About Carolyn

I have spent a lifetime helping individuals, couples, and teams find the best path for reaching their next level.

Carolyn Ingram

Photo credit: Hannah Hindley

My career path began as a Spanish Bilingual Teacher in San Francisco, where I discovered the joy of helping children make breakthroughs in awareness and growth. Seeing that I was more interested in human potential than in education, I completed a doctorate in Counseling Psychology. My training includes Psychosynthesis, Gestalt, Jungian, Cognitive Behavioral, Family Systems, EMDR, and, recently, Polyvagal Theory. I wrote my dissertation on Adult Children of Alcoholics, the first population with whom I worked.

After a two-decade career as a private practice therapist, I shifted my focus from the important work of healing the past to helping people move toward their chosen future. Certified by The Academy for Coaching Excellence (ACE) , I joined the faculty, teaching Coaching and Ethics, and served as a mentor coach for coaches in training. I am also credentialed by the ICF as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). 

As a constant seeker of new tools for personal and professional development, I started a deep dive into the Enneagram and have achieved Professional Certification by CP Enneagram Academy, as well as Level II Certification by Integrative9. The Enneagram is core to my work because of its potential for self-discovery, nuanced perspectives, and goal-oriented applications.  I use the iEQ9 Enneagram assessment in my coaching with individuals, couples, leaders, and teams. It integrates beautifully with the tools from ACE and my background in psychology.

I have also co-authored two self-help books, Have You Ever Been a Child? and The Not-So-Scary Breast Cancer Book.

As an advocate for a full and balanced life, I am a published poet, an avid hiker, and an amateur photographer (which links up well with being a wildflower geek). I recently resumed playing tennis after several decades off, too.

Frameworks I use

  • The Enneagram (Integrative9 and CP Enneagram Academy)

  • Ontological coaching model (Academy for Coaching Excellence)

  • Transpersonal Psychology (Psychosynthesis)

Credentials

  • Doctorate in Counseling Psychology

  • Licensed Psychologist, #PSY9796

  • Academy for Coaching Excellence Accredited Coach 

  • International Coaching Federation (ICF) PCC Accreditation

  • Integrative9 Level 2 iEQ9 -  for individuals and teams

  • CP Enneagram Academy Professional and Personal Track Certifications

FAQs

  • After 20 years as a therapist, I started referring new clients to others, and truly enjoyed working with long term clients who had largely healed from childhood, trauma, depression, anxiety, but still wanted guidance and accountability as they looked toward their futures.

  • The difference between therapy and coaching is that therapy is healing the past, and coaching is starting where you are now and moving toward the future. Of course, there are overlaps.

  • It integrates well with my overarching belief in how much potential we humans have, and how this potential can be realized if we stop energizing our blocks and old habits, and start energizing our deepest life’s callings with support to reach desired outcomes.

    • Anyone interested in exploring their next calling, whether they know what it is, need support to discover or uncover it, or move it from potential to reality

    • Consultants and leaders who want to maintain and sustain their careers, without burning out

    • People who know they need to bring mindfulness and awareness to their lives to create positive shifts for work and personal well-being

    • Creative people who want to be more productive in doing what they love: writing, art, music, and beyond

    • People who could use support in navigating a life transition

    • Couples in search of more understanding and fulfillment in their relationship

    • Leaders seeking coaching external to their workplace

    • School district leadership teams

    • People who know their Enneagram types, and want support on their growth path

    • People who are curious about their Enneagram type and how it can support growth

  • I’d been writing poetry my whole life, but neglectfully and sporadically. My coach training program led me to create a whole new perspective on my life as a writer, and to build a robust writing practice, with accountability and a goal of submitting to small literary journals. To be a good coach, I needed to practice and utilize all the tools I use with clients.