I have spent many years working with a number of different populations, from Autism Spectrum Disorders to Eating and Feeding Disorders. The beauty of working in mental health for almost half my life is that I truly believe in the power of the therapeutic process and how we address the things in life that are no longer functional. The root cause of the distress is my focus because it demands such intricate and tactful navigation.

When it comes to therapy, I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship. I also believe in client accountability and responsibility in the therapeutic process. When we address the things in life which are no longer working, we are making a conscious choice to do something different. If there is a desire to enact real change, and to work diligently to enact said change, then I am here and ready to work alongside.

My family members, myself included, have struggled with a host of mental illnesses during my life. I remember having a desire to figure out why I was experiencing those issues and had a strong desire to try and find a reason for it and a way to shift the patterns I was seeing in myself and the relational dynamics in my family.

I enjoy being in the water. I live close to the ocean, so many times I will go to the beach for a swim and sometimes just to play in the waves. I have produced music for 20 years, so I enjoy being in my studio tinkering with tracks. I am also a big kid in the fact that I do enjoy playing video games.

Every morning I wake up early and take my dog for a walk, a time where I can focus on him and enjoy some peace and nature before I start my day.

Wow, there are quite a few. Most recently I re-read Healing The Shame That Binds You by John Bradshaw. That book is definitely on my client reading list. I have also read Internal Family Systems Theory by Richard Schwartz many many times. The theory outlines by the author makes an incredible amount of sense when it comes to why we engage with the world in the ways with which we do.

I spent most of my clinical internship working at Shine a Light Counseling in Monterey County, so that would be a favorite of mine. The idea of therapy as a luxury item or expense is detrimental to mental health culture and I was very grateful and proud to work at an organization that could offer affordable, truly affordable mental health counseling to the community.

I am primarily an introvert, so my recharging consists of engaging in my hobbies by myself or with small groups of close friends.

I do! I have a doberman. His name is Jameson and he is a big clumsy wannabe lap dog. Jameson is a smart pup, so much so that he recognizes the shift in tone of my voice and the words I use when wrapping up a session. When he hears me start to wrap with a client, he comes right over and makes it very clear he is ready to get out of the office and go lay in the sun on our deck. He also has a favorite stuffed animal, "ducky"…he's had it for years and it must be special because it is the first stuffed toy he has never destroyed.