Clinical Practice

TABLE OF CONTENTS
General
Couples Counseling
Chemical Dependency
Forgiveness Counseling
Forms


General
In my psychotherapy practice, I welcome individuals and couples who are suffering from inner conflicts and/or real-life stressors and want to feel better. I believe that the most important factor in a healing experience is the chemistry between the therapist and the client. Insight, empathy, creativity and humor are all aspects of my approach to the human dilemma. Personal growth occurs when increases in self-awareness and self-acceptance lead to new ways of seeing things and responding to life's challenges. My goal as a therapist is to be a catalyst for positive change and a facilitator of personal growth. I consider it a privilege and a sacred responsibility to accept this role in the lives of my clients.

Within a reasonable period of time after starting treatment, I will discuss with you my working understanding of your concerns, propose a treatment plan and explain therapeutic objectives and possible outcomes of the therapy. Participation in therapy can result in a number of benefits to you, including improved interpersonal relationship and resolution of the specific concerns that led you to seek therapy.

I specialize in working with the long-term patterns of relationship problems and the depression, anxiety or trauma that may both underlie and result from those patterns. I work with individuals, couples, families and groups. I have special experience working with individuals and their families impacted by the specter of chemical dependency, money challenges, divorce and stepfamily issues, questions of faith and spirit and sexual, health and pain concerns.

I welcome any questions you may have, so please feel free to contact me.
(back to top)


Couples Counseling
Interpersonal conflict is a given in life. There is no escaping it. It is often most deeply felt in close, intimate relationships, where we reveal ourselves to our partner. It is fair to say that these relationships are among the most difficult and enriching of human experience.

When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One represents "danger" and the other represents "opportunity." This dichotomy is an apt way of describing the challenges and joys found in couple relationships. When the pain of the relationship outweighs the pleasure, help is needed to restore trust and increase the possibilities for true love and intimacy.

My role as a couples therapist is to help you and your partner, in the safe environment of my office, to face your challenging issues and to do so with growing clarity and a sense of hope.

Areas I focus on:
Couples Communication
Conflict Resolution
Emotional Intimacy
Nurturing Self and Other
Healthy Sexuality
Infidelity
Healthy Parenting
Avoiding Divorce
Healthy Divorce
Blended Families
Financial Clarity

I work to help you gain insight into the underlying causes of your difficulties and to develop skills that will enable you and your partner to create a satisfying and fulfilling relationship.
(back to top)


Chemical Dependency
I have been working with individuals and their families with chemical dependency issues—alcoholism and drug dependency—for twenty-five years. I trained with Stephanie Brown, Ph.D., at Stanford, using her developmental recovery model.

Chemical dependency is a physiological and psychological disease.  Job loss, relationship dysfunction, legal and financial problems—these are among the devastating consequences of the disease. Additionally, chemical dependency is a “systems disease”—that is, it impacts the user’s system of loved ones, friends and colleagues, frequently to the point where they need to seek treatment themselves.

If you think you or someone you love is suffering from chemical dependency, I can help assess your situation. Following a respectful, thorough evaluation, I will give you my clinical judgment of your situation. It will then be your decision if you want to enter treatment to address this issue.  I will do my best to offer you help. You don’t have to do it alone.
(back to top)


Forgiveness Counseling
There is a popular saying that claims while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. There is no escaping the painful fact that we cannot control the people, places and things we interact with nor can we be assured that the outcomes we seek in interactions with others will be guaranteed.  As reasonable as those expectations are, there will be times when, in spite of our best intentions, we become locked in emotional control battles such as difficult relationships, losses, mistreatments by others or by life, health problems, career frustrations or any other causes of suffering, leaving us feeling victimized and resentful.
 
Many of us already have a decent understanding of how and why we are “stuck.”  What we do not know how to do is to let go of whatever it is that is hurting us. Enter Forgiveness Counseling. In 2002, Dr. Fred Luskin published Forgive For Good, which laid out the nine-step forgiveness process he created that has been extensively researched and successfully used to help tens of thousands suffering people.

Since 2008, I have been training with and teaching alongside Dr. Luskin, refining his Forgive for Good methodology for use in my clinical practice. Using the Forgive for Good practices, I will teach you how to:

- Create “positive refocusing” through exercises of mindfulness, the use of the narrative, and guided imagery;
- Identify and examine the major underpinnings of grievance formation;
- Recognize typical resistances to practicing forgiveness and learn methods for working through them
- Learn how to incorporate the practice of forgiveness into your everyday life.
(back to top)


Forms
Prior to your first office visit, I may ask you to fill out some forms. They can be downloaded below and filled out before you arrive for your convenience.

Client History Form
Client Consent Form
Notification Form
HIPPA 2011

(back to top)