About Me

 Professionally,  I am a trained counselor educator (Ph.D.) & licensed clinical  social worker (LCSW-R) with twenty-five years of clinical experience. You  may also want to know I am a Christian and will incorporate spiritual  beliefs with those clients who feel this would be helpful.  I believe in  maintaining a healthy sense of humor and do my best to achieve a good  work life balance.  Overall, I strive to live out these three core values:

• Integrity - a life characterized by character & transparency
• Authenticity - being genuine, real & honest with myself & others
• Compassion - a true display of empathy & mercy towards others
  

Not that I do any of the above perfectly (by any means), but I do try to put into practice many of the principles I talk with others about.

In addition to counseling individuals and families I am also involved with the following:

• Providing clinical supervision for licensed therapists & master/doctoral level students
• Speaking at conferences, workshops and other addresses locally & nationally
• Delivering psychological consultation services for non-for-profit agencies & educational institutions
• Teaching at the undergraduate, graduate & doctoral levels
• Writing publications including peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters & book review

Therapeutically  I borrow from several different schools of thought.  When doing  psychotherapy I tend to work from a perspective that includes practical  skills (such as are found within the realm of Cognitive Behavioral  Therapy or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and believe many people can  find relief of their symptoms within a brief time frame. I also firmly  believe each person has multiple strengths and that experiencing a truly  therapeutic relationship is an important factor in causing lasting  changes. Some of my core therapeutic beliefs include the following:  

• Individuals are part of systems (family, work, church) & what we do (or don't do) affects these systems (Bowen, Satir),  
• Individuals are faced with critical tasks at key periods in their life (Erikson, Kohlberg),  
• Individuals are free to make choices, but must temper this freedom with personal responsibility (Frankl, Yalom),  
• Individuals are responsible for their own thoughts, feelings & actions (Adler, Glasser),  
• Individuals are shaped both by their past as well as who they desire to become in the future (Jung),  
• Individuals are also shaped tremendously by their social & cultural environment (Adler, White),  
• Individuals have meaning, no matter what their circumstances may be (Frankl, Kierkegaard),  
• Individuals  will have a better life (marked by greater contentment with self &  others) if they can learn to fully appreciate & live life in the  present moment (Linehan, Perls),  
• Individuals will make mistakes but can learn to correct these, and regardless, can learn to love themselves (Ellis),  
• Individuals  will experience therapeutic change if they have someone in their life  who is fully present genuine, and truly empathic (Nouwen, Rogers,  Yalom).  

2014: M.S., Higher Education Administration, University of Rochester

2008: Ph.D., Counselor Education and Supervision: Regent University 

2000: M.S.W., Social Work: Roberts Wesleyan College 

1992: B.A., Communication Arts: Roberts Wesleyan College 

2023: Internal Family Systems - Level 1

2019: Certified Integrative Mental Health Practitioner

2012: Licensed Clinical Social Worker "R" (Reimbursement) Privilege 

2012: Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) 

2011: Eye Movement Desensitization and  Reprocessing (EMDR) - Level 1 & 2

2010: DBT Skills Training and Behavioral Analysis for the Therapist

2008: L.C.S.W., (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) New York State (#076370) 

2004: Critical Incident Stress Management Level One Training Certified  

2000: Disaster Mental Health Training Certified (Red Cross)

Once  you know a little more about me, I also hope you will consider my  services.  When working with clients, I specifically try to help them  reach the following goals:

• Development of a more integrated sense of self,
• Experience increased individual meaning and purpose for their lives,
• Development of respectful and enduring relationships with others,
• Experience restoration, so they can live their life to the fullest potential.
  

When  you are ready to take the next step I encourage you to call and ask any  questions you may have - it's the best way to determine whether I could  be a good fit for your particular situation.  Whatever happens, you'll  likely get some valuable information... and perhaps be on your way to a  life marked by personal contentment, rewarding relationships and  authenticity!