I am a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, California, where I received my MA in Counseling Psychology with
an Emphasis in Depth Psychology. I became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 2004.
For many years, I worked as a Therapist in Los Angeles based mental health clinics; as part of two separate Private Practices; as the Clinical Lead at the Intensive Outpatient Program at Community Hospital in San Bernardino; working as part of the Psychiatric Service Unit at Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and as a Consult Liaison for the Psychiatric Department at Presbyterian, which involves dealing with crisis in the ERs throughout the state. I worked effectively with clients of all ages, many with dual-diagnoses, developmental and physical disabilities, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and those challenged with a Personality Disorder. During my journey, I was exposed to and trained in various psychotherapy techniques, including: Self Psychology, Depth Psychology, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Narrative Therapy.
I am a Story Analyst who worked at Warner Brothers, Universal, and Disney. Previously, I was a stage actor who trained with the likes of George Shdanoff and Augusto Boal, and I was involved in various stage productions across the country from New York City to Los Angeles. I am a 1982 Graduate of Ohio University, where I graduated with a BFA from the Honor’s Tutorial College.
My main therapeutic approach though is Depth Psychology, which simply defined is the only branch of psychology that takes the idea of the unconscious seriously. In other words, the soul and the imagination are one and the same. Living life is about engaging one’s five senses fully and thus moving to the edge of what one previously knew in order to grow and become connected with one’s genuine self. The five senses are what guide us to what we like and what teaches us about what we don’t like. The ultimate goal is to embrace one’s genuine and full self, which also involves finding the relationships, living situation, and career that feeds one’s soul/imagination rather than eroding it. Joseph Campbell’s idea of “bliss” is about having that deep inner knowing that you wouldn’t want to be doing anything else different with your life right now, and that is the ultimate goal of personal growth.