I have been a psychotherapist for almost 30 years. In the spring of 2015, I moved to Portland Oregon to "semi-retire" and to be closer to family. I am now seeing a limited amount of clients exclusively online through my home office in Portland. This allows me to spend more time with family and to follow my passions of choral singing, drumming, exploring the beautiful Paciic Northwest, doing yoga, writing creative non-fiction and dedicating myself even more fully to a limited number of clients. I am still affiliated with Park Presidio Counseling Center which I helped found in San Francisco in 1991. I make trips to the Bay Area several times a year to see clients in person. As my practice is now EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE, I am licensed to see clients living anywhere in California only.
I received my graduate education at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, graduating in 1987. Since that time I have maintained a counseling center, trained interns, run groups, participated in online webinars speaking about topics relevant to psychology and healing and served as an examiner for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
At CIIS I learned a particular philosophy and method of psychotherapy that I still employ today. I call myself an "Existential Humanist" which means that I believe in meaning. Everything in our lives has meaning, including and maybe even especially, our trials and "pathologies". It is my job to help you find your meaning and to use that information to make your life more functional, peaceful and happy. The "humanist" part has several interpretations. Some say it implies an interactive/solution focused style. Others may say that it involves what it means to be human and to learn to accept ourselves for that and celebrate it. I believe it is all that and more. For me, the primary definition of being a humanist therapist involves authenticity. I bring my authentic self to the relationship and I encourage you to do the same. It is from this place that healing and growth begin and from this place we grow even more into our true authentic selves. But I am also a pragmatist. If you are suffering from panic or PTSD or if your relationship with a parent, friend, spouse or child is falling apart, meaning is certainly there but you also need tools to stop the suffering, pain and fear. Over a 30 year time span I have developed quite a tool bag and I am happy to share it with you. If you are having panic, you need to make it stop. If a relationship is failing you may need communication skills, or anger management or mindfulness practices. I have these tools and more to offer.
CIIS is also a school that teaches Transpersonal Psychology which brings the realm of spirituality into psychology. Of course this will aid in meaning for some people, but it also has a practical side in that learning how to meditate or do relaxation or mindfulness practices or creative visualization will ease psychological discomfort in most people who employ the techniques.
Learning to control the mind and the ego is another important aspect of how I help clients. When we know who we really are, in other words, when we know our AUTHENTIC SELF, we know that we are not the ego or the mind and we can learn to watch these aspects of self and not be a slave to them. The question of "who is the watcher" is always an interesting and very informative one.
In this world that has been accelerating at a pace beyond our expectations and sometimes beyond our ability to cope, how do we attain peace, happiness and fulfillment or at least the absence of anxiety and depression? Locked within our own personal story is the answer to this question. Whatever "pathology" you present with can be turned into a "path" toward your own healing. It's a journey I would like to take with those willing to take it. It isn't easy, this journey, but it is necessary.
If anything I have said resonates with you, please contact me and we can set up a time to meet. Be yourself and be well.