Multiple Perspectives and Multiple Truths: Challenges and Opportunities for Professional Coaches

At yet another level, Joshua is vaguely aware of an ironic tension between his own feminine (anima) and masculine (animus) sources of energy. As a psychotherapist working often with young men and women who are struggling with their own feminine and masculine identity, Joshua is fully cognizant of the dynamic interplay between the male and female in each of us. With regard to his own psyche, Joshua senses that his long career as a therapist appealed mostly to his nurturing, feminine side.

This side of Joshua is also apparent in his commitment to the welfare of his Fairhills clients and in his underlying frustration (and often anger) regarding the lack of care these clients often have received from their mothers (and fathers). When confronted with the seemingly never-ending onslaught of governmental regulations at Fairhills, Joshua finds energy and renewed commitment by spending some time with his clients and with the remarkable men and women he supervises who choose to work (at low wages) with these damaged adolescents.

The irony resides in the fact that Joshua must return to his office and set aside this feminine energy, focusing on the traditionally masculine task of running the organization. When being perfectly candid with himself, Joshua acknowledges that he also finds energy in performing these administrative tasks, solving organizational problems, and finding ways to make a strong case for services being offered by Fairhills when seeking renewed (and hopefully increased) government support for his programs.

Joshua will even admit to gaining some masculine ego gratification from now being king-of-the-hill and from being acknowledged in his city as an innovative human service provider. On the one hand, this double source of energy keeps Joshua going through very difficult and challenging times. On the other hand, these two sources of energy often seem to bump into one another and create a “perfect storm” in Joshua’s psyche—leading him to confusion, fatigue and even some depression (and potential drug abuse).