Deciding to see a therapist can be a difficult decision and starting therapy can be a bit scary. With this in mind, I do everything I can to help people feel comfortable, safe and supported. This sort of "centering" of people's experience is an expression of the values integral to everything I do.  

Those same kinds of values inform the ideas and practices I use for therapy, ideas that draw from a tradition of work called Narrative Therapy. Among others, Narrative Therapy:

• Centers people as the experts of their own lives.
• Views problems as separate from people.
• Assumes people have skills, competencies, beliefs, values, commitments, and abilities they can use to reduce the influence of problems in their lives.
• Is interested in the broader social & cultural contexts that influence people's lives.
• Gives attention to the ethics and politics of psychotherapy, holding therapists accountable for the things they say and do in the name of therapy.

In addition to constantly reviewing and my work in order to make improvements, I am part of an ongoing advanced training program at Evanston Family Therapy Center in Evanston, Illinois.