ABOUT
What it’s like to work with me
Picture being able to sit down with someone you don’t know and immediately feeling comfortable sharing personal details about the challenges you’ve been having. You get emotional just talking about it, and you feel supported and seen. It was a relief to share those things with someone who is really listening. You already feel less anxious and that there is hope that things can change.
As our relationship continues, you feel you can trust me to work in your best interests. You’re willing to try some approaches to therapy that you don’t know anything about and may seem quite different than what you were expecting, like EMDR or IFS.
More than talk – it’s an experience
You discover that therapy can be about much more than talking about your problems. You find that it can be a place where you have transformative experiences gaining new insights, releasing emotional pain, developing a more positive relationship with yourself, and being able to interact with others and the world in the ways you always hoped.
Perhaps this sounds like a tall order or more than I can deliver, but for clients I’ve had who were dedicated to the process and willing to do what it takes, I’ve seen it happen many times. It’s what makes being a therapist truly awe-inspiring.
About Me
Licensed and trained to help you
I continue to be inspired by learning new ways of helping so I can provide you with the most therapeutic experience possible, including:
- Level 2 Trained Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist
- Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Certified Therapist
- Dynamic Enhanced Experiential Psychotherapy (DEEP) training from Candyce Ossefort-Russell who developed this approach
- Comprehensive Course in Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) with Dan Siegel, M.D., founder of the IPNB theory and author of Mindsight and many other works
- Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) training with Bonnie Badenoch, author of The Heart of Trauma and The Brain-Wise Therapist
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship
- Narrative Therapy training with therapist & author David Epston, one of the founders of Narrative Therapy
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Master of Arts in Professional Counseling, Texas State University, San Marcos
More about me
I have personal experience with counseling, as it has helped me navigate many difficult times in my life. This experience inspired me to help others through counseling.
I grew up in Oregon and moved to Austin in 1991. I enjoy hiking with my wife, as we find being outdoors extremely important for our well-being. My wife teaches art in elementary school. We have a daughter in high school who excels at musical theater and art. I also have a daughter from a previous marriage (her mother and I remain friends) pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Both of my daughters have probably taught me more than I have taught them!
I am a forever-aspiring jazz saxophonist. For me, playing music is a form of expression unlike any other, both humbling and inspiring.