I am reluctant to describe myself as a specialist. In many cases, when a therapist talks about his or her “specialty,” it’s more a marketing decision than a clinical fact. I’m not saying such therapists are deceiving you. Mostly they’re just describing their work from the perspective of a public that imagines there must be specific solutions to specific problems.
There are some clinical issues that I believe call for a therapist to have specific experience and training. Eating disorders, for example, are very difficult to treat, and especially so for a clinician who has not worked extensively with such patients. That said, a strict methodology can hinder as much as it helps. It won’t be the right fit for many people, and therapists have to be able to tailor the treatment or even take a completely different approach based on each individual.
I have had significant clinical experience - and success - with a wide range of issues, listed below. If you come to me to work on one of these issues, my past experience will be beneficial. But what matters even more is my ability to work with you as a unique person whose problem may seem similar to that of someone else but needs to be approached in a very different way. Who you are is the key consideration, not the problem that the DSM, Google, or your partner says you have.
Depression and Anxiety
Me and every other therapist on the face of the earth.
Divorce
Helping couples reach the decision to divorce, helping individuals survive the process.
Parenting and Co-Parenting
Counseling for single parents, couples, and parents who have separated or were never a couple in the first place.
Grief
The loss may be a recent one or decades old.
Sexual Orientation/Coming Out
In this day and age, in our little corner of the world, we tend to think being out should be the easiest thing in the world. It's not.
Anger and Violence
Some people refuse to be angry when anger is the only natural response to a situation. Others are angry most of the time. And then their are those for whom anger always carries the risk of violence and all its possible repercussions.
Infidelity
It's easy for the person who was cheated on to feel the cheater is the one with work to do. But for most couples trying to recover from infidelity, it's more complicated.
High-Conflict Relationships
Everything seems to be going great - and then all of a sudden you're at each other's throats again. I can help you find your way out of this cycle.
Work/Career Difficulties
Friction with coworkers? Repeatedly let go? Working too much? Unmotivated?
Adolescent Issues
Therapy in adolescence tends to yield results far more easily than therapy in adulthood, when the concrete has set.
Family Dysfunction
Whether it's the dysfunction you grew up in or the dysfunction you find yourself in now, it's a system that has you and other family members in its grip in ways seen and unseen.
Compulsive Sexual Behavior
In my experience, treating compulsive sexual behavior as an addiction ignores unique individual factors that have to be taken into account for real change to take place.
Personality Disorders
Yeah, it's always the other guy with the personality disorder, right?
Schizophrenia
I'm not an alternative to a psychiatrist and his or her prescription pad. But weekly therapy can be an essential part of managing schizophrenic illness.