Licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and accepts 13 insurances. Specializes in Grief, Health/Medical Issues, Mood Disorders and 5 more.
New to Grow
Hi, I’m George. I’m not just a mental health therapist, but a health therapist. Mind and body are always connected, so I use an integrative approach to help people achieve wellness both mentally and physically. Are you depressed and also have chronic pain? Or feel overly anxious and have stomach issues? Or do you have PTSD and can’t sleep at night? These pairings are actually the norm rather than the exception. I’m here to treat all of you, the parts that everyone sees and the parts where you suffer alone. My approach is judgment-free. As a fellow traveler, I know that no matter how much you are weighed down by pain, fear, or sadness, there is beauty inside you, so let’s treat your wounds and amplify your natural strengths to help you reach your goals. I will listen to your story and validate your struggle. I will also challenge you when needed to clarify your thinking, improve daily habits, regulate your emotions, and mend strained relationships. I use whatever tools are needed to help you find peace, whether it’s traditional talk therapy, mindfulness, humor, storytelling, or getting outdoors in nature, together we will find works best for you.
We’ll get to know each other and talk about what you’re looking for in therapy and in life. I’ll explain how I work, answer all your questions, and make sure you feel comfortable and respected. Then we’ll get into what’s been bothering you to see if we can come up with a plan to move forward.
Experience I’ve worked in education and industry, hospitals and clinics, in both the private and public sectors. There are not many conditions I have not encountered, so whatever is troubling you, chances are I can provide some insight that is genuinely useful. Continuous Learning I have learned from every client I’ve ever had. I’m always growing, both professionally and personally. At the moment, I'm pursuing my doctorate in clinical psychology, so I bring updated skills, the latest research, and a genuine curiosity about the human experience. Radical Genuineness Clients appreciate my authenticity and my ability to see through the fog and figure out what’s really happening. I’m not afraid to give you an honest opinion or to reveal things about myself when it’s needed. We’re both flawed human beings trying to navigate this painful and beautiful world, and sometimes life is absurd, so I may even bring some humor to the proceedings because laughter is the best medicine. Clarity I’m really good at explaining stuff, even the most complicated theories. I’ve been an educator for over twenty years in both clinic and classroom, so helping people understand is my specialty.
I work best with clients who think too much, feel too much, and are overwhelmed by the complexity of the world, who feel as if no one is hearing them, and those who are also willing to examine themselves to discover areas of potential growth. I excel at health-related issues, and helping those suffering from grief and loss. I enjoy working with couples who are having relational troubles, and I am very skilled in working with teachers and medical professionals who need someone who understands their struggles.
Sometimes, you just can't believe everything you think, especially when a person, place, or thing automatically triggers a negative thought that ends up making you feel terrible about yourself or others. Sometimes, those thoughts are so automatic that we get used to them, and they begin to shape our lives and behaviors. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps us to catch these distorted thoughts, to examine them to see if they're accurate, and if not, to change them into something more productive. It's a method that has worked for millions of people, and is supported by decades of research. In classic talk-therapy fashion, it is mostly back-and-forth conversation, but after a while, you'll probably learn something about yourself and the way you think.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is incredibly effective for those who suffer from intense emotions that derail your life, strain relationships, or make you hate yourself on a daily basis. It's an intense learning workshop with four modules: 1) how to be more mindful of yourself and the world around you. 2) how to manage severe distress when it hits. 3) how to regulate emotions on a daily basis. 4) how to get along better with others. In doing so, you will learn that black-and-white thinking is often the problem. Instead, we take a 'dialectical' approach, meaning there is more than one way to view reality. We also learn that we shouldn't always believe what we feel because emotions are usually automatic, and the way we behave when we're upset may cause us to regret our actions later. Sometimes it's better to 'practice the pause' and try something different. DBT teaches you all the skills of how to manage your inner life and to live more peacefully with others.
Sometimes we question the entire meaning of life, wondering, what is it all about? Why am I here? Why do some people suffer while others get away with everything? Some say there is no inherent meaning to life, so we have to create purpose for ourselves. Existential therapy tackles the big issues that affect us all (and sometimes keep us up at night): 1) Death: we are all mortal, even if we don't want to think about it, and this can cause anxiety. At the same time, death gives meaning to life, making it all the more precious. This overlaps with Grief Therapy, as we never really appreciate anything until we lose it, so maybe we can learn more about gratitude in the present. 2) Freedom: because we have free will, it is up to us to make the right choices. Like they say, with great power comes great responsibility, so take ownership of your actions and be the author of your own life. 3) Isolation: have you ever felt profoundly lonely? even in a crowd? Even though we share our lives with others, ultimately, we are alone in this world. That is why connecting with others is so important. 4) Meaninglessness: Destiny sounds good, but it may not be a thing. The Universe does not hand you a predetermined purpose, so it's up to us to find it by recognizing our values, relationships, passions, and creative endeavors. We can learn to find meaning and live a fully authentic life.
The mind and body are connected in scientifically proven ways we understand and in many ways we don't yet understand, so there is no such thing as treating one without the other. How well you sleep at night affects how you function during the day, and your daily energy output affects your sleep at night. What you eat affects your emotions, and how you feel emotionally affects what you eat. The amount of sunlight you get regulates your mood, and your level of exercise affects your cognitive ability. We'll talk about your emotions but we'll also discuss that miraculous machine known as the human body because everything that happens in your brain is mirrored in your biology, and vice versa.
Every person's life is a story, including yours and mine, and everyone else is a supporting character. Or do you feel like the supporting character in your own story? Sometimes, we lose the thread of our own lives, either through tragedy or persecution, and we need to wrestle back our control. The truth is that sometimes, the world really is against us, and this needs to be recognized. But no story comes without conflict, so instead of staying stuck in your role as sufferer, at some point you have to take action and shape your own plot-line to reach your desired conclusion. Your story is not over, and it's up to you where it goes.