I am passionate about my work, but I am also impassioned and concerned about the state of the world and do everything I can to make it a healthier place. This includes my psychotherapy practice.

I am also passionate about travel, local and other countries, a highlight, my safari in South Africa. The people, the animals, the culture, and the hope.

Reading mystery novels from Poe to Patterson, fashion, gardens and gardening, Formula 1 auto racing, music, TV, museums, exercise, friendships, spirituality, family and just sitting and doing nothing are things that feed my soul and provide contentment. I try not to “borrow trouble” as the old saying goes and do all I can to live a balanced fife even when it is difficult. Our society and its many cultures give a lot of lip service to having balance, but we are not very good at supporting it. A satisfying life balance is a theme in my work as a therapist. Work and play can’t always be equal, I get that, but often better than we think.

A balanced life is often attainable with the willingness to adjust a bit here, and change something there, sometimes dramatic but usually not. Baby steps or a leap of faith; and a belief that you can have a more contented life. Not perfect, I try to use the word perfect rarely but wisely; but perhaps a bit risky, certainly different, and often better than it was before.

Often change happens in our life without us having much to say about it. “l hate change” some people say. Wouldn’t you rather be in charge of your changes? I have a wonderful print in my office of a sweet dog staring covetously at a ball. The wording on the print says “if I watch this long enough I’m pretty sure it’ll move.” This fun and thoughtful painting is by artist dug nap. Yes, he uses lowercase.

Someone will decide to begin therapy, never a cavalier decision, “Shall I go to therapy or the Bahamas?” I ask the why now question and frequently the answer is “I have had this problem for a long time and thought if I understood it enough it would just get better.” This happens particularly in romantic relationships “We thought it would work out because we’re in love and the problems would go away when we got married.” Or “I was certain that this new job, new house, new baby, new romance would make me happy, and it hasn’t, what’s wrong with me?” Instead of repeating the same self-defeating behaviors, try a new path. I can be your guide. We work from your strengths and yes you do have them, you have to find them. I will help you.

You can take charge of your life before circumstances are out of your control or another person takes your choices away. Therapy can’t promise a happy fife, but contentment is usually within our reach. Contentment is a highly underrated state of mind, but it can promote well-being, satisfaction, and indeed happiness.

Below are highlights of how I can help you. Please continue through my website to team a bit more about my practice and how we might collaborate.

• I work with anyone 18 years or older about relationships of all kinds, work, life choices, and families.
• How to resolve disputes, without always being angry and feeling unheard and defeated.
• Addiction, yours, and others. What to do about it and its impact on your whole life.
• How to get along better with yourself and perhaps figure out why “things don’t seem to work out for me?” Do you set impossible standards that are not based on what you want, what you care about, and what is truly meaningful to you? If you had a broken leg, would you say, “I’ll just wait and see if it heals on its own?” Unlikely, but we do this all the time with broken relationships and self-defeating, painful thoughts. People don’t go to therapy because they are weak, self-indulgent, frivolous, or dependent. We go because we want to use our intelligence, strengths, and internal resources to make life better. Therapy much like the cast on your leg is a tool to help you heal.

Therapy is an investment in you with dividends.

Please call me at 310.394.7484.