Thirty-four years in private practice with a cognitive behavioral orientation working across the age range with a variety of problems; I find working with children gives me a sense of what adults came from and working with adults gives me a sense of where children are likely to go. Some relevant highlights include the first six years of my career working in pediatric/family oriented settings focusing primarily on behavior management strategies with children, and the past 7+ years one third of my practice has been with 911 First Responders dealing with PTSD and physical ailments. Within the context of a cognitive behavioral philosophy I emphasize a collaborative relationship with each client.
I received my Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii in 1982, a Masters from University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 1979, and a bachelors degree from Rutgers in 1975.
Personal experiences include growing up in New Jersey by the shore, going through a divorce and being the single dad for two children, one of which was being treated for leukemia at the time, eventually remarrying and raising two more children who are now in college. Lifetime hobbies over the years has include jogging, triathlons, martial arts, and stand-up comedy.
My perspective on therapy includes the validated beliefs that life is more complicated and stressful than we originally believe and we may need help adjusting to this when reality hits us, that all personality traits have an upside to them and a downside which legitimately takes away some of the initial embarrassment or shame people face experience for whatever weaknesses or mistakes they have, that positive thinking is optimal when it is realistic as opposed to polyanna-ish naivety, and it is inevitable that everyone is their own worst enemy but not everybody balances this out by being their own best friend.
You need to be comfortable with a therapist for the relationship to be helpful and that starts with a conversation, so feel free to call.