About Me
I’m a sensitive, compassionate, and experienced therapist who believes each person deserves and can create a happier and more fulfilling life. I work with individuals and couples and have experience working with people of diverse backgrounds and issues. My particular areas of interest are:
Relationship Issues
Anxiety & Depression
Trauma
Infertility, Adoption, and Attachment
Mindfulness
Stress Management
My work combines aspects of several therapies, which I tailor to the specific concerns and goals of each person or couple. My post-graduate clinical education includes extensive training with leading practitioners of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for Individuals and Couples, Gestalt Therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Bonding Psychotherapy, and Self-Relations Therapy. I also have training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and other approaches to healing trauma.
All my work is informed by the Polyvagal Theory, an exciting new understanding of how the autonomic nervous system influences our emotions, behavior, and relationships. I teach clients simple, powerful exercises that balance your autonomic nervous system so you feel calmer and safer with others and can more easily become open to playful, intimate relationships.
My spiritual and family life help ground my work. I have participated in meditation and contemplative prayer groups and silent retreats since the early 1980s, and I lead such gatherings online and in churches and secular settings. I am married and the father of two adult children.
Education
Master of Social Work, University of Maryland at Baltimore
Bachelor of Arts, University of Virginia
Professional Credentials and Affiliations
Licensed Certified Social Worker, Clinical (LCSW-C), MD license #07763
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
Fellow, International Society of Bonding Psychotherapy
Member, Greater Washington Society of Clinical Social Work
Member, International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy