If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?
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If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?
Well, of course, it would be my Old Guy Therapy sessions.
You submit your problem to me. Don’t be shy. I’ll give you some blunt, old-school New England advice.
There is no sugarcoating. No safe spaces. No twelve-step process. No “and how does that make you feel?” You tell me the problem, and I tell you what I think you should do about it.
You have a problem with your job? I have advice.
Career going nowhere? I have advice.
Raising kids? Oh, I definitely have advice.
Marriage? I have some advice, but I may need to hear both sides before I completely blame you.
Money? Relationships? Your neighbor? Your boss? Your kid’s soccer coach? The guy who keeps parking in front of your driveway? Send it along.
I have a wealth of knowledge refined through 63 years of experience, observation, mistakes, and watching other people make mistakes and thinking, “Well, I could have told you that was going to happen.”
My counseling style is simple: I don’t necessarily consider your feelings. I consider the problem.
You may not like the answer. You may think I’m completely wrong. You may even get angry.
That’s fine. I don’t care.
You’re not paying me to make you feel better. You’re paying me to tell you what I think.
And then you can do whatever the hell you want with the information.
A few rules would apply.
First, keep the sex questions to a minimum. I don’t want the business getting distracted from the important stuff.
Second, don’t send me a problem if you have already decided what you are going to do. I’m not interested in being the guy you call so you can tell me what you’re going to do anyway.
Third, if your problem can be solved by simply doing the thing you already know you need to do, I’ll probably tell you to do the damn thing.
That’s New England therapy.
It may not be good for your feelings, but you’ll probably know where you stand when we’re done.
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