Mt. Airy lawyer Mark D. Seltzer has applied some of the same skills he used with criminal defendants in his new vocation.

by Barbara Sherf

How does a longtime trial lawyer transition from the courtroom to a second career in coaching and practicing Gestalt therapy? Mt. Airy resident Mark D. Seltzer has applied some of the same skills he used with criminal defendants in his new vocation.

Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility and focuses on the individual’s experience in the present, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and social context of the person’s life, etc. “Gestalt” is a psychology term that means “unified whole.”

Seltzer, 67, lived in Elkins Park when he and his former wife raised their two children. He believes he would not be where he is today if it hadn’t been for his divorce and reconnection with a high school sweetheart, Dale Ellenberg, a long-time Mt. Airy resident and occupational therapist.

“She was the facilitator of a lot of this, as she has been working on personal growth for much longer than I have and served as a model in many ways,” he said. “She made couples therapy a requirement from the beginning of the relationship, and her encouragement has been invaluable.”

During the more than five-year process of his divorce, Seltzer knew he needed to work on himself and in doing so, found a new career he is passionate about.

“I had to keep balanced during the divorce and to accept the reality of what my life was going to look like afterwards,” said Seltzer, who went through the FastTrack Coach Training Academy in Lafayette Hill and Gestalt Therapy Institute of Philadelphia.

He can see how his legal background has prepared him for helping those “in the system,” which is a regular part of his work. “Whether it’s divorce, bankruptcy, child custody — you name it — people get stuck. Lawyers are generally not supporting clients emotionally, and often people can’t see their way through to the other side,” Seltzer said.

“We define and explore short-term and long-term goals and look at the big picture of what they want to accomplish. It’s all about ultimately committing to action and accountability and how are we going to do this and explore what happens when you don’t. We explore how you benefit from what I term ‘the fail,’ and is greater learning available when you are not able to accomplish something.”

As for going from a six-figure salary to just starting over, Seltzer remains positive. “It’s been crazy to sit down across from people and be of help in a completely different way than just practicing law,” he said. “You can’t put a dollar sign on change that creates a better life. I’m excited about being excited again.”

Seltzer can be reached at 267-908-0917 or h2c03s@gmail.com. This article is reprinted, with permission, from Milestones, the monthly publication of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.