Helping People Find Therapists & Advocating for Ethical and Healthy Therapy & Marriage Counseling Practices

My Approach to Helping

My office is a safe place, where you will find that your feelings are much more in your control than you may have thought, and your relationships with others can be different and more satisfying as a result. I am fully trained in Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS), the most effective non-blaming, non-labeling therapy model available (imho). Whatever you want to change about your life, we will find a clearer perspective on where you're headed, and a sensible, safe way to shift how you relate to your own feelings and to others, in order to speed your progress. Surprising to some, bringing compassion and understanding to all your feelings, impulses and defenses proves to be very powerful in helping you change what you wish to change.

Some folks get what they came for in one session, others have deeper things to look at. All are welcome.

Your own strengths are as much a focus as the issues you bring. Clearing away the layers of worry or pain or caution that cloud over your clear, centered, best self is simpler than you may think.

Your talks with me, and your inner work, go at your pace, always safely, under your control.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist. My style is collaborative and warm, I bring the best from my intellect and my heart. I never judge you; I figure you have enough of that yourself inside, and it wouldn't help anyway. I will keep a persistent focus where you want to work, always respecting your control of the pace.

In Marriage/Couples Counseling, my first focus is on helping you feel safe when talking with your partner, both safe from criticism, and safe to get your own feelings heard and understood. Doing this will involve learning how to stop arguments, how to address any conflict in a clearer way, more aware of your own feelings first, and then your partner's. This safety will lead to less defensiveness and greater compassion for your own feelings that come up, and in time for your partner's also. It will bring you closer, and make your relationship easier, more enjoyable and stronger.

If you suffer from illness or physical pain, for example a weak immune system, cancer, or heart discomfort, you may wish to try a straightforward and safe way to access your body's natural healing systems. By first addressing the fear, frustration, tension, and the constellation of other emotional reactions that surround any serious physical symptom, you become able to 'relate to your illness' in a different way, with more clarity. Most clients who do this work report great skepticism, and that it has to be experienced to be appreciated. I agree. As with all work in my office, there is no blame, guilt or judgment, just steady focus on bringing you to an open-hearted understanding of your own experience, which turns out to be a very powerful healer.

If you've read this far, you may be interested in some professional background. I studied at the University of California - Davis, where I obtained a law degree. I have been licensed to practice law in California and in Hawaii. Not finding the practice of law fulfilling, I earned a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and I am licensed to practice in Hawaii, where I have lived for fifteen years. It was a good choice; I love my work.

 

More Info About My Practice

I am in Wailea Town Center, a block mauka (uphill) from the Shops at Wailea, four doors down from First Hawaiian Bank.

I accept most Hawaii health insurance:
HMSA / Blue Cross
HMAA
UHA
Kaiser Added Choice (Kaiser's premium plan)

My regular fee is $150 per session; I keep a few slots each week for sliding-scale (reduced fee) clients.

Services I Provide

• Individual Therapy & Counseling
• Marriage, Couples, or Relationship Counseling
• Coaching
• Consultation
• Clinical Supervision
• Online Counseling / Phone Therapy

Ages I Work With

• Teens
• Adults
• Elders

Languages I Speak

• English

Therapy Approaches I Use

• Anger Management
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy /REBT
• Depth Therapy
• Depth-Oriented Brief Therapy
• Existential Psychotherapy
• Feldenkrais Method
• Feminist Therapy
• Humanistic Psychology
• Internal Family Systems
• Mindfulness Based Approaches
• Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
• Non-Violent Communication
• Positive Psychology
• Self Psychology
• Somatic Experiencing
• Sport / Fitness Psychology
• Voice Dialogue

Concerns & Issues I Help With

• Identity Issues
• Attachment
• Reproduction
• Abuse: Emotional, Physical, or Sexual
• Trauma
• Occupational & Academic Issues
• Addictions & Compulsions
• Life Changes
• Childhood & Adolescence
• Family Problems
• Social Skills & Problems
• Health & Body
• Anxiety, Fear, & Stress
• Emotion Management
• Depression & Mood
• Relationships & Marriage
• Self-Esteem & Confidence
• Sexuality
• Spirituality
• Self-Harm & Suicide