My Approach to Helping
Those who come to see me are often struggling with such issues as change, loss, trauma, depression, or anxiety. Some are facing a new life circumstance. Others are in therapy for personal growth.
My most important job is to listen, to hear the parts of yourself that are longing to be known. And to offer a space that allows you to move towards positive change.
In our sessions we will explore your hopes, goals, and dreams with an eye towards understanding where you are in your life and what has been holding you back. I see my job as providing a warm, safe non-threatening environment where you can face your issues and where we can heal the psychological wounds that have been causing so much pain.
More Info About My Practice
In addition to being a psychotherapist I am a college professor teaching humanities and psychology. My work in depth psychology goes back 20-some years, to my time as the founding editor of The Salt Journal and director of The Salt Institute. I have worked with and studied under some of the leading figures of the archetypal psychology (including James Hillman, Ginette Paris, and David Miller) and have served on the board of directors for the International Association of Jungian Studies and the Foundation for International Training—Zurich. I am the co-founder of a dream tending group that has been meeting continuously for more than 15 years.
In recent years, I’ve become interested in the humanistic and existential approaches to counseling, especially the work of such masters as Carl Rogers, Rollo May, and Irvin Yalom. I’ve found that existential therapy seems to work well for clients who aren’t fully served by Jungian psychotherapy. For a few clients, I offer Brief Strategic Therapy, lasting from two sessions to three months.
My View on the Purpose of Psychotherapy
A lot of the trendier psychotherapies work like a band aid, focusing on making symptoms disappear. Or on changing behavior while ignoring the root causes of our pain. Those therapies can be vitally important in relieving short-term distress, but they tend to be temporary. My own work--using Jungian, existential, and humanistic psychologies--is based on re-establishing a healthy relationship to the Self and on changing the underlying psychological dynamics that have been causing so much trouble.
Clinicians who offer sliding scale payment structures may offer lower or reduced fees based on an individual's ability to pay. Please contact this clinician for more details regarding their fees or sliding scale policy.