Are there any recurring themes or issues you’ve noticed as you treat people in your area of specialization, and how has this insight guided your approach?
I have engaged clients across a range of cultural backgrounds and classes, and all are strongly influenced by early experiences where their characteristic interpersonal responses were laid down. These response patterns can be altered in revisiting them, as John Lennon said, "Feel your own pain"
If there was one thing you wish people knew about the therapy experience who might be hesitant to try it, what would that be?
There are a number of disservices that therapists generally visit on clients: among them, the implication that if there is a part of you that you dislike, just give it an eviction notice, and it will leave. Also, they may imply that you are not the person primarily responsible for your own self-care
Specialties
Anxiety
Anxiety can mean nervousness, worry, or self-doubt. Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder that entails excessive, repeated bouts of worry, anxiety, and/or fear.
Careers
Designed to help people choose, change, or leave a career at any stage of life. Careers are often wrapped up in people’s perceived identity, therefore, any change can cause anxiety and/or depression.
Anger management
It's normal to experience anger at times, but for some, it becomes so frequent, intense, or difficult to control that it negatively affects their life. Anger management is a structured therapeutic approach toward reducing one’s anger to a point where more appropriate coping and/or conflict management skills are used. Beliefs and thoughts leading toward anger outbursts are explored while healthy coping and interpersonal skills are put into practice.
Attachment issues
Children that experience parents and/or guardians that are avoidant, ambivalent, or resistant from an early age, may develop attachment issues. This can manifest as difficulty forming or maintaining friendships, romantic relationships and empathetic bonds throughout life, as well as other issues.
Behavioral Issues
Behavioral disorders involve a pattern of disruptive behaviors that cause problems in school, at home, and in social situations. Can include hyperactivity, impulsivity, defiant behavior, chronic patterns of aggression, defiance, disruption, and/or hostility.
General Expertise
Depression
Depression often causes people to feel sad, empty, or hopeless, and can cause a lack of interest in life. It can also affect a person's thinking patterns and physical health.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the degree to which a person feels confident, valuable, and worthy of respect. Feeling low self-esteem can influence overall well-being and be linked to anxiety and/or depression.
Addiction
Regular involvement with a substance or activity in a compulsive, hard to control way that often has harmful consequences. Often refers to substance use, but can include compulsive behaviors such as sex, gambling, or shopping.
Abuse/Survivors of abuse
Abuse includes any significant mistreatment along the lines of psychical, emotional, sexual, verbal, and neglect. Survivors of abuse may experience negative thoughts and feelings, flashbacks, distrust of others, social withdrawal, self-harm, and increased likelihood of developing mental health and substance abuse issues.
Bipolar disorder
Characterized by alternating symptoms of depression and mania. During more extreme episodes, depression may lead to the point of suicidal ideation and attempts while extreme bouts of mania are marked by impulsive behavior, lack of sleep, elevated esteem, and even psychosis.
Fees
$55
First Session
$65
Family Therapy
$65
Couples Therapy
$65
Group Therapy
$65
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Family Session
Individual Session
Couples Session
Retreats
Group Session
Clientele
Parents
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Seniors (65+)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Mindfulness Practices
Narrative Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Training / Certifications
Post doc fellowship, Neuropsychiatric Institute, UCLA
Additional fellowship, Computative and Engineering Science, Deep Learning
Licensure
IN, Psychologist, 20043423A
MI, Psychologist, 6301018137
Education
PhD, Neuropsychology, Alliant International University
Work History
I was a family therapist in Hawaii for a number of years and decided to continue my work at UCLA. I participated in many research projects there and at University of Utah. Mixed in was a military career, ending in a two-year assignment to Europe. I always felt the need to learn something new and encounter people and experiences that were entirely new. More recently, my rediscovery of a passion for helping has led me here.
Location
31020 Huntley Square East, apt 233, Beverly Hills, 48025, MI