Counseling and Functional Fitness

This episode is an adapted version of a presentation that Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, gave at the 2026 Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselor Association conference in Nashville, Tennessee on May 30, 2026. This episode focuses on helpful insights for therapists and therapy clients from Stoic philosophy. While sharing stories, metaphors, and psychological integration of wisdom from a philosophy that has helped its learners to create meaning from trauma, strength from pain, and to choose virtue over vice for many centuries, Stoic philosophy can be well-implemented by therapists now to help their clients in powerful ways.

|||

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

|||

Books mentioned in this episode: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Gerald Corey, The Complete Works: Handbook, Discourses, and Fragments by Epictetus, Mastery by Robert Greene, Resilience by Eric Greitens, Secrets of Exceptional Counselors by Jeffrey Kottler, On Character by General Stanley McChrystal

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, discusses the importance of choosing virtue over vice, the roles that challenges play improving mental health, unselfish action, improving ourselves and helping others, the excellence of virtue, the role of right effort in therapy, the importance of aim in philosophy, therapy, and fitness, how we can become more courageous, the influence of virtue and vice on mental health, the role of improving decision-making in recovery from addiction, and what it means to think, feel, and act with virtue.

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

Books mentioned in this episode: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, 12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson, The Secrets of Exceptional Counselors by Jeffrey Kottler

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, discusses lessons learned from doing yard work, the Stoic philosophy found in The Serenity Prayer, how willingly preparing for and facing adversity can strengthen us and lead to progress, reminding ourselves of our strength, the power of how we think, winning the moment you are in, and present moment strength.

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

This episode is Part Four in a series on the Counseling and Functional Fitness podcast focusing on Stoic philosophy, therapy, and fitness.

Books mentioned in this episode: The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene, The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, discusses the concept from Stoic philosophy of The Inner Citadel, perseverance, choosing to remain calm in challenging situations, remembering your strength, focusing on what you can control, asking yourself to be strong, how strength is proved through adversity, seeking progress daily, approaching difficulty rather than avoiding it, how fear only wins if we let it win, and the value of choosing courage over fear.

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

This episode is Part Three in a series on the Counseling and Functional Fitness podcast focusing on Stoic philosophy, therapy, and fitness.

Books mentioned in this episode: Resilience by Eric Greitens, A Way of Being by Carl Rogers, The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas, Mastery by Robert Greene, Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, talks with Aaron Petrie, LPC-MHSP, about helping athletes through therapy. They discuss how athletes can benefit from therapy, barriers to athletes starting therapy, athletes being people first, the concept of strength transfer, the importance of therapists practicing what we preach, congruence and authenticity in therapy, the mental skill of ‘acting as if’, how we can act our way into thinking and feeling differently, how you can improve your relationship with anxiety, how we have emotions for specific reasons, focusing on what can go well rather than focusing on what could go wrong, how unpleasant emotions are a normal part of making progress, the importance of thoughtfully choosing how we respond, work capacity, doing today what other people won’t do so that tomorrow we can do what other people can’t, how athletes respond to stress in their sport is how they respond to stress in their lives, the value of congratulating clients in therapy, discussing clients’ strengths in therapy, and guidance for therapists who work with athletes.

Books mentioned in this episode: On Being A Master Therapist by Jeffrey Kottler and Jon Carlson, On Being A Therapist by Jeffrey Kottler, The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser

Aaron Petrie is a highly experienced therapist for performers whose career has spanned diverse fields, including addiction treatment, private practice, teaching, and sports. Aaron's expertise shines through his work with individuals, couples, and families, helping them navigate challenges and achieve personal growth. Certified as both a Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional and a Sports Psychology Coach, Aaron brings a unique blend of skills to his practice. His

Aaron Petrie's email: [email protected] 

Aaron Petrie's website: https://www.facebook.com/share/PEuZ5AMsr2VHRvJX/

Adam Barfoot's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

Podcast email: [email protected]

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, discusses how adversity offers us opportunities to learn and to grow, the relationship between courage and fear, the Stoic philosophy in The Serenity Prayer, the relationship between addiction and trauma, the importance of focusing on what we can control, how our thinking affects our emotions, gaining strength from hardship, resilience, post-traumatic growth, the transformative nature of adversity, emotional intelligence, how the past can affect the present, the Stoic practice of premeditation of adversity, the importance of practicing mental skills and techniques, the mindfulness practice called Leaves On A Stream, and accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.

Books mentioned in this episode: Post Traumatic Success by Fredrike Bannink, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene, How To Think Like A Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson, Resilience by Eric Greitens

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

Email: [email protected]

This episode is Part Two in a series on the Counseling and Functional Fitness podcast focusing on Stoic philosophy, therapy, and fitness.

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, discusses present moment strength, core principles of Stoic philosophy, viewing challenges as opportunities, the importance of focusing on what we can control, emotional intelligence, right effort, future-oriented thinking, and the power of the present moment.

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

Books mentioned in this episode: 12 Rules For Life by Dr. Jordan Peterson, The Champion's Mind by Dr. Jim Afremow

This episode is Part One in a series of the Counseling and Functional Fitness podcast focusing on Stoic philosophy, therapy, and fitness.

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, discusses the importance of practice, preparation, and pursuing mastery. He also discusses the concept of right effort, the value of hard work and personal responsibility, using time wisely, viewing obstacles as opportunities, growing from adversity, and the connection between self-confidence and mastery.

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

Books mentioned in this episode: The Champion’s Mind by Jim Afremow, The 50th Law by Robert Greene and 50 Cent, Mastery by Robert Greene, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, Resilience by Eric Greitens, The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, Discipline Is Destiny by Ryan Holiday, Beyond Order by Dr. Jordan Peterson

Email: [email protected]

This episode is an adapted version of a presentation that Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, gave at the 2024 Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Conference in Nashville, Tennessee on June 15th, 2024.

In this episode, Adam discusses the therapeutic skill of encouragement, the Adlerian philosophical concepts of how all actions are purposeful, phenomenology (which means therapists understanding their clients' perspectives), and lifestyle (which means the client's blueprint for facing challenges in life). Adam also discusses the 4 phases of Adlerian therapy in this episode.

While this episode, is not a complete overview of Adlerian therapy, this episode is about how Adam specifically implements Adlerian therapy with clients who are in recovery from addiction.

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

Email: [email protected]

Books mentioned in this episode: Introduction to Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Dr. Timothy Barclay, Adlerian Psychotherapy by Jon Carlson and Matt Englar-Carlson, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Gerald Corey, Why Therapy Works by Louis Cozolino, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Research articles mentioned in this episode: An Adlerian Perspective on Cognitive Restructuring and Treating Depression by Peter Emerson, Gary Gintner, and John West, Adlerian "Encouragement" and the Therapeutic Process of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy by Dale Pietrzak and Richard Watts, Adlerian Counseling: A Viable Approach for Contemporary Practice by Richard Watts

In this episode, Adam Barfoot, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, discusses how people can build strength and courage through therapy, the importance of being aware of and using our strengths, the relationship between fear and courage, the importance of the therapist’s journey of healing and improvement, and the pursuit of excellence in therapy.

Books mentioned in this episode include: Resilience by Eric Greitens, Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Gerald Corey, The Courage To Create by Rollo May, Mastery by Robert Greene

Adam's website: https://www.adambarfoottherapy.com/

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @counselingandfunctionalfitness