About My Practice
What I see
I believe that whatever may be most challenging or troubling to you, it neither determines your psychological identity nor does it define the whole of you. Thereby, my primary perception of you and the entirety of the life you bring to therapy is unobstructed by rigid diagnostic formulations; instead, it is directed solely by interest, attunement, and a desire to be of help. I avoid a mindset of certitude, and I abstain from the kind of clinical authority that derives from assigning concrete categories and convenient labels to widely diverse and multi-dimensioned psychological challenges – the difficulties and conflicts within each person’s heart and mind.
Alien to my work is any clinical perspective that regards human dilemmas and suffering primarily within the narrow binary framework of “disorder-illness” vs. “normalcy-health” – so often sustained and underscored by elaborate terminology and complex taxonomies. Likewise, I find one-dimensional diagnostic labels frivolous when, as is commonly the case, they are summoned as if they were – in and of themselves – capable of illuminating the complex dimensions of psychological reality present in every individual’s life.
Your place in our work
When you are troubled, distressed, or in crisis; when you feel unable to move beyond a difficult or painful situation and toward solutions: then you have likely arrived at an important fork in your life’s path – an opportunity for a hopeful new direction. In working with you to seek and implement solutions, my view is a loving one: I neither view you as fundamentally diminished by your problems, nor as separate from any other capable and whole person who may not be seeking and receiving professional help.
Instead, I regard the totality of the experience you bring to our work – the external and internal; that which belongs to your past, your present and your anticipated future – as elements of a life fully connected to the common ground of our human experience. This diverse and complex territory is the sole location of my work with you: a place we all share, in which we sometimes struggle, and in which I fully include myself.
THE FRAME OF OUR WORK TOGETHER
OUR FOCUS
I view the Self as the central, indispensable psychological resource of my work: It is the realm in which all individuals’ feelings and thoughts take on depth and meaning, in which motivations are sorted out, and behaviors determined. Thereby, the primary focus of my engagement with the whole of my clients is the exploration and discovery of just how the Self's complex dimensions operate distinctly within each individual’s life.
As my clients acquire a fuller, more coherent understanding of the formation and workings of their experience of being themselves, they achieve something well beyond concrete knowledge: They come to an increased emotional security and equilibrium within themselves, in their relationships with others, and in all of their life endeavors.
MY METHOD
My work recognizes and cultivates each client’s innate resources: It channels them into a collaborative exploration of his/her subjective universe, its roots in original family experience and its evolution within the social environment. This endeavor yields a much-enriched consciousness, coherent self-awareness, and above all, greater self-acceptance: These are the enduring building blocks of a living resolution of persistent dilemmas, of release from chronic distress and the opening of broader, more fulfilling options for living.
THE FRAME OF OUR WORK TOGETHER
OUR FOCUS
I view the Self as the central, indispensable psychological resource of my work: It is the realm in which all individuals’ feelings and thoughts take on depth and meaning, in which motivations are sorted out, and behaviors determined. Thereby, an essential goal of my treatment of the whole person is to develop of a fuller, coherent understanding of the Self's many, distinct dimensions present within each person’s life.
As my clients acquire a deeper understanding of the formation and workings of their experience of being themselves, they achieve increased emotional security and equilibrium, both within themselves and in their relationships with others.
MY METHOD
My work recognizes and cultivates each client’s innate resources: It channels them into a collaborative exploration of his/her subjective universe, its roots in original family experience and its evolution within the social environment. This endeavor yields a much-enriched consciousness, coherent self-awareness, and above all, greater self-acceptance: These are the enduring building blocks of a living resolution of persistent dilemmas, of release from chronic distress, and the opening of broader, more fulfilling options for living.
A Challenging Paradox
In the course of our work we often discover that many of the distinct features of a person’s character and personality are reflections of adaptations once necessary to cope with difficult early life circumstances. An ironic central truth is generally woven into this quite universal phenomenon: It is that in adult life certain features of individuals’ core identities and outward personalities, including those which they (and others) most value and cherish, can also prove to be the most problematic to that person, and in that person’s relations with others.
In order to resolve the dilemmas embedded within this deep paradox, each of us confronts a continual challenge: to seek and sustain a broad and rigorous quality of self-awareness that is fully inclusive, balanced and self-compassionate.
The Dimensions of Our Work
I consider my clients’ subjective experience a key resource with unlimited potential to impart depth and direction to our work. Such wealth is never enhanced by compression into preexisting clinical templates and taxonomies of calculated design. I am entirely comfortable with the challenging presence of ambiguity and mystery in therapy: It is a natural component of the depth and complexity of each client’s psychological life – of his/her unique sense of being. I find that a willingness to embrace uncertainty is often the key to my clients’ self-rediscovery, to their release from chronic pain, and to lasting positive changes in their lives.
FAQ's
Through our collaborative work in therapy, I can guide you toward
a more beneficial understanding of yourself and how you have lived.
I can lead you to a greater awareness, acceptance and appreciation of your essence;
to a better fit within your present life, and
toward a more hopeful future.
Here are some of your Frequently Asked Questions: