Qualifications & Experience

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University and a Master of Arts in Educational Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Francisco. I have been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) since 1992 and I am also formally trained in Cognitive Process Therapy (CPT).

My Call to Christian Counseling

I have always liked working with and helping people. In my 20s, I was a hair designer in Newport Beach. I enjoyed the aesthetic and artistic aspects of hair design, but I found that I enjoyed listening to and encouraging my clients more. God has given me skills and abilities to help others; how could I enjoy anything else?

More About Me/On a Personal Note

Music has always been an important part of my life – high school choir, college choir, light opera, and entertaining in nightclubs in my 20s while working as a hair designer during the day. I’ve been part of praise and worship groups off and on for years. I still play at the weddings of friends and family.

Areas of Expertise/Specialties

• Aging and Geriatric Issues
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Chemical Dependency
• Coaching
• Couples Counseling
• Codependency
• Depression
• Family Counseling
• Grief and Loss
• Group Counseling
• Individual Counseling
• Infidelity and Affairs
• Lifespan Integration Therapy
• Marriage Counseling
• Men’s Issues
• Personal Development
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Premarital Counseling
• Professional Development
• Relationship Issues
• Spiritual Development
• Trauma
• Weight Loss

Marriage Counseling

I enjoy working with couples in marriage counseling because of the amount of growth that can often happen in a short time. I have counseled many couples who thought their relationship was all but over, but they found the willingness to try counseling. For relationship counseling to be effective, individuals need to be honest, willing, and hopeful that the relationship can improve. Trust is often the most damaged part of the relationship and will take time to regain. There is no magic that will quickly remove the pain, but there is hope for healing, growing, and loving again.

Infidelity and Affairs

The hearts of many have been broken or wounded by infidelity, requiring healing to trust again. Trust needs to be reestablished in the relationship, which takes time as well as the experience of watching your partner’s words and actions matching over time. When infidelity has occurred, I work with couples on communication, trust, and reestablishing their foundations. Most often one partner wants to be forgiven and the other is unwilling to forgive. This is where the work begins.

Trauma

I’ve had the honor to stand by the sides of many men and women who have experienced unthinkable traumas. The reaction of many has been to close down and isolate from others. Some have tried to think their way through to health in avoidance of pain. Most have thought of every possible line that a therapist might say and have dismissed it as useless, to avoid making an appointment. What I can say for certain is that healing is possible, and that the path to healing is more clear and more certain for those who are believers.

Relationship issues

When working with relationship issues, I prefer to meet with both partners at the same time. However, sometimes the motivation for improving relations is not equal within couples and sometimes it is necessary to work with just one of the partners, especially when one partner is unwilling or there is a history of physical violence. Often working with just one partner can help the relationship to become more positive, allowing for positive change and progress.

Grief and loss

The experience of grieving or losing someone you love is one of the most painful experiences we can have. Sadly, it’s often made worse by good-intentioned friends and sometimes family members who attempt to say and do supportive things that ultimately make the pain worse. It has been my honor to work with many who have lost those that are closest to them. To be the person they could feel normal around and ask for honest feedback and direction. After loss it’s hard to trust yourself or others. It’s hard just knowing what you’re really thinking at a given time. As a therapist, I want to provide tools and strategies to help my clients move forward, but I understand the timing and I know that such things are not much help and not wanted following a major loss. There are times when the best I can do is listen and support.

Aging and Geriatrics

There are many ways to enter our later years in life. As we look around, some people do it well and others struggle. Likewise, some couples seem to manage and have their best lives ever while others seem to be struck. These are the areas that few of us are prepared to enter. There are not many support mechanisms available, and even fewer that we are willing to trust. I work with individuals and couples to improve their communication, find out what is important to them, and reexamine and redefine their roles, leading to more satisfying lives. This is a time to care for yourself mentally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually to be grateful and make this your best life possible. This requires coaching, encouragement, and accountability.

Sessions: I offer 53-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.

Availability (by office location):

• Irvine – Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals and couples looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment the full fee per session is required at the time of service.

Insurance: As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), most insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider). Please consult with your insurance provider as to whether they specifically cover adolescents, individuals and couples.

Receipts/Statements: In the event you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express).