Choosing the right therapist:
Choosing the right therapist is a very important and personal decision. A good match in terms of experience, personality, and availability will lead to the most effective therapy.
What kinds of problems and what kinds of people have you worked with the most?
I have had exposure to a broad range of clinical issues and many different cultures and belief systems, traditional and alternative. Here are some of the areas I know I do well with treating:
Anxiety and panic
Depression
Grief, including loss of family members and pets
Relationship and work stress
Anger
Stress related to sociopolitical issues
LGBTQ concerns (I have training and experience with each of those letters)
Higher-functioning autism spectrum/Aspergers
Identity issues including sexual identity, religious or cultural identity
I am interested in all kinds of people, and will work nonjudgmentally with you whether you come from a fairly mainstream lifestyle or a more unusual one. I have experience with many kinds of sexual minorities, different religions, and have worked with immigrants from South American and Carribean cultures. I have also worked with people from many different occupations, including artists, software engineers and developers, people in corporate jobsacademics and health care professionals.
I have a particular interest in working with people with non-traditional sexual or religious identities, including poly, kinky, pagan, queer (including genderqueer) and other such identities. I also really enjoy working with people with Aspergers or their spouses (but individually, see below).
What don't you do?
I do not do couples or family counseling, and I don’t see children or adolescents; I specialize in working with individual adults. I don't do any kind of evaluations or testing.
Because I sublet office time only on three days, I am not easily available outside of session except by e-mail, and my practice is designed in such a way that I’m not a “first responder” for a crisis. If you are someone who is currently struggling with serious suicidal thoughts, self harm, severe mental illness or active addiction, I am probably not the best therapist for you right now. I do know several other therapists who are better suited to working with those issues, and I’m happy to refer you to them if you wish.
I tend not to work in areas where I live or carry out my own business, so it’s unlikely that I will personally know anything about the people involved in your life. I am discreet and very careful about confidentiality. I do not usually see members of the same family or close friends because of confidentiality concerns--I don't want to forget who's told me what and say the wrong thing to the wrong person!
How do I decide if you might be the right therapist for me?
I might be the right therapist if:
You are functioning fairly well most of the time but have persistent areas that interfere with your quality of life
You know there’s something wrong, worry that it may be something serious, and want an experienced professional’s eye
You have had a difficult time in the past, are doing fairly well now but need someone to help you maintain your recovery and continue to build your skills
You have difficult, embarrassing, or complicated problems or come from a background or lifestyle that you think most people wouldn’t understand
You can handle communications or issues outside of office hours on a non-urgent basis, or primarily through e-mail
You like a style of therapy that includes active engagement from me, and the use of humor
You’re willing to be honest with yourself and with me, and to work outside of sessions as needed
You have the financial resources and/or adequate insurance coverage to pay for the amount of treatment necessary
You can commit to regular attendance, and will pay the cancellation fees if you cancel late or don’t come at all.
I might not be the right therapist if:
You need someone who is easily available outside of office hours
You need someone with a lot of flexibility in times and days for therapy
You want family or relationship therapy, or want me to see your kids
You have limited insurance coverage and your budget cannot support regular treatment right now
You have court cases coming up which might involve your therapist
You are at a point where you are in crisis either because of increased suicidality and self-harm, or because of escalation of a major mental illness
You need standard DBT (I can help you maintain and practice skills once you have been through DBT skills training, are stable and working on later levels of recovery)
You are in early recovery from substance abuse, or are currently dependent on substances (I have some background in substance abuse, but more with middle and late recovery, and relapse prevention)
You live far away from my offices or don't have reliable transportation
You can’t commit to keeping appointments once they are made, because of a hectic lifestyle, frequent crises at work or with family
In general, while I am quite experienced with very serious clinical issues, including major mental illness and suicidality, and will not be alarmed by that if it is in your history, my current practice is limited in scope to lower levels of acuity. This is simply because I don’t have the appropriate availability in terms of time or office space to see people with the flexibility and intensity they may need in that kind of situation. If you have a major mental illness that requires medication for ongoing management, I can work with you if you have a good relationship with a prescriber and other social supports that you can rely on during relapses or crisis.
