Adam Holman, LCSW. Therapist in the Bay Area.

You’re tired of feeling like you’re never good enough.

Through Guided Self-Mentorship, I empower people who feel stuck—struggling with self-doubt, self-criticism, and a sense of unfulfillment— build their unique path to clarity, confidence, and a meaningful life. If that sounds like some nonsense jargon, I’ll explain more in a moment, but first…

Psychotherapist and Self-Mentorship Guide
Based out of San Francisco, CA


Providing Mental Health Support Online Anywhere!

…You know that cycle where your brain replays a highlight reel of all of your mistakes right as you’re trying to sleep? Yeah, that’s exhausting. Let’s talk about it.

It’s 3 AM, and instead of sleeping like a well-adjusted adult, you’re mentally roasting yourself over a small misstep you took earlier in the week.

You tell yourself you should be further ahead by now. That if you were actually capable, this wouldn’t feel so hard. Thinking about the people around you, everyone else seems to have their lives together while you’re stuck in the same cycle of overthinking, procrastination, and self-doubt. Overthinking has basically become your full-time job. You analyze everything, hoping to figure out what’s wrong with you, but instead of finding answers, you just feel more stuck. You know you’re capable of more, but the fear of failing—or just not being good enough—keeps you frozen in place.

You’ve tried everything. Self-help books, goal-setting, ‘just thinking positive’, gratitude journals, possibly even years of therapy. And yet…

…even if you feel better for some time, nothing sticks. Instead, you’re left frustrated, burnt out, and secretly wondering if something’s just fundamentally wrong with you (I’ve been there, and that makes a lot of sense to me). Every day feels like the same dull shade of ‘Meh,’ and you’re so damn tired of it. You just want to feel good and enjoy your life, and you don’t know what to do.

And if none of that has worked, what the hell is “Guided Self-Mentorship”, how is it any different than therapy or other things I’ve tried, and why should I believe it will help?

I’m glad you asked!

  • Ever wish life came with an instruction manual? Something that actually made sense, instead of just vague advice like ‘follow your passion’ or ‘just think positive’? Yeah, me too. That’s why I created Guided Self-Mentorship. It’s a structured, brief, and no-BS approach to understanding your mind, your feelings, and how to build a life you’ll actually appreciate. Think of it as finally getting the ‘User Manual’ for your brain, except instead of a bunch of disclaimers and boring diagrams, you get real practical tools to stop feeling stuck and move your life forward.

    Now, let’s talk about the therapy question. Therapy can be incredibly valuable and has its place—I know, because I was a therapist for years. I’ve seen first hand how powerful it can be. And while I still use a lot of the skills I developed in that time, this is not therapy.

    I won’t diagnose you, pathologize you, or analyze your childhood for six months straight. And unlike therapy—which can last months or even years—you’ll walk away from your very first session with a set of understandings and tools that you can use for the rest of your life.

    The other key difference — In therapy, the therapist is the expert. In Guided Self-Mentorship, you’re the wise one. You already have everything you need inside you—I’m just here to help you see it. I’m not here ‘fix’ you—because you’re not broken. My job is to help you uncover what’s been keeping you stuck and show you how to become your own mentor.

    And here’s where things get weird: We’re not actually trying to make you feel good, we’re trying to help you recover (more on that later in the FAQ). This is kind of an un-therapy in that way. The goal isn’t to force happiness, eliminate anxiety, or guarantee that you’ll always feel amazing. The goal is to give you the confidence that no matter what you feel, no matter what happens, you can live a life you appreciate. As a side effect, when people start living a life they truly appreciate, they tend to feel a whole lot better.

  • Nope, it’s not that either! Coaching is great for a lot of people, but it works under the assumption that the coach is an authority—someone who has the secret sauce, the answers, and the ability to keep you accountable. In other words, the coach is the expert.

    Guided Self-Mentorship flips that upside down. I’m not here to tell you what to do. I’m not an authority on your life—you are. I don’t have a ‘secret formula’; simply a strategy to help you trust the formula you’re making for yourself.

    In coaching, the coach holds the answers. In Guided Self-Mentorship, you do. My role isn’t to give you a roadmap—it’s to help you uncover your own, the one that actually fits you.

    And unlike a coach, I don’t exist to hold you accountable. The goal isn’t for you to depend on me and need to pay to see me endlessly (as much as my wallet might appreciate that). The goal is for you to develop the confidence and tools to guide yourself for life.

  • You shouldn’t, and in fact, congratulations!you’ve already taken your first step in Guided Self-Mentorship without even realizing it!

    This whole process is about learning to listen to yourself, not blindly following what I have to tell you. And right now? That skeptical voice in your head is doing exactly that—questioning, evaluating, thinking critically. That’s a good thing. If everything else you’ve tried has not worked, simply believing me would be ignoring the wisdom of your experience. I love that you’ve noticed that.

