ICF-Credentialed Physician Coaching
Coaching for physicians dealing withburnout, moral distress, and the weight of difficult clinical decisions.
Grounded in published psychology and neuroscience research as well as time spent inside a hospital system, working alongside physicians and members of the medical care team.
About
I'm Maria.
PhD · ICF-credentialed · Virtual
I spent a lot of time working inside a hospital system: end-of-life care, capacity disputes, family conflict, and cases with no clean answer. Those moments take a real toll, and I built my coaching practice around what's left afterward: the burnout, the moral weight, and the cost of years spent putting the job first.
I hold a PhD in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. My published research on emotion regulation, self-control, and motivation is the foundation for my approach, and I draw on it, along with the broader research on physician burnout and coaching, to build session materials tailored to what each client is working through.
I have logged more than 300 coaching hours since 2021, working with clients on perfectionism, burnout, identity fused to achievement, and decision-making under pressure.
- 01Medical Team Advisor at WellStar, supporting physicians and care teams through high-stakes clinical decisions
- 02PhD, Philosophy, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis
- 03ICF credentialed coach (ACC, Associate Certified Coach)
- 04HEC-C certification in progress
- 05300+ documented coaching hours since 2021, with a 4.7/5.0 client satisfaction rating and 100% client retention
- 06Numerous publications on emotion regulation, self-control, and identity/authenticity in top interdisciplinary journals, including Synthese and Philosophical Psychology
Common challenges
Six patterns I work with most
These are patterns, not diagnoses. They describe where physicians tend to get stuck and where the work usually begins.
Discipline that stops working[1]
The same discipline that got you through training is now making you miserable.
The same discipline that got you through pre-med, residency, and boards is now making you miserable. Rest feels like falling behind. This is not weakness. It is a system built for training, not for a twenty-year career.
Figure out which parts of your discipline still serve you and which ones are just running on old momentum.
Knowing what's wrong, but staying stuck[2]
Naming the problem hasn't been enough to picture anything different.
You can describe the problem exactly: the schedule, the charting, the weight of difficult decisions. Naming it hasn't been enough to picture anything different.
Rebuild the part of you that can picture something different, not as a fantasy, but as something you could actually do next week.
Trying harder makes it worse[3]
Pushing harder only makes it worse. This is not a willpower problem.
Some shifts you're sharp. Others, you're on autopilot, and pushing harder only makes it worse. This is not a willpower problem.
Build a different relationship with effort, one that doesn't treat rest as the enemy of performance.
Going through the motions
You cannot remember the last shift that actually felt real.
You are doing the job well by every metric that gets measured. You cannot remember the last shift, or the last dinner with your family, that actually felt real.
Figure out where the disconnect started and what it would take to feel present again, at work and at home.
Carrying other people's weight[5]
You're proud of being able to hold it, and it is wearing you down.
You are the one your team calls. Families trust you with their fear and their grief. You carry it home. You are proud of being able to hold it, and it is wearing you down.
Build the actual skills for putting it down at the end of a shift, not just the advice to "set boundaries."
One bad outcome undoes your whole week[6]
One hard case threatens how you see yourself.
Your sense of yourself is built on being excellent. One hard case, one difficult conversation with a family, and it does not just sting. It threatens how you see yourself.
Build other places for your sense of worth to stand, so one bad outcome doesn't threaten the whole structure.
Between sessions, you'll get practice tools built specifically around what you're working through, not a generic packet, so the work continues past the fifty minutes.
Who I work with
Physicians, carrying weight the job doesn't name.
Coaching for physicians dealing with burnout, moral distress, and the weight of difficult clinical decisions — grounded in published research and time spent inside a hospital system, working alongside physicians and members of the medical care team.
- 01You can describe the problem exactly.
- 02You're doing the job well by every metric that gets measured.
- 03You're the one your team calls.
- 04One hard case can undo your whole week.
- 05Rest feels like falling behind.
- 06You want change that holds through the next shift.
In their words
What changes when the work goes deeper.
A few words from physicians who came in able to name the problem precisely — and left able to move it.
“I came in able to describe exactly what was wrong and completely unable to change it. Maria didn't hand me another framework — she helped me see the pattern underneath, and for the first time it actually moved.”
A. M.Physician, mid-career
“Most coaching felt like being told to try harder. This was the opposite. We took apart my relationship with effort itself, and the work got lighter without getting smaller.”
J. R.Physician, department chief
“I'd read all the books. What I needed was someone rigorous enough to sit with the real problem and not flinch. That's exactly what I found.”
S. K.Physician
What to expect
A clear path from first call to ongoing work.
A free 30-minute discovery call
You describe what's bringing you in. I describe how I work. No obligation.
An initial session
If we move forward, we start with a longer session to map history and what you want the work to address.
Ongoing sessions
Most clients meet weekly or every other week for 50 minutes, virtually.
Packages
Sessions and packages.
One rate per session, or a package that lowers the per-session cost the further you commit.
Single session
$175
Core package
12 sessions
$150/session ($1,800 total)
Extended package
24 sessions
$135/session ($3,240 total)
Deep work package
36 sessions
$120/session ($4,320 total)
FAQ
A few common questions.
What's the difference between coaching and therapy?
Therapy treats clinical conditions and works with the past. Coaching is forward-looking, for people who are functional but stuck, numb, or burned out. My academic training is in the science of how minds and habits work. My ICF training is in how to help you change them. If therapy is the better fit, I will say so.
Do I need a coach who is also a physician?
No. Physician coaching is a distinct skill from clinical medicine. It's about burnout, identity, and decision fatigue, not medical judgment. If it seems like clinical care would serve you better, we will work together to help you find the right person.
Do you take insurance?
No. Coaching is not a clinical service and is not covered by insurance. Fees are discussed on the consultation call.
Do you see clients in person?
Most coaching is virtual, so I can work with physicians regardless of location.
How long does coaching take?
It depends. Some clients work with me around a specific transition. Others stay for a year or more. We set goals at the start and revisit them regularly.
Is everything confidential?
Yes. Confidentiality is core to the coaching relationship and to ICF standards. The narrow exceptions (imminent harm to self or others) are reviewed in the first session.
Begin
Schedule a free, no-obligation discovery call.
Choose a time that works for you. The call is brief, free, and meant to see if we're a fit.
- Length
- 30 minutes
- Format
- Virtual, by video
- Cost
- Free, no obligation
Contact
Or send a note.
If you would rather start with a message, write me directly. I read every inquiry personally and respond within two business days.