Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

A discussion to become acquainted with one another, for you to ask any questions you have for me, and for me to gather information to complete a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. This foundational assessment is then used to develop specific, measurable treatment goals developed and negotiated to work toward the therapeutic outcomes you are seeking. This initial session is significantly enhanced by your completion of the intake paperwork, depression screening, and anxiety screening tools, before we meet for the first time. It is important for you to have a reliable internet connection and to have a location where you can meet alone in privacy. There is no one else living in my home. Sessions may not be recorded by either party, and should not include someone else in the room with you, unless I am made aware and do not feel it will disrupt your treatment. We cannot meet if you are not in the State of California during our sessions, as my license does not cover seeing people in other states, even if your are a California resident on a visit, business trip, or vacation outside of California. Grow does offer AI for therapist notes. I have not used this function as it requires recording of the session, though erased as soon as the note has been developed. I am old school and prefer the traditional way of formulating my own notes, but am open to using the AI function if this is your preference.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

Extensive experience and therapeutic skills set, given my 46 years of professional practice within the mental health field, whether delivering direct services, building programs, managing multiple programs, or administering very large programs or systems of care. I was an oral examiner for 15 years with the California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners when licensing still involved an oral examination. I am flexible having delivered services in the office, in people's homes, in FEMA shelters following disasters, in prisons, in state forensic hospitals, in state developmental centers, with CPS, with homeless individuals, and most recently via tele-health. I am very empathetic. I am familiar with systems and programs, thus can assist you to understand and negotiate them, never accepting no when a yes is possible. We will work to overcome any systemic barriers in the way of needed treatment for which you are eligible. My breadth of experience is such that I am comfortable addressing difficult issues. I am not here to judge you or"fix" you. My means of demonstrating cultural competence is listening to the norms and expectations you have lived with. I stay away from making generalizations about any culture, and rely on you to educate me in how you relate to your cultural background, including answering questions I may have about how your cultural identity impacts you personally and your larger environment, including friends, family, spiritual beliefs, and community norms. I am willing to work with people of any gender identity, sexual orientation, religious background, ethnic background, racial background, socioeconomic circumstances, and those ages 14-65. I am monolingual in English, so proficiency in English is essential for a productive dialogue. Though I have worked with people of all backgrounds, I give everyone a new look. I do not review prior records before meeting with you, instead doing a psychosocial history, and formulating my own impressions. I have seen errors and biases passed on from one clinician to another. I rely upon you to help me understand your identity and how it impacts you and how you relate to the world, making no assumptions based on stereotypes. I believe very strongly in providing the least restrictive intervention possible to keep you safe. I have not initiated an involuntary hospitalization in over 20 years. I do not see acute psychiatric hospitals as therapeutic- rather a place to ensure safety when no less restrictive plan can be arranged for someone at high risk. Should I ever consider you have reached this point, I may encourage you to be evaluated in an ER, where they will determine if that level of care is appropriate. Often they can administer emergency medications that enable return home in less than 24 hours. I have a wide breadth of real life interests. I live walking distance from the beach and redwood forest as they are my places of peace and renewal. I like attending concerts and music festivals, spending time with family and friends, photography, attending Santa Cruz Warriors games with my brother, staying off the beaten path in my travels, reading, attending weird movies, people watching, hiking, working out, maintaining my home, and writing for pleasure. I have not always had the time and opportunity to engage in self-care, but doing so now is a large part of my being. I am totally committed to maintaining confidentiality. I provide a more detailed description of this before your first appointment, but other than reporting mandated by law, I will not release information verbally or in writing without your expressed signed and dated written consent. Any consent you sign can be withdrawn verbally or in writing. at any time. Even with consent, I do not release your record, but rather provide a summary of therapeutic issues and treatment specific to the need. I strongly discourage mentioning that you are in therapy if you are involved in a legal proceeding, as an attorney can then attempt to subpoena your record. My goal is never to create a dependency on me. There are some situations that require therapy for an extended period of time, but my goal is to address your presenting issues and others that may come up, help you develop skills to manage these independently, and come to joint agreement on termination of services. I am more direct in my communication than some therapists, as my goal is to be more active than just listening and nodding my head. As I was trained psychodynamically, I am interested in identifying and helping you uncover unconscious thought patterns that may be complicating current issues. I am just a guide. Any success comes through your hard work, though at times I will interject to keep you focused. While I am required to develop diagnostic formulations and code them for insurance purposes, I am far more concerned about symptoms and functional limitations they pose rather than getting stuck on labels. Mental health diagnoses are merely short-cuts to describe various combinations of symptoms and functional limitations. As in my career I have cycled through the DSM II, DSM III, DSM III-R, DSM IV, DSM IV-TR, DSM-5, and DSM-5-TR, along with the ICD-10, I have seen many diagnostic categories added, eliminated, redefined, and consolidated for consistent sets of symptoms. Non-professional articles will often lead to people coming in labeling themselves inaccurately. Over time there have been different trending diagnoses, such as multiple personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and neurodivergence. Most often people mislabel themselves, at times with diagnoses that later cease to exist.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

