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

My Approach to Helping

You may be feeling that it's time to make a change, but stuck in contemplating the best way to go about creating a healthy, lasting life change. I can help you.

If you're reading this, chances are that you're in some stage of a love-hate relationship with change, that you've finally realized that the accumulated stresses in your life have created a state of overload that you can't seem to get out of, or that you've hit that proverbial brick wall and don't know what to do next. You might be feeling frustration over a seeming inability to plan or meet meaningful goals in your life, or grieving the loss of a loved one, your good health or a relationship. You could be experiencing anxiety over a stressful situation that has been thrust on you by a significant other, at your workplace or through life events. Or, you might just have that vaguely uncomfortable feeling that life has lost its meaning or doesn't make sense any more.

The good news is that if any or all of this description fits you, there's an excellent chance that I can help you. The fact that you're considering the counseling process means that you're ready to make a change. Knowing as we do that life is all about change, you'd think we'd all naturally know how to successfully navigate the change process, but we often don't! Thinking that you could use some help doesn't indicate any lack or failure on your part: it just means that you're part of the human race, like all the rest of us. In fact, I've even hit that wall a time or two myself and needed some help in getting my bearings back.

You should know that I'm a strengths-based practitioner, and I focus on what's right about you rather than searching through your psyche to figure out what's wrong. I'll help you define what your problem or issue is and help you marshall your inner strength and resilience that will help you decide to either accept the situation if it can't be changed or change it if you can. You'll then be able to move forward with your confidence restored, your values clarified, and your ability to face future challenges strengthened.

Does this mean that what's happened to you in the past doesn't matter? Not at all. Loss, trauma, grief, chronic low self-esteem or problematic behavioral issues undoubtedly originated in your past, and it's important to get that past out in the open, acknowledge it, and experience the associated painful feelings. But staying stuck in the past tends to create a sense of victimhood - and, because you're reading this, I don't believe you want to be a victim any longer. I can help you get out of that role and acquire the tools to stay out of it!

I concentrate my practice on working with individuals because I believe that healthy individuals function well within relationships, at work and in other life situations. However, couples and families are welcome, too! I see troubled couples and families as systems that have somehow gotten off kilter and aren't functioning optimally. When one component of the system changes, others feel the need to change in response.

To read blog posts that illustrate how I work in therapy, please visit the Blog Therapy section of this website. If you like what you read, please get in touch so that we can start our work on creating a renewed, higher functioning, more fulfilled you!

 

More Info About My Practice

I see clients at my Baldwin Park area office between 10am and 7pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at my new location in Metrowest on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the same hours. I can usually fit new clients into my schedule within 3 days of intial contact. Other appointment times may be available. At the Baldwin Park location I accept insurance referrals through Ceridian LifeWorks, ComPsych, Cigna Behavioral, Humana LifeSynch, MHN (Mental Health Network) MHNet (a separate provider) The Metrowest office can advise you of the insurance referral sources they accept. Some plans also provide benefits for my services out-of-network or through managed care companies they hire to administer their mental health, substance abuse or employee assistance plan benefits.

For more information about fees, services and scheduling, feel free to check my personal website or e-mail me. To discuss details of your personal situation, I prefer to talk over the phone due to confidentiality issues. I look forward to hearing from you so that we can get started on creating your new life!

 

What I Love about Being a Psychotherapist

I appreciate the opportunity to witness the struggle and the strength of clients enmired in a change process they've not willingly sought out as they grow toward identifying their strengths, developing resilience and cultivating greater acceptance, courage and wisdom. To be able to help facilitate the learning of problem solving and goal planning skills by those that actively seek change but just don't know how to go about changing is equally rewarding. The privilege of being a therapist has expanded my personal horizons and helped me become more compassionate toward others, as well as toward myself. I can think of no other profession that affords its practitioners such a life-changing opportunity!

 

My Guiding Ethical Principles

Do no harm - follow the Hippocratic oath. Respect personal, familial, religious and cultural diversity and work within a framework the client understands and is comfortable with. Explain the process, including the client's rights. Collaborate with clients because they are experts on their own experiences. Self-disclose if the information provided is for the benefit of the client and not for me. Keep client confidences. Do not foster dependency. Promote growth, learning and resiliency. Cultivate independence and the ability for self-advocacy in the client.

Services I Provide

• Individual Therapy & Counseling
• Marriage, Couples, or Relationship Counseling
• Family Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Coaching
• Consultation
• Home-Based Therapy

Ages I Work With

• Teens
• Adults
• Elders

Languages I Speak

• English

Groups I Work With

Attorneys, healthcare providers, persons with disability/chronic illness, caregivers,
persons with substance abuse, codependency and adult child issues, persons with sexuality/gender identity issues

Therapy Approaches I Use

• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
• Anger Management
• Body-Mind Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy /REBT
• Collaborative Therapy / Collaborative Language Systems
• Contemplative Psychotherapy
• Creative Art Therapy
• Depth-Oriented Brief Therapy
• Existential Psychotherapy
• Guided Therapeutic Imagery
• Integration of different therapy models
• Logotherapy
• Mindfulness Based Approaches
• Positive Psychology
• Positive Psychotherapy
• Reality Therapy
• Voice Dialogue

My Blog Posts

• Confined or Not? Reflections on Disability, Language, and Microaggression
• Managing Your Moods Through Mindfulness
• Creating New Year’s Aspirations
• 9 Ways to Be Present and Practice Everyday Mindfulness
• When Criticism Undermines Creativity: How Cognitive Restructuring Helps You Go On Creating!
• How to Avoid the “Fast-track” from Kitchen to Divorce Court
• Creatively Moving From Grief into Hope and Renewal
• Mindfully Approaching Pain: The Way Through May Just be the Way Out
• Making Friends with Your Critical Self: Overcoming an Obstacle to Self Expression
• What is "This"? An Exercise in Contemplation
• Creativity, Springtime, and a Multiplicity of Approaches for Getting “Unstuck”
• Getting Beneath the Defenses - An Adventure in Mindfulness
• On Creativity, Grief and Resilience: How "The Courage to Be" is the Greatest Creative Gift
• The Wonder of Kids Practicing Mindfulness
• The Creative Blocking of Creativity: The Function of Procrastination
• Creativity as Innovation Combined with Utility (And How it Works in Counseling)

Concerns & Issues I Help With

• Life Changes
• Emotion Management
• Social Skills & Problems
• Anxiety, Fear, & Stress
• Health & Body
• Family Problems
• Childhood & Adolescence
• Occupational & Academic Issues
• Depression & Mood
• Addictions & Compulsions
• Sexuality
• Relationships & Marriage
• Identity Issues
• Spirituality