New to Grow
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC), and a trained Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. I hold degrees in engineering physics (BS, Cornell University), chemical engineering (PhD, Texas Tech), and Professional Counseling (MA, Amberton University). I studied engineering physics at Cornell University on an ROTC scholarship. I came to Texas with the United States Air Force and served as both a navigator on the KC-135A Stratotanker and as a base bioenvironmental engineer. After military service, I completed graduate school in chemical engineering at Texas Tech and then went to work in industry. I retired from industry in May 2024, and now I am practicing full time as a therapist. During my career in various industries, I became concerned by the number of my coworkers who suffered from depression and anxiety and was inspired to become a mental health professional. I earned the Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Amberton University and completed the practicum in a geriatric psychiatric hospital.
I assist with a wide range of life problems, particularly trauma, addiction, codependency, and family of origin issues. I use cognitive/behavioral and developmental approaches to therapy, and support clients who want to incorporate their spirituality in counseling. I encourage clients to take initiative and to develop insight in the healing process. I help clients challenge the old way of thinking, explore the origins of psychological wounds, and take ethical action.
I draw on my own life experiences and include validated, professional therapeutic techniques to collaborate with clients in overcoming obstacles in their careers, married life, parenting, and individual lives. For those clients who would like to integrate their spirituality in their journeys to heal and grow, I include prayer, scripture, and spiritual reading as part of the therapeutic process.
I work with a wide variety of clients, from young adult to advanced old age, from low to high socioeconomic status, across ethnicities, and who have diverse belief systems. While many clinicians provide mental health services to a "niche" demographic, I prefer the challenge of being a generalist so that I am always learning and strengthening my clinical skills. Being a generalist, however, does not mean my experience in any particular area is shallow. I see approximately 40 clients per week, so I have ample opportunity to develop methods and insights for many disorders which many other clinicians avoid.
Other specialties
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I implement CBT to assist clients in mitigating the symptoms of depression and anxiety; in their addiction recovery process; and in developing strategies to manage obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Interpersonal
With interpersonal therapy, I guide couples in discovering mutual empathy, learning new ways to communicate, and improving conflict resolution skills.
EMDR
With 10 years as a trained EMDR therapist, I apply this therapy as part of the healing process for a variety of traumatic experiences, such as combat, child abuse, sexual abuse, and violent crime.
Narrative
For clients who have career or stage of life concerns, I offer narrative therapy to assist these clients with understanding their life story and "rewriting" it if necessary.
Psychodynamic
With psychodynamic therapy, I work with the client to revisit early life experiences in order to understand their development, personality, and current circumstances.