Therapist Profile

My Approach to Helping

I bring a passionate engagement to my counseling work with individuals, couples and families. I am committed to bringing out the best in people, and to inspiring them to fulfill their deepest aspirations. I accomplish this by creating a safe and supportive environment within which each person can engage in a process of deepened self-exploration. I also bring a skills-training focus to all my counseling work. I am especially devoted to helping people develop deeply satisfying and fulfilling relationships, both personally and professionally.

More Info About My Practice

I am a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-C) in the state of Maryland and have been meeting the diverse and complex needs of couples, families and individuals for the past 15 years. I take a holistic approach that simultaneously takes into account the uniqueness of each individual and the relationship context within which each person is living his or her life. I also am committed to creating a safe atmosphere within which individuals, couples and families can do the important work of self-exploration and mutual exploration of their primary relationships in a manner that leads to a deeper sense of connection, satisfaction and fulfillment. Finally, I am committed to helping people learn practical skills that will enable them to create the kind of relationships they are longing to have. I am certified as a therapist, trainer and supervisor in Relationship Enhancement (RE) Therapy and a member of the training faculty of the National Institute of Relationship Enhancement (NIRE) in Bethesda, MD, a non-profit educational organization that provides training to mental health professionals as well as educational workshops to the general public such as the Couples Relationship Enhancement Weekend. (For more information about NIRE's training and certification programs as well as its educational workshops, please visit

I have presented couples workshops, church retreats and professional training workshops nationally and internationally for 15 years. I also present regularly at professional conferences and for graduate continuing education programs at major universities on the East Coast. My book Relationship Enhancement Therapy: Healing Through Deep Empathy and Intimate Dialogue, was published by Routledge in 2005. I have a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Southern Methodist University and taught philosophy, theology and religious studies for nine years at American University and Georgetown University, both in Washington, D.C. My training and teaching experience in these areas, as well as my own personal spiritual journey, inform my clinical work in a manner that deepens my insight into people's values and the struggles they experience both personally and in their most important relationships. I am committed to helping people come to a deeper understanding of themselves and their core values in a manner that helps them live their lives more authentically, both for themselves and in relationship to others.