I became a psychologist because I am deeply interested in people: what shapes us, why we suffer, how we understand ourselves and others, and what helps meaningful change become possible. For me, good therapy begins with knowing the person in depth. Symptoms matter, but they do
not tell the whole story. I want to understand what you have lived through, how you have learned to navigate the world, what matters to you, where you feel stuck, and what you hope might be different.
My style is genuine, relaxed, supportive, and thoughtful. I see therapy as a real conversation rather than a performance. I will listen carefully, ask questions, offer observations, and at times serve as a sounding board as we try to understand what is happening together.
Part of the work may involve looking at longstanding patterns and experiences. Part may involve finding a different perspective on a current problem. Often it involves reconsidering how you see yourself, other people, and the world around you. I do not assume that the same approach is right for everyone. Therapy should respond to the person, not force the person into a predetermined formula.
My professional and life experience has taken me through settings that have exposed me to people at very different stages of life and under very different circumstances. I have worked in residential care, nursing-home settings, college counseling, military behavioral health, teaching, and private practice. I have also served in the military and spent significant periods of my life in both Buddhist and Carmelite monastic settings.
These experiences have influenced the way I listen and the way I think about suffering, meaning, relationships, identity, and change. They have also made me comfortable working with people whose lives, beliefs, personalities, and experiences may be very different from my own.
Questions of meaning, values, spirituality, and how to live can be important parts of psychological life. They are welcome in therapy when they are meaningful to you. My own experience with contemplative traditions informs who I am, but I do not assume that clients share my beliefs or that spirituality needs to be part of therapy.
You can expect a relationship that is collaborative, genuine, and respectful. My hope is that therapy becomes a place where you can speak honestly, feel understood, examine difficult things without judgment, and gradually see yourself and your circumstances with greater clarity.
