Qualifications
* BA in Psychology from
* Predoctoral internship at the University of Cincinnati Counseling Center
* Ph.D. from
* Licensed in
I have worked at a local mental health center since 1995,
treating adults from a wide range of cultures and income levels, and have had a
private practice in
What is your approach to treatment?
My approach to therapy is collegial, supportive, gentle and practical. I know that people understand the world in many different ways, and I am comfortable working with a variety of approaches. My therapy is based on increasing the awareness of thoughts and feelings that are often learned in childhood, and which influence emotions and behavior today. I support people in making the changes they decide to make and teach people strategies for change. I am good at identifying resources such as books, websites, and local groups or services that may supplement our work.
In clinical terms, my approach to therapy can be described as a mix of cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and systems approaches. I believe that misery is partly made up of thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors that cause pain. Sometimes it is current or past relationships that cause pain, or ways of coping that once worked but now are not working as well. People are complicated, and problems that you have tried for a long time to work out are likely to be very complicated.
Sometimes people want to take a long, careful look at their past, and others are less interested in that. My main interest in past experiences and history is in understanding where ways of thinking and coping might have come from, so we can figure out what needs to be changed in the present.
I believe in the strength of people who want things in their lives to be different, that people are generally trying the best they can, and that they always want to get better, regardless of what their choices may look like to other people. Therapy can help people figure out what is going on and either accept it or change it. I also think it’s important to identify patterns of strength, effectiveness and success and see whether they may be applicable to the current problems. Finally, I believe that it’s not enough just to untangle problems, but to identify ways in which to live a truly happier, more satisfying life. Current research on positive psychology has been important to me in that area, and I use it to some extent with most clients.
One way I think about treatment is to consider the differences between “counseling” and “therapy”. Counseling usually involves us working together to help figure out how to get you “unstuck” in your particular life situation, taking into account your personal resources and abilities. That might involve learning new skills, identifying fears and thoughts that keep you from acting, or talking through difficult decisions. Counseling tends to be shorter-term and does not necessarily involve an extended exploration of your past. “Therapy” is usually more comprehensive and in-depth, and involves looking at dysfunctional, long-standing patterns of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviors that persist in making your life less rewarding than it can be. Sometimes the line between the two is clear; someone will come for counseling, resolve the issue and stop. Other times we may move back and forth, addressing current issues, working on resolving them and also looking at how they reflect the longer-term problems that we can work on in therapy.
What kinds of problems and what kinds of people have
you worked with the most?
I have had exposure to a broad range of clinical issues and many different cultures and belief systems, traditional and alternative. Here are some of the areas I know I do well with treating:
Anxiety and panic
Depression
Trauma and PTSD,
including DBT maintenance
Grief, including loss
of family members and pets
Managing serious
mental illness
Relationship and work
stress
Survivors of violent
crime
Immigration and
cultural stress
Religious and
spiritual stress from a variety of approaches, including evangelical
Christians, Muslims, Catholics, Pagans and Jews.
Compulsive shopping,
stealing, self-harm and substance use
I do not do couples or family counseling, and I don’t see children or adolescents. I specialize in working with individual adults. I have worked with and can diagnose problems including bipolar disorder, personality disorders, major depression, panic disorder, agoraphobia, schizophrenia, and complex PTSD, among other maladies.
An important note is that I am not easily available outside of session except by e-mail, and my practice is designed in such a way that I’m not a “first responder” for a crisis. If you are someone who is currently struggling with serious suicidal thoughts, self harm, or active addiction, I am probably not the best therapist for you right now. I do know other therapists who are better suited to working with those issues, and I’m happy to refer you to them if you wish.
I tend not to work in areas where I live or carry out my own business, so it’s unlikely that I will personally know anything about the people involved in your life. I am discreet and very careful about confidentiality. If you have been referred by a friend who is currently in treatment with me, I will need to discuss with them whether my seeing you would impact their treatment, and if so, I will have to refer you elsewhere. I do not usually see members of the same family because of confidentiality concerns.
How do I decide if you might be the right therapist
for me?
I might be the right therapist if:
You are functioning fairly well most of the time but have persistent areas that interfere with your quality of life
You know there’s something wrong and are concerned it may be something serious, and want an experienced professional’s eye
You have had a difficult time in the past, are doing fairly well now but need someone to help you maintain your recovery and continue to build your skills
You have very difficult, embarrassing, or complicated problems or come from a background or lifestyle that you think most people wouldn’t understand
You need complete discretion
You can handle communications or issues outside of office hours on a non-urgent basis, or primarily through e-mail
You like a style of therapy that includes active engagement from me, and often the use of humor
You’re willing to be very honest and to work outside of sessions as needed
You have the financial resources and/or adequate insurance coverage to pay for the amount of treatment necessary
You can commit to regular attendance, and will pay the cancellation fees if you cancel late or don’t come at all.
I might not be the right therapist if:
You need someone who is easily available outside of office hours
You need someone with a lot of flexibility in times and days for therapy (I have limited time in each of my offices, and it would be difficult to reschedule a regular time in the same week, or to see you more than once a week)
You want family or couples therapy, or want me to see your kids
You have limited insurance coverage and your budget cannot support regular treatment right now
You have court cases coming up which might involve your therapist
You are at a point where you are in crisis either because of increased suicidality and self-harm, or because of escalation of a major mental illness
You need standard DBT (I can help you maintain and practice skills once you have been through DBT skills training, are stable and working on later levels of recovery)
You are in early recovery from substance abuse, or dependent on substances (I have some background in substance abuse, but more with middle and late recovery, and relapse prevention)
You live far away from my offices
You can’t commit to keeping appointments once they are made, because of a hectic lifestyle, frequent crises at work or with family
In general, while I am experienced with very serious clinical issues, including major mental illness and suicidality, and will not be alarmed by that if it is in your history, my current practice is limited in scope to lower levels of acuity. This is because I don’t have the appropriate availability in terms of time or office space to see people with the flexibility and intensity they may need in that kind of situation/ If you have a major mental illness that requires medication for ongoing management, I can work with you if you have a good relationship with a prescriber and other social supports that you can rely on during relapses or crisis.
