Depression Coach Certification Training

The Depression & Zest for life coach training and the accompanying book ‘Happiness is Depressing‘ aim to support coaches and therapists to work effectively with this very large and often unrecognized group of people.

New methods and techniques

The training offers coaches and therapists newly developed techniques that are highly effective. This training also aims to give relatives of people with depression (and those who work with this group) insight into the mindset of a gloomy loved one, family member, friend, colleague or client. The latter is crucial for the depressed person and his environment. Learning about the depressive mindset also provides a unique insight into the mental-emotional processes that are essential for understanding zest for life.

10 years of research

The first group of depression coaches already certified in January 2013. The ‘depression and zest for life coaching’ training is taught by NLP Master trainer and neuro-semantics trainer Wassili Zafiris. He developed a holistic method to enable coaches and therapists to work with clients that experience (chronic) gloom. His approach is unique and shines a new light on the genesis of depression and gloom.

Wassili’s method also offers a variety of new techniques for working with clients suffering from depression. He spent 10 years researching depression and was able to uncover surprising new things about how depression comes about, what causes it and how you can work effectively with depression. Wassili has written down his experiences and research in his book Happiness is Depressing (2019, first published in Dutch in 2016).

• A ‘meta-perspective’ on what we ‘currently know’ about happiness and depression, the causes of depression and ways of counseling.
• What the influence of medication is and which ‘regular’ methods are (somewhat) effective at the moment.
• How depression develops.
• What the pitfalls of DSM5 (psychiatry manual) ‘thinking’ are and why this way of diagnosing has major limitations.
• What the relationship is between coaching methods and being able to work effectively with depression.
• How the human mind-body-emotion system works, and how the ‘inner landscape’ specifically is ‘built up’ in a person with depression.
• How to map the inner landscape  of a depressed person.
• Why the pursuit of happiness can trigger and amplify depression.
• You will learn to apply newly developed techniques to work effectively with depression.
• You will be able to ‘surgically’ clarify what the underlying problem is.
• How to change deep seated feelings and emotions.
• To elegantly intervene and change the inner landscape of depression.
• A new and holistic method to facilitate Zest for life.
• How to apply the techniques in other areas than depression.
• How to coach with the highest standards.

The goal of this training is to provide insight into how depression and dejection arise and how a depressive gestalt is constructed and transformed. In addition, you will learn a tried-and-tested and new method to help transform depression into zest for life.

Zest for life specialist

This training is mainly intended to provide coaches and therapists the means to recognize the growing group of ‘depressed’ and ‘dissatisfied’ people and to offer the latest tools to stimulate ‘Zest for life’ within these clients. You will become a Zest for life specialist! Ultimately this could mean that you understand how to facilitate the Zest for life gestalt and focus your practice not solely on depression but on how to facilitate a lasting form of happiness, Zest for life!

By becoming a Zest for life specialist you could offer the highest quality knowledge to anybody ‘wanting to just feel happy‘!

Day 1: The intake

• Our mind, body, emotion system
• The Matrix of Our Mind – Meaning and Reflexivity.
• Layers of meaning and reflexivity.
• What is a Gestalt?
• How are our ‘frames of thought’ made?
• The intake interview as an intervention?
• The intake interview and coaching.

Day 2,3: Loneliness and Depression

• How does loneliness arise?
• Loneliness in the external landscape and in the internal landscape?
• Transforming loneliness.
• Connection and depression.
• Repairing problematic ties with family and loved ones.
• Working with the feeling of depression.

Day 4,5: Identity

• How does our self-image arise?
• How does self-image change in depression?
• How do you restore self-image?
• The importance of understanding emotions and feelings.
• No longer at odds with yourself.
• Updating Identity.

Day 6,7: Setback

• The impact of adversity on the development of depression.
• Bullying and feeling depressed.
• How do you develop resilience?
• How does a bad luck mindset arise? And how do you transform ‘Not me again’ thinking?
• The importance of decision-making.
• The impact of luck on depressive feelings.

Day 8: Zest for life

• Step into the future with a new method.
• Is happiness your goal when you’re depressed?
• How do you set goals with depressed clients?
• How do you facilitate Zest for life?
• Transforming the Inner Landscape using the latest decision technology.
• Closing a coaching process.

Day 9: Assessment

• On this day all coaches will work in a 45 minutes to an hour session.
• This will be scored from 0 to 5.
• Minimum requirement is 3.

Hybrid training blocks

• The hybrid training blocks will be divided in:
• 3 days.
• 4 days.
• 2 days.
• Plus online sessions in between training blocks.
• Please contact us for the latest updates.