Mitzi Gold Ph.D., LCSW, MPH, LMT
Life Master LLC
Mars & Venus Counseling Center in Hawaii

More info on Dr. Gold

Aloha, my name is Mitzi Gold. I am a licensed Psychologist in the State of Hawaii, and also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I have been in private practice since 1987.  

I opened the Mars & Venus Counseling Center in Hawaii on Valentine’s Day, 1997.  I have been teaching and sharing Dr. John Gray’s work with my patients, so many have benefited from his insightful books.

I am a lifelong learner, devoted to continuous knowledge and learning about progressive and innovative methods to provide my patients with the most cutting edge methods for transformation, healing, and personal growth.  

My educational background started with mind/body/spirit philosophies and therapies at Esalen Institute in San Francisco in the early 1970s.  I was fortunate to have studied with many leading healers, therapists, and researchers in humanistic psychology.  In 1974 I received my BA from Fairhaven College, a satellite college of Western Washington University.  My interdisciplinary degree was in Polarity Balancing, which was based on an Ayurvedic Indian method of healing.  I studied with Dr. Randolph Stone, DC, OD, in 1973.  I also studied with his protégé, Pierre Pannetier ND, and numerous other practitioners.  From 1973 to 1978, I practiced Polarity Therapy Balancing.  I received my massage license in Hawaii in 1975. Living on Kauai, I owned and operated an herb and bookstore, Earth Foods, from 1975-1978.

In 1978, I returned to Oahu, where I spent my childhood, and attended the University of Hawaii.  I received my Masters in Public Health (MPH) in 1980.  My emphasis was healthy aging.  My final project was comparing health morbidity and mortality in the United Stated with TM (Transcendental Meditation) studies on how meditation can impact health status.  I received my Masters in Social Work (MSW) in 1981 with a particular emphasis on community organizing, social development, advocacy, and clinical mental health.

From 1982 I worked with a program that assisted adults with chronic mental disabilities to live independently.  In 1988, I began work on a Federal Grant with the Department of Health, Maternal, and Child Health Branch.  The project was the Adolescent Health Network.  Due to my concern with adolescents and their future in our society, I co-founded the Hawaii Association for Self-Esteem.  I believe there is a direct correlation between an individual’s self-esteem and the choices she/he makes in her/his life.  I continue to emphasize the importance of enhancing self-esteem for adolescents and adults, and presently I focus on using techniques in positive psychology called Authentic Happiness Coaching.

During this time, I attended Saybrook Research and Graduate Institute in San Francisco, now called Saybrook University in Pasadena, California.  In 1995 I graduated with my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.  The title of my dissertation was “Selected Risk Factors Associated with Suicidality among Adolescents in Hawaii.” I compared four different ethnic groups in Hawaii (Hawaiian, Caucasian, Filipino, Japanese) by gender and the risk factors of sexual abuse, alcohol use, and depression.  The results were significant and shocking.  Of the 1335 15 year-olds in the study, 24.51% of the females reported they had thought about suicide compared to 9.44% of the males. 

In 2003 I attended Dr. Martin Seligman’s Authentic Happiness Coaching Program and became a certified graduate of his first class called the Vanguard Class.  Since the days of humanistic psychology, I have strongly believed in the need to focus on the healthy aspects and possibilities of being human.  With Dr. Seligman’s background in research and development, he has pioneered the field of Positive Psychology.  I incorporate the many questionnaires he has on his website www.authentichappiness.org in my sessions with patients besides the many approaches and techniques to help them access their personal experience of happiness.

In 2010 I became certified as a clinical hypnotherapist by the Wellness Center.  My trainer was Diane Zimberoff, LMFT.  Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy helps patients easily release old patterns, overcome addictions, and reprogram thinking based on past trauma and pain.  Her program integrates Ericksonian Hypnosis, visualization, kundalini yoga, and Hypnotherapy.  

Many couples and individuals (including teens) decide to work with me to focus on issues of personal development and greater life satisfaction.  I have developed a process called “Balancing Your Circle of Life,” which helps people see their whole life in perspective and to develop a plan to move forward in life with goals that are meaningful to them.  This method gives them the clarity of where they need to start to make important changes in their life.  It is a holistic approach to creating balance in various “slices” of their lives.  It uses the principle of taking small positive steps leading towards big changes.  My book is called “Balancing Your Circle of Life: Creating Your Lifestyle, Relationships, and Happiness with Intention.” The Circle of Life is an easy, creative, and very visual process that helps people learn how they can experience growth and change and to become inspired by a compelling, attainable future.  

In 2017 I began to deepen my meditation practice with the addition of the Muse Meditation headband to monitor my time in a meditative state and provide biofeedback that helps train my brain to stay in deeper states of relaxation.  I continued with training in iRest Yoga Nidra (Yin Yoga), a style of yoga that creates a protocol for experiencing ten levels of meditation below our thinking minds.  Richard Miller Ph.D. founded the Integrative Restoration Institute.  In 2018 I completed John Gray’s workshop, “The Radiant Mind.” He covered a range of topics on meditation practices and led guided exercises in relaxation and meditation.  

Since 1997 I’ve been a featured speaker with business groups, hospital-based programs, and educational settings.  I’ve consulted and trained employees from large organizations and offered free Mars & Venus support-groups and workshops in Hawaii.  As a Certified Life Coach, I’ve worked with individuals and couples in Hawaii and with clients around the world to support their personal development and enhance their relationships.  Depending on the client’s needs, I weave together customized sessions for each request for services, including the work from Dr. John Gray,  positive psychology, and the fields of stress management and relaxation, to create a full life-centered approach that is comprehensive and knowledge-based to support their developmental stages.  

I have always investigated how technology and computer-aided programs could help with pain management, reprogramming faulty behavior patterns, and accelerating the healthy healing journey.  With this background in research in leading-edge technology, I completed Advanced Training in the Tennant Bio-Modulator and Transducer, which are FDA accepted devices using drug-free technology that helps bring relief to those with chronic, intractable pain.  I also use a computer program developed by Zyto  Corporation to manage stress, assist in developing understanding and insight for those patients who could benefit from holistic approaches.  

I accept clients in Hawaii, on the mainland US, and around the world, including Sweden, Germany, Italy, and  Australia.  I use HIPPA compliant technology and offers confidential and private sessions for individuals, couples, and families in the same location or multiple locations.  The Balancing Your Circle of Life process is well-designed as a resource for individuals, couples, and teens.  I also offer my  Balancing Your Circle of Life course online to small groups wishing to work together cooperatively to give and receive the support to each other they need to accomplish their individual goals and dreams.  

Mitzi Gold 
Ph.D., LCSW, MPH, LMT,   
Mars & Venus Counseling Center in Hawaii
Life Master LLC

Words of Wisdom by Dr. John Gray

What Men & Women Need to Know to Have Healthy Relationships

Mars: The more a woman feels the right to be upset, the less upset she will be.
Venus: When men talk about their problems, they are looking for solutions.

Venus: Don’t judge him for needing to withdraw.
Mars: Don’t judge her for needing reassurance.

Mars: When a man rejects a woman’s suggestions, she feels that he doesn’t care.
Venus: When a woman resists a man’s suggestions, he feels that she doesn’t trust him.