    Here’s what I can tell you: This isn’t about quick fixes or wishful thinking. It’s about unlearning everything you’ve been taught about how life should be so you can start living in a way that truly works for you. It’s about recognizing the beliefs and patterns that have been keeping you stuck—and realizing, maybe for the first time, that the constant effort to ‘fix yourself’ and try harder might be the very thing making you feel broken and exhausted.

    So don’t just take my word for it. But if you’re willing to try, you may find yourself open to seeing something new.

  • Bad news. No.

    Recovery isn’t some magic switch that makes you permanently blissful. It’s not about never feeling anxious, never struggling, or somehow upgrading to a version of yourself that finally has it all together. If that’s what you were hoping for, I wouldn’t know how to make that happen.

    The good news?

    Recovery is so much better than that. It’s about having the skills, knowledge, and confidence to know that no matter what happens, you can live in a way you appreciate. It’s about getting to the point where hard times don’t feel like proof that you’re failing—they just feel like life. And instead of fearing them, you know you can handle them, and here’s where it gets interesting: You can even use them to make your life better.

    Some people even start to look forward to their next challenge—not because struggle is fun, but because they know there’s clarity, relief, and fulfillment on the other side. And when you stop seeing hard times as something to fear and start seeing them as something you can work with? That changes everything.

    Bad news again.

    This isn’t passive. It’s not something you ‘try’ once and hope it sticks. You will need to commit—at least two, two-hour sessions, plus daily homework. Yes, homework. (Don’t worry, it’s nothing like school. No pop quizzes—just real-life application.)

    Think of it like strength training. You don’t go to the gym twice and expect to be strong forever. Recovery works the same way. The more you practice, the more natural it becomes. The stronger you get.

    And after you’ve ‘graduated’ from Guided Self-Mentorship? The work isn’t over. To keep feeling well, you have to keep doing what makes you well. This isn’t about dependency—it’s about giving you the ability to continue on your own. And if you do?

    The Great News.

    You won’t just feel better—you’ll actually be free.

    The effort itself feels good. Strange, right? But ask anyone who’s done real recovery work, and they’ll tell you—it’s not draining, it’s energizing. Because for the first time, instead of fighting yourself, you’re actually working with yourself. It’s like trying to swim upstream your whole life, only to finally realize you can turn around and go with the current.

    When you put in the effort, you feel it immediately. Not because everything is suddenly perfect, but because, for the first time, you’ll know you’re actually moving in the right direction. And that? That kind of relief is worth every bit of work you put in.

  • Guided Self-Mentorship is a powerful, adaptable set of skills that are not unique to a specific problem, and thus, can support you through a variety of needs.

    While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are some of the most common struggles people bring to Guided Self-Mentorship:

    Procrastination & Perfectionism
    Overthinking & Analysis Paralysis
    Anxiety & Dread
    Self-Criticism & Inner Conflict
    Improving Self-Esteem
    Feeling Unfulfilled & Stuck
    Technology Addiction and Endless Scrolling
    Habitual Substance Use
    Trouble Focusing & Constant Distraction
    Relationship Communication & Conflict

    If your specific challenge isn’t listed here, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask. The skills you’ll learn in Guided Self-Mentorship are flexible and can be applied to most struggles.

  • Guided Self-Mentorship is for anyone who is willing and wanting to put in the effort, and, I also know that not every approach is the right fit for every person. Here are a few reasons you might decide this isn’t for you:

    • You’re looking for a way to treat a mental illness or eliminate symptoms.
      Guided Self-Mentorship isn’t therapy—it’s about helping you build confidence, clarity, and direction, not treating clinical conditions. If you’re struggling with something that requires medical or therapeutic care, you deserve the right kind of support for that. That said, having a mental health diagnosis does not prevent you from receiving Guided Self-Mentorship. In fact, you may find that it helps you navigate your symptoms more peacefully.

    • You don’t have the time or energy to put effort in between sessions.
      If you’re not in a place where you can commit to actually applying what you learn, you won’t get much out of this. And that’s okay. Sometimes, life is just too full, and this might not be the right fit for you right now. If that changes, I’m here for you.

    • You’re not quite ready to let go of stress as your fuel.
      No judgment. I lived that way for a long time, too. But if running on stress, overwork, and pressure is still serving you, Guided Self-Mentorship might feel... uncomfortable. Because instead of stress, we build something more sustainable: self-trust. And that’s a whole different way of operating.

    • You’re wanting passive listening or weekly support.

    If you’re looking for a passive process, a quick fix, or a way to feel better without taking steps outside of the session, this simply won’t work for you and I wouldn’t want you to waste your time and money.

    That said, if you do have the time, energy, and curiosity to see what’s possible, I’d love to hear from you.

Ready to learn to live a life you’ll love to death?