My Approach to Helping

I am practical and down-to-earth. I help explore the discomfort and difficulties being experienced in an affirming way. We explore resources and skills that may be beneficial to resolving the challenges. I offer feedback and ideas, point out behaviors that complicate progress, and notice possibilities. I am supportive and I focus on building skills to help my clients feel more self-sufficient and more connected to people who enhance their well-being. I have always understood that the quality of our lives is about the quality of our connections -- the current connections to other people and the historical connections that continue to echo in our hearts and minds. I have advanced training in couples counseling and 30 years of experience helping couples understand each other and become more conscious in the ways they relate to one another. I help couples evaluate the "state of affairs" and dedicate themselves to improvement or help them say good bye when that is the best direction. The counseling process can be uncomfortable so I work to make it an affirming process where we can sometimes laugh at the ironies of life, at the ways we and others behave and, hopefully, move forward with life in a way that feeds our soul and helps us be the best human being we can be.

 

More Info About My Practice

I accept many insurance plans including most Blue Cross plans, Aetna, Cigna, Medicare and others. I also work with many EAP's and provide brief, problem/solution-focused consultation sessions.

 

Important Factors for Choosing a Therapist

When choosing a therapist it is very important that you have confidence in their skills and that you find it mostly comfortable to share your feelings and your experiences. Just as we get along better with some people better than others, it is important that you feel able to open up and that the advice and feedback you are receiving is practical and useful. Studies about effective therapy indicate that if you feel the therapy is useful and helpful right away that it will prove very helpful in the long run. If it doesnt seem helpful at first, it is unlikely to be helpful in the long run.

 

How My Own Struggles Made Me a Better Therapist

I am practical and down-to-earth in my work with my clients. Life can be challenging and we need to feel that others understand us and care about us. My experiences have humbled me and taught me some things about making life more fulfilling. I continue to learn through my own experiences and from my clients about how to handle life in a way that brings more pleasure and less pain. I am practical and realistic about life and relationships. Often it is our way of handling things that creates problems and we can learn more productive and effective ways of handling situations so we have the outcomes we prefer.

Services I Provide

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

Ages I Work With

• Adults
• Elders

Languages I Speak

• English

Groups I Work With

Married Couples, Gay Couples, Lesbian Couples, Men, Women

Therapy Approaches I Use

• Client-Directed Outcome-Informed Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy /REBT
• Constructivisim
• Contemplative Psychotherapy
• Depth-Oriented Brief Therapy
• Existential Psychotherapy
• Family Attachment Narrative Therapy
• Family Systems Therapy
• Gottman Method
• Humanistic Psychology
• Imago Relationship Therapy
• Integration of different therapy models
• Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy
• Jungian Psychotherapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Object Relations
• Possibility Therapy
• Psychodynamic
• Reality Therapy
• Relational Psychotherapy
• Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy
• Solution Focused Therapy

Concerns and Issues I Help With

• Abandonment
• Abortion / Post Abortion Issues
• Abuse / Abuse Survivor Issues
• Addictions & Compulsions
• Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
• Aggression & Violence
• Aging & Geriatric Issues
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Bipolar
• Blended Family Issues
• Caregiver Issues / Stress
• Codependency / Dependency
• Communication Problems
• Compulsive Spending / Shopping
• Control Issues
• Depression
• Divorce / Divorce Adjustment
• Domestic Violence
• Drug & Alcohol Addiction
• Emotional Abuse
• Emotional Intelligence
• Emotional Overwhelm
• Emptiness
• Family of Origin Issues
• Family Problems
• Fertility Issues
• Forgiveness
• Grief, Loss, & Bereavement
• Identity Issues
• Inadequacy
• Inattention, Impulsivity, & Hyperactivity (ADHD)
• Infidelity / Affair Recovery
• Irritability
• Isolation
• LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender) Issues
• Life Purpose / Meaning / Inner-Guidance
• Men's Issues
• Midlife Crisis / Midlife Transition
• Mood Swings / Mood Disturbance
• Multicultural Concerns
• Panic
• Physical Abuse
• Post Traumatic Stress / Trauma
• Pre-Marital Counseling
• Prejudice / Discrimination
• Relationships & Marriage
• Religious Issues
• Self-Care
• Self-Confidence
• Self-Criticism
• Self-Doubt
• Self-Esteem
• Self-Love
• Sensitivity to Criticism
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexuality / Sex Therapy
• Shame
• Social Anxiety / Phobia
• Spirituality
• Stress
• Trust Issues
• Values Clarification
• Women's Issues
• Workplace Issues
• Worry
• Worthlessness