
You will learn to recognize that material and work with it as a coach, with clear boundaries.
The Six Elements of the Oak
A way to read a whole person, above the ground and below it.
AcornPotentialThe blueprint a person already carries, waiting for the conditions to grow.
SoilEnvironmentThe relationships, demands, and culture that feed growth or starve it.
RootsThe unconscious and shadowThe disowned material doing its work out of sight, where self-sabotage begins.
RingsHistoryThe seasons already lived, the patterns laid down year over year.
BranchesLife pathsThe directions a person has taken, and the ones still open to them.
SunlightMeaningWhat a client reaches toward, the meaning that pulls growth upward.
What You Will Learn
The Oak is the map. The course goes further, into forty hours of depth taught as coaching awareness, never as clinical practice.
The shadow
Shadow as an Awareness Lens
Recognize the disowned material that drives self-sabotage, and reflect it back to a client without interpreting or diagnosing.
Archetype
Archetypal Patterns
The recurring roles and stories people live inside, and how naming them opens new room to move.
Meaning
The Search for Meaning
Built on the depth positive psychology of Dr. Paul Wong: working with the meaning a client is reaching for but cannot yet say.
Subpersonalities
Parts and Inner Conflict
How to work with the competing voices, the parts, inside a person. This is parts work, the lineage of psychosynthesis and Internal Family Systems, held as a coaching awareness lens.
Boundaries
Scope, Ethics, and Referral
The clear line between depth-informed coaching and therapy: when to reflect, when to pause, and when to refer.
Integration
Bringing It into a Session
How to hold depth material safely inside a structured coaching conversation, with annotated demonstrations.
Why the tree
The Oak Comes from Jung
Trees were, to Carl Jung, “direct embodiments of the incomprehensible meaning of life.”
The Oak is not decoration. In his essay The Philosophical Tree, Jung read the tree as the central image of how a person grows: a natural process that unfolds slowly and on its own, the crown climbing toward consciousness and meaning while the roots run down into the unconscious. We do not engineer that growth; we cooperate with it. And the treasure Jung placed at the end of the work, becoming who you already are, is hidden in the roots, at the depths of the psyche. Depth Psychology Coaching works with the whole image: the height a client is reaching for, and the roots where the real movement begins.
Source: C. G. Jung, “The Philosophical Tree,” Collected Works Vol. 13.
The Thinkers Behind the Method
Depth Psychology Coaching is not one person’s invention. It stands on a century of work on what moves beneath the surface, translated into coaching practice and held within scope.
Carl Jung
Shadow, Archetype, Individuation
The core lens: the disowned material that drives self-sabotage, the recurring roles people live inside, and growth as a natural process, the philosophical tree.
Roberto Assagioli
Psychosynthesis and Parts
The inner orchestra of subpersonalities, and how to help a client step back and lead the competing voices inside them. It is the parts-work lineage that Internal Family Systems later carried into the mainstream.
Viktor Frankl
Meaning and Tragic Optimism
Suffering as a doorway to significance, and a search for meaning that holds difficulty without looking away.
Paul Wong
Depth Positive Psychology
The bridge from strengths and flourishing into the second-wave work that takes meaning and the hard parts of a life seriously.
James Hillman
The Living Image
Archetypal psychology and the art of staying with an image, working with metaphor rather than explaining it away.
Abraham Maslow
Self-Actualization and Peak Experience
The drive to become all one can be, the higher reaches of human nature, and the peak experiences that mark a person growing into their full height.
Inside the Course: Twelve Modules
Forty hours across twelve sessions. Each one is teaching, a live demonstration, and paired practice, with a written reflection in between. Every module holds the same boundary: depth as coaching awareness, never clinical method.
01
The Ego-Self axis and the alchemical vessel
Build the trustworthy container that makes depth work safe, and the relationship between the everyday self and the larger self.
02
Suffering, meaning, and depth positive psychology
The meaning side of flourishing, built on the work of Dr. Paul Wong, and how to work with what a client reaches for.
03
Disidentification and the inner orchestra
The competing voices, the parts, inside a person, from the psychosynthesis and Internal Family Systems lineage of parts work, and how to help a client step back and lead them.
04
Persona, life cycle, senex and puer
The masks we wear, and the pull between the old and the young inside us, read across the seasons of a life.
05
Shadow work and somatic tracking
Recognize disowned material as it surfaces, and track the body signals that show where it lives, within scope.
06
Alchemy, symptoms, and the living image
Read a symptom or recurring image as information, and work with it as metaphor rather than diagnosis.
07
Projections and the magical other
What clients place onto partners, bosses, and mentors, and how to bring it back into their own hands.
08
Dreamwork and embodied imagination
Use image and metaphor inside a structured coaching conversation, without interpreting the psyche.
