Individual Therapy

Struggling internally or in our social lives can be most frustrating, and can even affect our physical health. Often, we human beings have developed a life-long pattern of behavior when we are stressed. That pattern tends to be on "automatic pilot," and we aren't even aware that we are dealing with issues in that particular manner. Frequently, the behavior is not the best for dealing with life's difficulties. As your therapist, I can help you identify these patterns, and make them conscious, so that you can take them off "automatic pilot," and choose to deal with life's issues in a more beneficial manner. Some common issues that therapy can help include depression, anxiety, mood swings, work stress, losses, fears, guilt, bad habits, anger, and feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. Counseling can also help improve relationships with partners, children, parents, friends, or co-workers.

I am trained to help with these and many other problems. I perform a careful assessment, and together with you, come up with a plan to resolve the concerns.

Couples Therapy

All relationships have times of difficulty, but research has shown that couples are more likely to stay together and build a stronger relationship over the years if they "make repairs" when there is trouble. Unfortunately, many couples do not do this. Instead, there is increased arguing and escalation of the conflict or one or both people withdraw, leading to distance, and eventually, to resentment. Neither arguing nor distancing is satisfying, and both are damaging. If your relationship is suffering, I will offer tools to help you turn it into a rewarding, loving partnership.

I provide marital and pre-marital therapy. I work with couples who are dating or living together. I also help gay and lesbian relationships.

Child/Adolescent Therapy

We like to think that childhood is a happy time, but unfortunately, for some children this is not always true. Even children can have stress, depression, and fears. Some have difficulty in school, or with their peers. Others can be angry or defiant. Some may be struggling to adjust to trauma, illness, parental divorce, or other strife.

Adolescence can be an even more difficult time with the added possibility of becoming involved in detrimental or risky behaviors.

As your child or teen's counselor, I use talk and/or play therapy to decrease anxiety or depression, and to help him or her develop healthy patterns of dealing with troubles and interacting with others. When appropriate I include the parent(s) or other family members in the sessions. I also provide parenting suggestions and support.

Avoiding/Surviving Divorce

Divorce can be a devastating experience for all it touches. It raises very intense feelings of hurt, anger, guilt or betrayal, and fear. When children are involved, these feelings become even more intense for the parents and the children.

The usual first choice is to avoid divorce. (See Couples Therapy.) However, if divorce is unavoidable, or is chosen by one or both parties, therapy can be helpful for recovery and rebuilding your lives. I have specialized in working with families of divorce by providing therapy to divorcing adults and their children. I also provide co-parenting sessions and parent-child reunification therapy. (See below.)

Co-Parenting
Research has shown that children's adjustment to divorce correlates directly to the level of parental conflict after the divorce. Although the children's well-being should be most important, hurt and angry parents may lose sight of this. They find themselves involved in heavy disputes regarding custody, visitation, and parenting styles. Co-parenting counseling is a more positive, and less costly, way to resolve differences than by going through attorneys and court. I provide co-parenting sessions, either voluntary or court-ordered, that assist parents in interacting and making decisions for their children despite negative feelings and beliefs about the other parent. Specific issues between you and the other parent are dealt with, and upon completion of the sessions, there is a written co-parenting plan that you have helped create, and that you and the other parent have agreed to and signed. This document can be presented in court if you wish.

Parent-Child Reunification
Sometimes a parent has been estranged from his or her child. There has been little or no interaction with the child for a considerable length of time. When the parent wants to come into the child's life, there may be concern how the child will be affected by the re-unification. I provide parent-child reunification sessions, often court-ordered. First, I assess whether reunification will be in the best interest of the child. Then I prepare the child for seeing the parent and the parent for seeing the child. Thirdly, I am present during the sessions to facilitate a smooth introduction and interaction between the parent and child. If court-ordered, I prepare a report for the court.

Critical Incident Debriefing/Traumatic Events Support

If you have a business, school, or agency where there has been a traumatic, critical incident, I have been trained to help your staff, customers, students, or clients cope with the trauma. A few examples of support sessions (debriefings) I have conducted include after: bank or store robberies; a building fire that included loss of life; a shooting in a mall; a suicide of a student or employee.

Clinical Supervision

Since 1999, I have provided clinical supervision for dozens of social work (MSW) and marriage and family therapist (MFT) interns seeking California state licensure. I meet all of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requirements to provide supervision, and there are many persons, now-licensed, who completed their required experience hours under my supervision.