A great deal of psychological distress comes from attempting to avoid or hide aspects of our experience that threaten our sense of internal coherence and safety. This is, in a manner, how we survive life—by finding ways of feeling, relating, thinking, and coping that seem tolerable to us. But the parts we reject have a way of making themselves known in feelings of emptiness or shame; in compulsive behaviors and substance use; in anxiety, dissociation, or perfectionism.

Effective therapy can help loosen the reflexes we’ve developed to attack, escape, or manage ourselves (and others) as we work to better understand and more fully inhabit parts of ourselves that may be painful to acknowledge, hard to feel, or seem to be missing altogether.

An important dimension of this work involves trying to make sense of the ongoing and original causes of your difficulties. This doesn’t mean exhaustively retreading your childhood history or applying a long list of clinical labels to your internal and relational dynamics, though history and clinical concepts are important.

Equally important is how you feel and make use of your feelings, since therapeutic progress rarely occurs with insight or understanding alone. Often, psychological pain persists in spite of insight. This is one of the difficult ironies of having a mind: meaningful psychological change often requires more than meaningful psychological understanding. It involves our dynamic relationships with others, and the complex, often unconscious ways in which we internalize them.

Therapy can help us make better use of our emotional turmoil, and the confusion, lack of control, and despair it generates. It can help us enjoy a fuller range of emotions, be more truthful with ourselves, and engage more genuinely in relationships. In short, it can help make the difficult and never-ending task of being ourselves more honest, fulfilling, and pleasurable.

People tell me I am thoughtful, kind, down-to-earth, and playful. I don’t just “sit there,” but am very attuned to nonverbal communication and expression. I listen to what my clients say and to what they may not yet be able to say. I am collaborative and approach each client according to their experience, history, sensibility, and needs.

Mental health issues that I am experienced in working with include:

Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder

PTSD, early-life trauma/attachment issues, dissociation, shame, and inhibition

Personality disorders (BPD, etc.)

Perfectionism, overachievement, self-criticism, and burnout

AI overuse and dependence

Career changes and transitions

Relationship and intimacy challenges

Life transitions, including aging and loss, and changing relationships with family and friends

Family and parenthood stresses

Immigration, religion, and acculturation issues

Men's issues