About me

How am I to work with?

I am truly down to earth.

I don’t mystify therapy, and I don’t pathologize people.

The only diagnosis I was taught that might apply to people is “Lack of Imagination.”

If a person can experience something, whatever it is, distressful though it may be, there’s probably something very human about it.

I hold two simultaneous perspectives on the human experience:  The sense of self that derives from others – that takes everything personally and wants to be seen, validated, appreciated.  And another sense of self that’s more transcendent that is not based on others.  Call it the observer, compassion, heart, whatever.  We all have it somewhere in there.

My Background

I have always had an interest in psychology and since 1999 have worked with people in different counseling contexts – younger people, older people, individuals, couples, and families.  I participated in the Integral Counseling Psychology program at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco; I graduated with a Master’s degree in the fall of 2003, and I earned my Marriage and Family Therapist license in January, 2007.

Before entering the counseling field professionally, I pursued a variety of experiences that I feel have widened my perspective and enable me to understand and relate to more people and what they might be going through.  I had previously lived on the East Coast, earned an A.B. in History of Art at Columbia College in NYC, and then headed to the West Coast to earn a Master’s degree in Art History at UC Berkeley.  Over the years, I have made black & white photographs the old-fashioned way using a darkroom, tampered with digital imaging, made two trips to India, experienced the transformative potential of Vipassana meditation and Hatha Yoga, written creatively, and produced a book on Native American rock art of the Southwest.  I hope this gives you some sense of the kind of person I am.

I continue to seek truth in different ways and gently push my edges.  And I continue to appreciate the unassuming things that pass us by – both heard and seen, both ordinary and not so ordinary.

What is a Psychotherapist – Marriage Family Therapist?

I’m a Master’s-level Psychotherapist.  It means I went through a graduate level school and earned a masters degree.  And it means I am licensed by the State to practice therapy/counseling/psychotherapy.  All those words point to the same thing and all folks who earn a masters have pretty much the same training.  My education and training included some extra work in the realm of families, couples, and groups.  If you want to learn more about the differences between the different kinds of practitioners out there, check my FAQ section on the home page.