Education and Work Experience

I have been in the field of psychology since 1985 when I received a Masters Degree in the Marriage and Families Studies and subsequently became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist. In 1989 I received a Doctorate in Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Studies and was licensed as a clinical psychologist in 1992. In my 30 years in the field, I have had the opportunity to do clinical work in the following areas:

Businesses and Programs

My Treatment Philosophy

What guides my work is the belief that everyone, no matter their behavior, is doing the very best they can in that moment. Most often (but not always) aberrant behavior is the result of beliefs learned in childhood that are brought forward into adulthood that are no longer applicable, appropriate or functional. As Maya Angelou said, ”I did then what I knew how to do, now that I know better, I do better”. Therapy is the process of learning to practice new, more effective ways of behaving.

It is my belief that therapy is about learning more adaptive behavior, “the next right action”, and then consistently practicing it with enthusiasm and passion. Of the trio; feelings, thoughts and behaviors, behavior is the only one that is under our conscious control. New feelings and thoughts will eventually emerge as a result of persistence practicing and implementation of new effective behaviors. We change behaviors first and  thoughts and feelings eventually come along for the ride.

Action is the prerequisite for change

In addition to Behavioral /Cognitive therapy, my work with individuals often includes teaching mindfulness and meditation, especially for anxiety/depression disorders. This has proved to be an effective way to slow reactive and impulsive behavior response chains.

Therapy is the process of finding out about yourself and then learning to accept what you find.

In my relationship therapy work with couples, the focus is teaching couples deep listening skills in an attempt to help partners feel truly “seen” and “known”. Informed by the work of Harville Hendrix, it’s been my experience that when a person can feel heard in a truly non-defensive interaction, healing can occur.

Using contextual therapy makes most sense when we consider that psychological wounds typically occur in early relationships and  that healing from those wounds would most efficiently therefore be accomplished in the relationship context.

If there are times when life feels like a cliff requiring you to jump… rethink it and take the switchbacks. It produces the same result without the terror.

specialty areas

Diagnostic Specialties

I can be reached at (707) 525-9300