While I have worked, earlier in my career, in psychiatric
hospitals and community mental health centers, I have practiced independently for
the past 21 years. I primarily see individuals--adults and adolescents--and
couples in therapy.
My therapeutic approach with people would be called integrative. I draw on
cognitive-behavioral therapy, which involves helping people to learn to think
and behave differently. Anxiety-laden thought as well as anger directed toward
oneself are important to overcome, for they lead to personal suffering and
interfere with functioning well. I also draw on psychodynamically-oriented
therapy, which explores how earlier life experiences, particularly in one's
family of origin, have shaped attitudes and behavior patterns that play out
unproductively in current relationships. I place a premium on helping people
understand the emotions they are experiencing about those matters that are most
important to them, especially when such feelings may not be easy to grasp. I do
not believe, when it comes to therapy, that one size fits all. I tailor how I
proceed to the specific needs of the person with whom I am working. I take an
active role in offering people perspective in relation to their concerns and
issues, but I am always open to feedback myself about how the therapy is
progressing.
My undergraduate degree is from