Those with post traumatic stress disorder, victims of domestic violence, adults molested as children, serious and persistent mental illnesses (Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders), end of life issues, interpersonal conflict, and level 1 autism spectrum disorders. I do not do couples therapy, family therapy, forensic services, Christian counseling, therapies incorporated with drugs, or groups. It is important to me that you have a serious commitment to therapy, which includes, prompt and consistent attendance, a minimum of 24-hours for cancellations, and timely completion of anxiety, depression, and quality of life scales being filled out before each session. This is good clinical practice, but also a requirement for those with Kaiser insurance. They will not provide continued authorization without regular submission of these documents, which can be completed very rapidly and online. For those members with Kaiser, they do not permit no show fees, but two no-shows in 3 months can lead to closure of your case. Last minute cancellations, except in case of emergencies, are considered a no-show for this purpose. I likewise have a responsibility to see you on time and accord you flexibility in exceptional circumstances. I will not accept abusive language, threats, or vulgar speech, nor will I speak to you in this manner. You can expect that I will treat you with respect, concern, and consistency. There are instances where you may need additional support to remain safe, without which I cannot continue to see you and feel confident I can ensure your safely. This may be assurance there is someone available in your home to be with you, a referral to an intensive outpatient program, a crisis stabilization program, a medication evaluation, 23-hour crisis evaluation, or in extraordinarily rare cases, a recommendation for acute psychiatric hospitalization. Your personal safety and that of others is always my number 1 concern. You cannot be forced to take medications, though there are times when it may be advisable to continue being seen in virtual outpatient services. I never recommend cannabis, alcohol, ketamine, mushrooms, or other such substances. I am a non-medical psychotherapist, so prescribing or recommending medication is not within my scope of practice. I do not provide treatment in conjunction with the use of mushrooms or ketamine. If you are using drugs or alcohol and I find that your usage is preventing therapeutic progress or exacerbating your condition, I will refer you to a drug or alcohol program for concurrent treatment or in some instances not see you until you have attended a program and become clean/sober. I am not a drug and alcohol treatment specialist. If at any time you feel we are not a good match, I would prefer we discuss it first. I do not take any offense if this happens, but rather expect it will happen from time-to-time. Not every therapist is right for every person. I am committed to helping you find another therapist if you choose this. It is important that you are not texting, looking at social media, or otherwise distracted by your phone during sessions. It is important that we both give our full attention to the therapeutic process. I am available to schedule additional appointments with you during times of crisis. I normally see people 1 hour per week and always at the same time. I keep my own schedule. If you desire a different time, I will offer you available times as people complete their treatment and openings arise. Because my practice is limited to 6-8 people per week, seen on either Tuesdays or Thursdays from 3 PM-8:30 PM, I ask that you do not place any appointments in my schedule other than your intake assessment.

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