About Me . . .

My journey in life has been about trying to integrate my life experiences and early trauma memories with psychological and theological understandings, as well as integrating these insights into my faith journey as I seek to follow Jesus. I have worked as a campus minister, a chaplain, pastoral counselor, and since 1995 as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have worked in the inner city of Chicago with both Hispanic and Black churches for a summer each in my early 20’s and have been working with children, families and individuals with a trauma informed and developmentally sensitive approach for the past 20 years.

My Emphasis . . .

“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths,” said psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, in his best-selling book, The Road Less Traveled. He also says once we accept this truth, it becomes a lot easier. What makes life difficult is that the process of confronting and solving problems is a painful one. This process evokes in us frustration, guilt, regret, anger, fear, anxiety, anguish or despair. These emotions can be as uncomfortable and painful, or even more painful than any physical problems. However hard this process is, I also believe that we are also hard-wired to heal–physically as well as psychologically. The problem is that we get stuck and need someone to help us get unstuck.

My Unique Qualifications . . .

I teach Human Development at the University of Redlands every year and have worked with almost every developmental stage and challenge in clients in the past 25 years. Solutions must be developmentally appropriate and realistic or we get discouraged, hopeless and give up. This is especially true of expectations within our faith communities. God wants honesty and vulnerability, not just keeping up the “fake.” Obviously, we also need a “safe place” where we can open up and have our confidentiality upheld.

I am also trauma informed and a certified EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist as well as an EMDR consultant, which means I help others get certified. EMDR may best be described as a client-centered, interactive, interactional, intrapsychic, cognitive, behavioral, body-oriented therapy. This therapy utilizes eye movements to kick start the information processing system in us to help us get unstuck and process disturbing memories to resolution. Since it is not just a top down therapy but one that incorporates emotions, sensations and the body, healing can occur much more rapidly depending upon the level of trauma one has experienced.

My Values . . .

Clients who seek me out are struggling with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or post-traumatic stress.  Trauma can be defined by its nature as “any event that has a lasting negative effect on your sense of self or “psyche”. I am experienced in working with individuals coming from many different ethnic, economic, religious and spiritual backgrounds. Clients coming are seeking to be heard and understood, not judged and condemned. They want to get unstuck and live a full and meaningful life with rich and satisfying relationships. My philosophy is that healing means having a full and meaningful life and not being trapped in dysfunction and despair. I believe in a spirituality that accepts imperfection and relies upon grace and hope.