PRIVATE PRACTICE

Counseling

J. Kingston Cowart, M.S. has been a counselor and change consultant specializing in influence communication in San Diego, California for over 34 years. His counseling style emphasizes the role of positive choice and right action in self-change.

To serve clients outside the San Diego area, he offers options for some services online as well as At Home By Phone.

General Hypnotherapy

He also assists clients through general hypnotherapy to make lasting, successful changes in such areas as:

relaxation habit change stress management self-confidence panic and anxious worry personal development weight control

motivation memory pain management diet & exercise academic improvement nicotine addiction health and wellness


Clinical Hypnosis

In addition, he provides the following services to patients of (or clients referred by) California licensed psychologists, physicians, and dentists for therapeutic treatment:

clinical therapy through hypnosis and self-hypnosis training medical hypnotherapy and hypnoanesthesia/- analgesia dental anesthesia hypnotherapy for bruxism and other oral health concerns

He is the first practitioner in his field to have received formal approval in specific instances to use clinical hypnosis in the treatment of patients at major San Diego area hospitals (including Alvarado, Grossmont, Mercy, and Sharp Memorial).

He has taught hospital in-service programs in the use of hypnosis in emergency medicine.


Extended Professional Outreach

Over the years Mr. Cowart's practice has expanded to include personal self-change advising, public seminars, corporate presentations (keynote speaker and breakout presenter), university teaching, consulting, and mentoring.

Through his counseling practice, his work in clinical and general hypnosis and his extended professional outreach, J. Kingston Cowart has been an effective change agent for many thousands of people.


A Spiritual Approach


Religion is becoming an increasingly important part of today's world — a world in which international affairs, domestic politics, and corporate practices are impacted far more by ethnic and cultural religious issues than by matters of personal spiritual belief. In such an atmosphere, many core spiritual issues in religion are often misunderstood or even misrepresented.

It is therefore part of the mission of the Center for Self-Change to help promote an understanding of those essential psychological and spiritual truths which can be of use to members of all faiths (as well as to persons whose beliefs and values are entirely secular).

J. Kingston Cowart's own background is well suited to that mission. In addition to separate bachelor of arts degrees in sociology and psychology and a master of science degree in counseling, he has also completed over 90 undergraduate and graduate units in the fields of philosophy and religion. These include courses related to the equivalent of a third bachelor's degree in religious studies and the Master of Arts in philosophy and psychology of religion.

His interests to date have been in world religions, East Asian traditions, metaphysics, ways of transformation, modes of spirituality, and philosophy of spirit.

He has studied the Teaching of Philosophy and Religion with Huston Smith, Ph.D.,

author of The World's Religions and subject of "The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith," PBS 1996;

Philosophy of Religion and Psychology of Religion with Maurice Friedman, Ph.D.,

Marlin Buber's authorized biographer; moderator of the famous 1957 dialogue between Buber and Carl Rogers; a major figure in the development of the dialogical approach in psychotherapy, he is co-founder of the Institute for Dialogical Psychotherapy in San Diego, California;

and Ways of Transformation and Philosophy of Spirit with Allan W. Anderson, Ph.D.,

a major interlocutor of J. Krishnamurti, author of A Wholly Different Way of Living: Krishnamurti in Dialogue with Professor Allan W. Anderson; and an exceptional professor of religious studies whose unparalleled series of special topics classes Mr. Cowart attended for many years.

During the course of these studies, he also became acquainted with Joseph Campbell, M.A., author of The Masks of God and subject of "Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth", PBS 1988 for whose academic, professional, and personal advice he remains most grateful.

These influences have led J. Kingston Cowart to an approach toward self-change which emphasizes the essentially spiritual nature of the human condition. He agrees with Carl Jung's position that psychotherapy is at its best when it is spiritually informed. He further believes that what may generally be called Spirit is the source of self in each of us — and is thus the true agent of self-change (whether acknowledged or not).

Mr. Cowart does not require nor even expect that his clients accept these views. They simply represent the perspective from which he envisions reality and the basis on which he works to help others achieve the changes they desire.

Having completed a two-year interfaith seminary program through St. John's University - Springfield LA, J. Kingston Cowart was ordained a minister of the Congregational Church of Practical Theology on July 15, 2003.

His private practice and other professional activities are thus part of an ongoing ministry of support for others on their own paths to self-change.