What kinds of problems and what kinds of people have you worked with the most?
I have had exposure to a broad range of clinical issues and many different cultures and belief systems, traditional and alternative. Here are some of the areas I know I do well with treating:
Anxiety and panic
Depression
Grief, including loss of family members and pets
Relationship and work stress
Anger
Stress related to sociopolitical issues
LGBTQ concerns (I have training and experience with each of those letters)
Higher-functioning autism spectrum/Aspergers
Identity issues including sexual identity, religious or cultural identity
I am interested in all kinds of people, and will work nonjudgmentally with you whether you come from a fairly mainstream lifestyle or a more unusual one. I have experience with many kinds of sexual minorities, different religions, and have worked with immigrants from South American and Carribean cultures. I have also worked with people from many different occupations, including artists, software engineers and developers, people in corporate jobsacademics and health care professionals.
I have a particular interest in working with people with non-traditional sexual or religious identities, including poly, kinky, pagan, queer (including genderqueer) and other such identities. I also really enjoy working with people with Aspergers or their spouses (but individually, see below).
What don't you do?
I do not do couples or family counseling, and I don’t see children or adolescents; I specialize in working with individual adults. I don't do any kind of evaluations or testing.
Because I sublet office time only on three days, I am not easily available outside of session except by e-mail, and my practice is designed in such a way that I’m not a “first responder” for a crisis. If you are someone who is currently struggling with serious suicidal thoughts, self harm, severe mental illness or active addiction, I am probably not the best therapist for you right now. I do know several other therapists who are better suited to working with those issues, and I’m happy to refer you to them if you wish.
I tend not to work in areas where I live or carry out my own business, so it’s unlikely that I will personally know anything about the people involved in your life. I am discreet and very careful about confidentiality. I do not usually see members of the same family or close friends because of confidentiality concerns--I don't want to forget who's told me what and say the wrong thing to the wrong person!
How do I decide if you might be the right therapist for me?
I might be the right therapist if:
You are functioning fairly well most of the time but have persistent areas that interfere with your quality of life
You know there’s something wrong, worry that it may be something serious, and want an experienced professional’s eye
You have had a difficult time in the past, are doing fairly well now but need someone to help you maintain your recovery and continue to build your skills
You have difficult, embarrassing, or complicated problems or come from a background or lifestyle that you think most people wouldn’t understand
You can handle communications or issues outside of office hours on a non-urgent basis, or primarily through e-mail
You like a style of therapy that includes active engagement from me, and the use of humor
You’re willing to be honest with yourself and with me, and to work outside of sessions as needed
You have the financial resources and/or adequate insurance coverage to pay for the amount of treatment necessary
You can commit to regular attendance, and will pay the cancellation fees if you cancel late or don’t come at all.
I might not be the right therapist if:
You need someone who is easily available outside of office hours
You need someone with a lot of flexibility in times and days for therapy
You want family or relationship therapy, or want me to see your kids
You have limited insurance coverage and your budget cannot support regular treatment right now
You have court cases coming up which might involve your therapist
You are at a point where you are in crisis either because of increased suicidality and self-harm, or because of escalation of a major mental illness
You need standard DBT (I can help you maintain and practice skills once you have been through DBT skills training, are stable and working on later levels of recovery)
You are in early recovery from substance abuse, or are currently dependent on substances (I have some background in substance abuse, but more with middle and late recovery, and relapse prevention)
You live far away from my offices or don't have reliable transportation
You can’t commit to keeping appointments once they are made, because of a hectic lifestyle, frequent crises at work or with family
In general, while I am quite experienced with very serious clinical issues, including major mental illness and suicidality, and will not be alarmed by that if it is in your history, my current practice is limited in scope to lower levels of acuity. This is simply because I don’t have the appropriate availability in terms of time or office space to see people with the flexibility and intensity they may need in that kind of situation. If you have a major mental illness that requires medication for ongoing management, I can work with you if you have a good relationship with a prescriber and other social supports that you can rely on during relapses or crisis.