Depth Meets Precision

Nick Furnari, MA Doctoral Candidate

I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. My clinical background is rooted in psychodynamic theory and its practical application, with extensive experience in integrating emotional and behavioral approaches to treatment.

This site was born out of an initial request from colleagues who recognized the need for specialized training in applying integrative methods to obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Their feedback and encouragement inspired me to develop this branch of my clinical work into a structured training community.

My mission is to honor both clients and clinicians by providing training that reflects the most current research, clinical strategies, and application tools. I am committed to equipping therapists with approaches that not only reduce suffering but also foster deeper healing, resilience, and professional confidence.

San Diego Life Coach

Frequently Asked Questions

Coaching is typically described as an interactive experience where individuals discover their goals and passions and use them to help you travel down a path to the life you want. This is not my belief. In fact, I hesitate to refer to myself as a coach for this reason. Branding oneself as a coach implies that that individual has knowledge that the common public is not privy to. I believe each of our healing and contentment is unique to us and therefore no one is a better expert on what makes them thrive than themselves. My only prerequisite for being a coach is continuing to be on the path of healing myself. Let’s connect and see what that journey means for you.

Our sessions are 100% confidential. As someone immersed in my education toward a Doctoral degree in psychology, you can trust that confidentiality is of utmost importance to me.

Session cost varies according to your needs. I offer intensive sessions up to 4 hours in length for those who wish to tackle issues as quickly as possible. On average, my fees start at $200 per hour, but are negotiable. We can also discuss various monthly plans for those interested in longer term relationship.

Payment is quite flexible. Preferred method is through cash or check. Payment may also be made using a secure platform such as Zelle.

Training & Background

My primary research interests center on OCD, treatment resistance, and integrative emotional-behavioral methods. My clinical work draws from psychodynamic theory, ISTDP, and exposure-based interventions. I have presented internationally on effective therapeutic interventions for treatment-resistant populations and mechanisms of lasting change. I have held professorship roles and independent teaching and training roles in multiple sectors related to psychotherapy integration.

Clinical Orientation & Framework

My clinical orientation is grounded in phenomenological, psychodynamic and psychoanalytic traditions, with advanced training in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and related affect-focused approaches. This foundation emphasizes the role of non-conscious emotional processes, attachment patterns, and internalized relational dynamics in the formation and maintenance of symptoms.

My approach is relational, experiential, and integrative: designed to help clients confront avoided emotions, unlearn maladaptive defensive strategies, and build new capacities for freedom and flourishing.

Symptoms are not meaningless. They are fully coherent strategies kept in place by non-conscious neurological imprints from early relationships. Seen this way, symptoms are humanized and honored as vital messengers of underlying material to be worked through for transformation. 

Mission & Values as a Trainer

I see clinical training not as a one-directional transfer of knowledge, but as a collaborative community of learning. Each of us—no matter our stage in clinical practice—is continually refining our capacity to sit with complexity, face clinical challenges, and grow.

My mission as a trainer is to create a space where therapists feel both challenged and supported: challenged to expand their clinical edges, and supported in developing the confidence and clarity to meet them. I value humility, curiosity, and authenticity in the training process and aim to display these values consistently. I believe the best learning happens when we are willing to be transparent about our struggles and open to feedback. I believe we each have something to teach one another.

At its heart, this training community is about becoming better together—for our clients, for ourselves, and for the larger field of psychotherapy.

Get in Touch

Step into a training community where clinicians learn, grow, and refine their craft together. This program integrates psychodynamic, behavioral, and experiential methods to help you navigate clinical impasses, strengthen therapeutic presence, and expand your capacity to care for clients.

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