(he/him)
Welcome. I have been practicing for 26 years in Los Angeles as a California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. My work has taken me through working with children, adolescents and families as clinician, clinical supervisor and middle manager for many years. I retired a few years ago to focus on what I enjoy, which is working with people and to continue growing my clinical knowledge and skills. I learned, early on, that being in my own therapy and seeking supervision were the most effective ways of avoiding impasses, and so I have maintained my own therapy throughout my career. Because I believe in-person therapy to be more effective than telehealth, particularly when big feelings are involved, I maintain an office in West Los Angeles, Century City adjacent. I work with couples and adults, in-person weekly, with video reserved for emergencies only. I offer weekend sessions for more privacy and for folks that are working. My training has included Primal Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, IMAGO Relationship Therapy, and psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approaches (Wright Institute LA and others). I have found that thoughts, feelings and sensations are all important and connected. My thoughts re trauma are that trauma impact reduction happens more for people when connection to the original source occurs, in the context of a safe and empathically attuned therapeutic relationship.
Prior to intake, we will have a 15-20 minute no-charge consultation to determine fit. The first session, or two, we focus collaboratively on gathering history to build context around what is bringing you to therapy now. I encourage you to tell me about what has worked/not worked, in past therapy experiences if applicable. I am happy to find out what is important for you to know. I will ask you about what brings you to therapy now, and mutually discover how you have managed in your life to this point. I will ask you about your family growing up, and where are now in your life.
Having spent a lot of time on the couch/chair as a client, I am comfortable and attuned with both sides of the couch/chair. We can count on my empathy and intuition to be fairly present and accurate, and I'm comfortable with discovering when I am off-base or not understanding the full picture. I have strengths in working with feelings and with what is held in the body. I have a lot of experience and knowledge gained from working with systems such as DCFS, Probation, Mental Health, Schools, Legal etc.
I enjoy working with clients who are curious about themselves, who are persistently motivated to discover themselves, who seek to resolve traumatic impacts, and who are willing to risk being radically honest with themselves. I am best able to work with folks who are able to support themselves, i.e. are working, perhaps have a career focus, perhaps educational goals, as I not longer write psychiatric holds or provide in person crisis response.
I identify as
Psychodynamic
I follow and help facilitate deepening of feelings in session that build connections to underlying motivation, positive and negative.