I am married (30+ years) with four adult children (all adopted). Two of my children (the oldest and the youngest) have special needs. The oldest is married with one son and the youngest still lives with us. I have another son who is married with three kids and a third son who is still single.

I earned my (first) master’s degree in Marriage and Family therapy in 1998. Since then I spent 2 years as a child therapist working in a foster family agency.
I then spent 18 years at DCFS as a social worker, supervisor and manager. While at DCFS I worked with every sort of abuse and neglect imaginable and helped families learn more functional ways to cope with the stressors of life and how to keep their families safe and intact.

I also spent over 7 years as a volunteer religious leader and spent 10-15 hours each week counseling people. I helped folks work through issues related to infidelity, addiction, abuse, finances, communication and even death. I have spent the past four years at the Children’s Justice Center helping parents whose children have been sexually abused.

My foundational therapeutic approach is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which I use as a starting point with people. As therapy progresses I will add to that foundation and include mindfulness, some Gestalt and quite a bit of systems theory in my practice. I also use a humanistic approach to help those who have been traumatized. Additionally, I am trained in Gottman and also in internal family systems (IFS).

While I will see most people in therapy (I have never refused anyone), I prefer to see individual adults and married/committed couples. To be totally honest – my passion is couples. I could sit all day with couples and help them work through their difficulties and watch them “fall in love” again. I know this is a lofty goal, but I have found success in this area.