When I graduated from the University of Wisconsin with my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and all of my pre-med course work completed, I applied to and was accepted into the MD/PhD program at Duke University.  Rather than beginning with medical school as was the usual approach, I asked and was allowed to begin with my Ph.D. work in the School of Psychology.

I  loved the study of the mind!   When I completed  my Ph.D. and realized  that my passion was to practice psychotherapy, I decided not to go on to medical school.  I was going to be a “doctor” of the emotional organ of the body!

I moved to Atlanta and joined the teaching faculty of the psychotherapy training program at Georgia State University, then considered the finest psychotherapy program in the country.  Within two years, I went
into full time private practice and created my own form of adult group psychotherapy, called Integrative Psychotherapy: the Damgaard model.

During my years as a practicing psychotherapist, I had many physicians in my practice. I also saw other professionals (attorneys, psychologists, financial planners, etc.), business people from many different industries, celebrities and couples.

In 1993 I opened my own training center to teach my model of group psychotherapy.  I trained over 200 therapists in this method.  It was a very effective process and we had long waiting lists of people wanting to participate. Then managed care entered the scene.

Suddenly,  many of the “perks” of  being a doctor, including autonomy, freedom to choose the optimum approach to a  person’s needs, even a secure financial life were replaced by managed care “oversight”. 
For example, what can you do for someone in three sessions?   We continued to have all of the responsibility for the outcome of the  person’s care but no longer the power to make optimum treatment decisions. There was also a significant increase in paperwork and a 40-50% reduction in fees.  

Many of my friends were physicians and therapists and we all struggled to adjust to this new model.  I watched as the effective change process that I had worked years to create became impossible to do for people who needed insurance.  Integrative Group Psychotherapy was not a three-session method!  I also had issues with the underlying premise that people were broken and needed fixing. I had always thought people were great and just wanted more in their lives.  So...

I decided to transition into coaching and began to focus on creating programs for physicians that would support them having a wonderful life, despite managed care!

My most recent and precious experience with a physician came several years ago when my mother was in her final stages of life and I was having to make difficult decisions about her care.  One more time, a warrior appeared to help guide me through the maize. My mother died peacefully in a hospice setting that was nothing short of angelic.

Being a physician has many rewards, just as being a psychotherapist had.  You get to be a part of a process of seeing someone in pain or near death move out of pain, and regain their strength and their life.  You get to participate in tender moments with families, such as when a child is born or when you are able to give uplifting feedback about their family member. “There is no malignancy.” “The cancer is in remission.”  “The breast reconstruction went beautifully.”  “Your loved one is now pain free.”

As a physician, you also get to enjoy the pleasure of mastering a set of skills and an area of knowledge that is so critical to the well being of others. You come in contact with an enriching variety of people and continue learning interesting information during your entire lifetime. You are viewed with importance, respect and, often, extreme gratitude.

On the other hand, being a physician also means years of hard work in medical training, working long hours under stressful circumstances, being called out in the middle of the night for life/death emergencies, and having to figure out how to balance all of this with the important needs of your family.  It also means having to deliver at times messages like:  “There is nothing more we can do.”  “You have a terminal illness.”  “He did not make it through the surgery.”

I am grateful for the individuals who are willing to take on this awesome responsibility.

I have made it my personal mission as a coach to create programs for physicians that will support having an extraordinary life in every way.  Whether the issue is figuring out how to manage the stress of “too much to do”, learning the business parts of running a successful practice, wanting a more satisfying marriage, finding time for self care, developing optimum communication with children, deepening spiritual experience, marketing a practice more successfully – whatever the area of interest, if I can be of assistance to you in any way, please feel free to contact me.

My company exists to serve YOU.
 

Jacquie Damgaard, Ph.D.

 
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