09
Autonomous complexes and historical hauntings
The charged patterns that take over a person under stress, and how naming them loosens their grip.
10
Synchronicity and the world soul
Meaningful coincidence as a source of insight, held lightly and ethically inside coaching.
11
The wounded healer, ethics, and referral
The dynamic between a coach’s own wounds and the work, and exactly when to pause and refer.
12
Individuation, synthesis, and practice integration
Bring it all into a coherent, whole-person practice you can use with your next client.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Recognize shadow, persona, projection, and complex as they surface in a session, and reflect them back rather than interpret.
- Work with image, metaphor, and meaning inside a structured coaching conversation.
- Track somatic and embodied signals within scope, and ground a client when needed.
- Hold a clear ethical line, including the wounded-healer dynamic, and refer when material moves beyond coaching.
- Integrate depth awareness into a coherent, whole-person coaching practice.
What It Looks Like in a Session
A client has the promotion in reach and keeps missing the one step that would land it. The plan is sound. The calendar is clear. And still nothing moves.
A behavioral coach works the plan harder. A depth-aware coach listens for the pattern underneath: the part of the client that keeps them small to keep them safe, the old role they are still playing, and the meaning they have attached to being chosen. The coach reflects what they hear, without interpreting or diagnosing, and the client recognizes it. That recognition is where movement starts.
Every move stays inside coaching. You reflect a pattern; you do not analyze a psyche. You evoke awareness; you do not treat. And when material runs deeper than coaching should go, you know the line and you refer. That boundary is taught in every module, with a clear referral protocol.
Live this cohort only
The July Cohort of Depth Psychology Coaching Is Live
Join weekly live sessions every Thursday at 6:00 PM ET, from July 2 through the end of September, 2026. This is the only live cohort of the course. After this cohort, it is offered on-demand only. Depth Psychology is designed as an asynchronous course, so this cohort is recorded live and your hours count whether you attend live or watch later. If you want to start now, join even if you can only make a handful of sessions live and complete the rest at your own pace.
The live room is capped at 30 to keep it intimate; only the live seats are limited, and on-demand enrollment stays open. Only 19 live seats remain.
Who It Is For
- Experienced coaches ready to work below the surface, with clear ethical scope.
- Helping professionals who keep meeting the patterns beneath a client’s stated goal.
- Coaches pursuing the Board Certified Coach credential who want advanced, recognized hours.
- Practitioners drawn to depth and meaning, who want method rather than mystique.
Your Enrollment Includes the AI Daimon
An expert coaching mentor trained on the founder’s own body of knowledge, on call through your studies. Ask it how to recognize shadow material, hold a boundary, or structure a depth-aware session. Your enrollment also includes Paycheck to Profits, the Coach’s Blueprint for a Profitable Practice, never sold separately.
The AI Daimon is offered to support your learning and is not a substitute for professional or clinical advice. Fair-use limits apply.
What Your Enrollment Includes
Live and on-demand
Forty Hours, Twelve Modules
The full live cohort this July, recorded as it runs, plus on-demand access, so your hours count whether you attend live or watch later.
Practice
Workbooks and Reflections
A weekly written reflection, paired practice, and annotated demonstrations that show depth work held inside a coaching conversation.
Mentor
The AI Daimon
An expert coaching mentor on call through the course, trained on the founder’s body of knowledge, with reflective prompts between sessions.
Business
Paycheck to Profits
The Coach’s Blueprint for a Profitable Practice, included with your enrollment and never sold separately.
Credit
Forty Hours of CCE
Continuing education suitable for the BCC, with a certificate of completion documenting your hours. ICF CCE hours forthcoming.
Guarantee
100% Refund Policy
Enroll with confidence. If the course is not the right fit, contact us within your first week for a full refund.
Part of something larger
Stands Alone, or Completes the Whole
Depth Psychology Coaching is advanced continuing education in its own right, suitable for your BCC continuing-education requirements, and soon carrying forty ICF Continuing Coach Education hours. It is also Part Three of the Whole Person Coaching Certification, the 140-hour pathway toward the Board Certified Coach credential. Every hour you complete here counts toward it.
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Compare Your Paths
Take one course, or the full certification. Here is what each includes, and who it suits.
| Foundations$1,495 | Positive Psychology$1,995 | Depth Psychology$1,995 | Full Certification$3,995 · best value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course hours | 60 | 40 | 40 | 140 |
| The craft of coaching (Foundations) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Positive psychology and the Sailboat | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Depth psychology and the Oak | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Daimon, through your studies | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paycheck to Profits | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BCC Exam Prep Course | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI for Coaching, 12-month program | add $995 | add $995 | add $995 | ✓ |
| Integration capstone and full BCC pathway | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ideal for | New to coaching | Adding the science of flourishing | Experienced coaches going deeper | Anyone serious about the BCC credential |
Enroll in Depth Psychology Coaching
Regular price $2,495
$1,995
Introductory price · one-time · includes the live July cohort
Enroll Now
Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. A monthly payment plan is available at checkout.