The Center for Self-Change is not, however, a church. It seeks no tax exemption or other special status and does not engage in either the teaching of any religion or the promotion of one religion over another.

In April, 2007 Rev. Cowart was recognized by the San Diego VITAS Hospice organization as its 2006 Spiritual Care Volunteer of the Year for his work with terminally ill patients and in facilitating bereavement groups for family members suffering from the effects of grief and loss.

In April, 2008 Rev. Cowart was accredited as a Certified Chaplin by the Academy of Certified Chaplins.

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   UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE TEACHING

J. Kingston Cowart founded the San Diego State University Self-Hypnosis Program, teaching self-hypnosis for academic improvement and personal development to some 5000 students over 28 semesters (1971-1985). A nationally noted course, the program received favorable notice in Psychology Today and stimulated interest in other universities as far away as Belgium and Brazil. During its thirteen-year existence, the program was the only university offering of its kind in the world.

Mr. Cowart developed many innovative and highly effective techniques in educational hypnosis. As a consequence, he created and taught a program for the SDSU school of education on Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis in Educational Processes. Originally intended as a single semester offering for teachers and graduate students, the course was continued for two and a half years.

He has also taught additional courses on hypnosis at SDSU from time to time for both graduate and undergraduate credit in sociology, education, athletics, and criminal justice.

He taught Police Psychology at Southwestern College (Chula Vista, California), summer semester, 1985.

For three semesters (1998 and 1999) Mr. Cowart lectured twice monthly on Altered States of Consciousness and Consciousness and Self-Change for California State University, San Marcos Office of Extended Studies.

He is currently an instructor in the Distance Learning Program for the Department of Religion at St. John's University - Springfield, LA.

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   SEMINARS AND CONSULTING

J. Kingston Cowart is an engaging and informative presenter for seminars, lectures, and keynote addresses on influence communication, the philosophy and metaphysics of change, organizational change, and related topics.

A graduate of the Law Enforcement Hypnosis Institute in Los Angeles, Mr. Cowart pioneered the use of hypnosis in criminal investigation for San Diego County in 1974 and served for several years as forensic hypnosis consultant to the San Diego Sheriff's Department.

For corporations, private companies, public institutions, and other organizations, he offers Solution-Focused Management Consulting and Training — as well as personnel training in such areas as self-hypnosis, motivation, stress management, salesmanship, executive development, and health & wellness.

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   ACADEMIC DEGREES

Master of Arts (ABT), Interdisciplinary Studies: Philosophy and Psychology of Religion, San Diego State University (SDSU), 1997

Master of Science, Counseling, SDSU, 1985

Bachelor of Arts Equivalent Units (degree not applied for) Religious Studies, SDSU, 1979

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, SDSU, 1973

Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, SDSU, 1972

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   PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATES

American Psychotherapy Association, Fellow, 2008; Certified Diplomate in Psychotherapy, 1998.

California Council of Hypnotherapy, Hypnotherapist, 1985

American Council of Hypnotist Examiners, Master Hypnotist, 1982

Hypnotist Examining Council of California, Master Hypnotist, 1979

Law Enforcement Hypnosis Institute, Investigative Hypnosis (Basic), 1976

Southern California Society of Clinical Hypnosis, Clinical Hypnosis (Advanced), 1976

Los Angeles Society of Clinical Hypnosis, Clinical Hypnosis (Advanced), 1974

San Diego Society of Clinical Hypnosis, Medical-Dental Hypnosis (Basic), 1974

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   CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE CREDENTIALS

Philosophy & Religion Instructor, 1986

Counselor, 1985

Psychology Instructor, 1985

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   ORGANIZATIONS AND OFFICES

American Academy of Religion

American Counseling Association (Professional Member)

American Psychotherapy Association (Fellow)

Association for Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling

International Society for Mental Health Online

International Society of Chinese Philosophy

International Society of Philosophy and Psychotherapy

Pacific Sociological Association

San Diego Psychology & Law Society

San Diego State University Alumni Association, Vice President for Professional Development, Business Alumni Network, 2007 - .

Past President: SDSU Society for the Academic Study of Religion, 1989 -1990

Past President: San Diego County Reserve Deputy Sheriffs' Association, 1979 -1981

Past Chair, San Diego Regional Examining Board, Hypnotist Examining Council of California, 1980

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