First let me thank you for taking the time to visit my site. I hope you’ll give me an opportunity to travel with you in this life adventure.
Let me tell you a little about my background. I’ve been working in the field of psychotherapy/counseling since 1988 when I began working for Children’s Medical Center as a psychiatric technician. I soon found I had natural ability to be a compassionate presence with the children in my care. This natural ability was recognized by the professional staff there as I was “taken under their wings” and given many opportunities to gain more experience working with children in that inpatient setting. I’ll always be grateful to those professionals who encouraged and supported my growth and helped set me on this extraordinary path.
While continuing my education I began to yearn for experiences “out in the real world.” To that end, I left CMC and worked for several years for Family & Children’s Service and later CREOKS providing homebased services to families in crisis, working to help them remain intact or to get children and adolescents reunified where abuse or neglect had occurred. I found this work very rewarding. I also believe it helped me grow as a clinician as I experienced the trust a family places in an individual when they allow them into their home and their daily lives. That awareness remains with me to this day, every time an individual or couple walks through my door.
Upon graduating with my Masters in Social Work in 1996 I went to work for the Veteran’s Administration. During the 14 years I was there I learned a great deal about how we all do our best to cope with pain as we seek that elusive happiness that we believe we should be able to achieve. While at the VA I developed a reputation for being a compassionate and effective therapist. I developed an effective anger management program that helped many veterans to cope with the pain of war and their service more effectively. Some of those veterans have chosen to transition with me into private practice. I also developed expertise in depression, couples therapy, anxiety and, of course, post traumatic stress disorder. Those experiences at the VA helped shape my therapeutic approach and will remain with me for the rest of my life.
I left the VA on good terms in September of 2010 and launched a full-time private practice. My goal was to “stretch my wings” and do things my way, independent from a system and its many dictates and controls. That has proven to be an exciting adventure in my personal and professional growth. I look forward to seeing where it will continue to lead me.
If you’d like to contact me, you can reach me here and I will get back to you as soon as possible.