Questions, Answered
Is this therapy?
No. Depth, shadow, and archetype are taught as coaching awareness lenses, never as diagnosis or treatment. A clear ethics and referral spine runs throughout, including exactly when to pause and refer.
Do I need coaching experience?
This course works below the surface, so it suits coaches and helping professionals who already have a foundation. If you are newer, the Whole Person Coaching Certification builds you up to it through its Foundations course.
What is the live cohort?
This is the only live cohort of Depth Psychology Coaching: weekly sessions every Thursday at 6:00 PM ET, from July 2 through the end of September, 2026. Live seats are capped at 30 to keep the room intimate; the cap applies to the live room only, and on-demand enrollment is unlimited. You may enroll any time. After this cohort, the course is available on-demand. This is the only time it will ever be taught live; the course is designed to be asynchronous, the sessions are recorded, and your hours count whether you attend live or watch later. If you want to start now, join even if you can only make a handful of sessions live and complete the rest at your own pace.
How does this relate to the BCC?
It stands alone as advanced continuing education and is Part Three of the Whole Person Coaching Certification, the complete 140-hour training pathway toward the credential. The only degree the BCC requires is a bachelor’s, set by the credentialing body, not by us. If you already hold a master’s in a related field, including an MBA, the BCC asks for fewer training hours, so Foundations of Coaching alone may qualify you. It also requires coach-specific training, documented experience, and passing the BCC examination; review the official BCC requirements.
Does this count as continuing education for the BCC?
Here is the honest answer. We are not yet a BCC-approved provider; the program is in the accreditation process with the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). Depth Psychology Coaching stands on its own as a full 40 hours of advanced coaching education, built to the Board Certified Coach continuing education requirements. If you are already a Board Certified Coach, you can apply these hours as Continuing Coach Education (CCE) toward maintaining your credential, provided they meet the criteria the BCC accepts as CCE. See what qualifies on the official BCC page. You receive a certificate of completion documenting the hours, and ICF CCE hours are forthcoming.
What is the weekly time commitment?
The only part of the week set at a fixed time is the live session on Thursday evening. Around it, plan on a few hours for viewing, reading, reflection, and paired practice that you complete whenever it fits your week.
If you cannot attend live, you can still take part fully. Each session recording is posted by the Saturday morning after the live session, two days later, so you keep pace with the first cohort on your own schedule and earn the same credit. Office Hours run every other week, and you are welcome there whether or not you made the live session.
How will I use this with clients?
You coach with a depth-informed ear: hearing the pattern under the goal, working with shadow and archetype as awareness, and holding meaning without crossing into therapy. You practice on real cases throughout, so you leave with moves you can use in your next session, always within coaching scope.
Who teaches this course?
It is taught by the founder of the Positive Psychology Institute, who developed the Whole Person method over fifteen years of research and private practice. The live cohort includes the chance to ask your questions in real time.
Is there a payment plan?
Depth Psychology is a one-time enrollment. Monthly payment plans are available on the full Whole Person Coaching Certification and on the AI for Coaching program.
Is this Internal Family Systems (IFS), or parts work?
It draws on the same lineage. The work on subpersonalities and inner conflict comes from the parts-work tradition, the inner-family model that Roberto Assagioli’s psychosynthesis pioneered and that Internal Family Systems (IFS) later made widely known. You will learn to recognize and work with a client’s parts as a coaching awareness lens. This is not an IFS certification or a therapy training; it is parts-informed coaching, held within scope, with a clear referral line.
Our 100% guaranteed refund policy
Your enrollment is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. If the course is not the right fit, contact us within your first week and we will refund you in full. See our Refund & Cancellation Policies.
P.S. Jung placed the treasure in the roots of the tree, the self a person is already becoming, hidden at the depth. Your clients are carrying it, circling the same wall, waiting for a coach who can work where it actually lives. That is the craft of Depth Psychology Coaching, held as coaching, with a clear line. The July cohort is the only time it will ever be taught live.
Depth Psychology Coaching is an independent program of the Positive Psychology Institute, a division of Unbound Education, Inc. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) or the International Coaching Federation (ICF). BCC credentialing is available only to those who hold at least a bachelor’s degree and additionally requires coach-specific training, documented coaching experience, and passing the BCC examination; review the official BCC requirements. This is a coaching education program, not therapy or clinical training. The live cohort is limited to 30 participants; after this cohort it is offered on-demand. This program is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee within a 7-day window from the date of purchase; after that, enrollment is final. See our Refund & Cancellation Policies. Introductory pricing is available for a limited time and may change without notice. Meet the faculty →