Welcome to my practice.
I am a clinical psychologist and have spent many years of my professional career working in private practice settings. My training is as a cognitive behavioral therapist; this means that I work in a collaborative fashion. In other words, we will work together to formulate your goals for therapy and to understand and change those things that might be interfering with your ability to live the kind of life you wish to live. Your input and feedback are important parts of the therapy process. As with most work, the more active and engaged and committed you are to your therapy, the more effective it will be for you.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (commonly referred to as CBT) focuses on how the ways we think, act, and feel are all interconnected. We will identify ways of thinking and behaving that may not be helpful for you, and work to understand and change those patterns to more useful ones.
CBT often involves your completing assignments outside of your therapy sessions, such as practicing or rehearsing new ways of thinking, new behaviors, and new skills. Such “homework” is an important part of what makes therapy effective. I might also ask you to do some reading outside of your therapy sessions — there are now many useful self-help books available, and some of them are even fun to read!
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Recently, a relatively new form of CBT has become part of the work I do. It is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and this approach emphasizes the use of mindfulness and thoughtful self-observation to produce a more satisfying life—one that is more in accord with your personal values.
Crisis Services & Referrals
Because I am a sole practitioner working in a receptionist-free office, I do not offer crisis services — that is, I won’t always be able to return phone calls immediately or schedule a crisis session immediately. While I will do the best I can to get you scheduled as quickly as possible if you are a current client and in crisis, I won’t always be able to do so immediately. In that case, I would refer you to either an emergency service or your physician. I do not typically have an open enough schedule to offer new clients crisis appointments.
If, as we work together, we decide that you or your family members would benefit from working with another psychologist, I would refer you to another clinician appropriate for your care. Also, because I do not conduct psychological testing, if testing should be necessary I will refer you to another psychologist.
Ask Questions
If you have any questions about any of this, please do ask — therapy works best when you understand the process and feel comfortable asking questions.
I greatly enjoy doing therapy, whether it is with individuals, couples, or families. At the same time, I take it very seriously—after all, it involves helping people change their lives.
I look forward to meeting you should you decide to come to my practice. My office hours are Thursday through Saturday; the specific hours differ each day (and are posted on this website).
