Carl Whitaker, a pioneering and influential family therapist was once asked by a parent at the end of a family session, “You have to deal with so many people’s problems, why do you do this ?”.  Without a hesitation Whitaker answered, “I do it for what I get out of it”.  This captures my sense of good fortune in having chosen an occupation which is also my vocation.  I’m just plain interested in what makes us tick as individuals, and how that is inextricably connected to our relationships.  In the thirty years that I have been in this field, I have been continually challenged and intrigued by the growing depth and breadth of understanding of the human psyche and relationships.  And, there is, of course, the deep satisfaction of playing a role in the journey and healing of so many people, and the relationship that forms in the midst of this work.  Added to that is the fresh new exploration with every new client, and my own experience of personal growth in every therapeutic relationship.

       

    

     Any discussion of “who I am” would be fundamentally incomplete without mentioning my own personal laboratory of understanding:  my marriage of thirty nine years, and the raising of three kids. This is the richest and most humbling experience where all the education, training, and practice means nothing unless it is lives authentically in who I am (and have become).  There is no one in my house that wants to have a therapist join them at the dinner table.  Yet, the way this work lives in me, I think my effectiveness as a therapist, and my effectiveness as a husband and father are inseparable.

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    Lastly, while I’m in the more personal category, I will also mention my deep appreciation for things spiritual and religious.  Particularly, the spiritual perspective of the “worth of all persons” dovetails meaningfully for me with the aim of psychotherapy; to facilitate a healthy balance in persons and relationships.  I am appreciative of concepts of mindfulness, ultimate meaning, the connectedness of all things, grace, forgiveness, and compassion.  This, for me, is where psychology and theology overlap and interweave.  In my practice my work is firmly rooted in psychological principles and understanding.  However, it is not uncommon for people to experience a crisis of faith or spiritual discouragement in their life struggles.  When that is so, there is a natural place for that in our therapeutic conversation.