As a therapist, my job is to help others feel good and cope with the issues in life that leave us at a standstill. I enjoy helping others connect with what they have lost in both life and in themselves. I feel very strongly that we can let what happens in our lives make us angry, resentful and afraid, or we can embrace these events as a way to grow stronger, yet softer, and end up being more open to where we need to be in life. This process of personal recovery is amazing to witness and I am always impressed by the motivation of my patients towards change.
I come from a multi-generational family of therapists and psychologists. I have grown up in this environment all my life and “breathed the air” of psychology, so to speak. This experience has taught me that the hardest part of change for anyone is in being willing to get to know yourself and to face the uncomfortable areas where we feel stuck at in life. Psychotherapy is, in essence, a personal transformation from the inside-out. You can read more about my background here.
My Counseling Specialties
Depression: Feelings of sadness, a lack of pleasure in the things that we used to enjoy, or simply feeling demotivated. Sometimes this is caused by current circumstances; sometimes it is from our past. Occasionally, feelings of anxiety are what we notice first, but they actually are masking our depression.
Relationship Issues/Marital Therapy: Difficulties with ineffective communication, a lack of closeness and intimacy, repetitive arguments, fights and verbal conflict, and possibly feeling isolated and alone in your relationship. While this is usually done with the two of you together, a number of my patients come to therapy on their own for help with their relationship issue.
How I Approach Therapy
Have you ever been frustrated by hearing the stereotypical counselor saying, “How does that make you feel?” I find it to be infuriating and lacking any form of structure towards actual change. What clients want these days when they talk with a professional therapist is direction, support and accountability.
Honestly, it’s not enough to just do “talk therapy”. Being challenged by your therapist to face your fears and grow in the areas that you are struggling with is the real game changer. I try to use this approach with my clients in helping them to grow by making small, regular changes on a daily basis.
To get a feel for who I am, here’s a recent video I put together regarding learned optimism and the value of understanding the Stockdale Paradox:
Psychotherapy FAQ
Where is your office? My office is in Eugene, on the corner of East 16th and Pearl, at 1598 Pearl Street. A small parking lot is available on the north side of the building (off Pearl) and both free and metered parking is available on 16th. I offer both in-person and remote (teletherapy) video sessions.
Are you accepting new patients? Yes. I am currently accepting new adult patients, ages 18 and up.
What is the first appointment like? We’ll start by talking about the issues you’re facing, what sort of struggles you’ve had to deal with, and what you’re hoping to get out of therapy. This also allows you to get to know me and my style, as it’s important that we both feel that we are a good fit in order for counseling or coaching to be helpful.
How long are the sessions? Most therapy sessions generally last about 50 minutes and are scheduled once every 1-2 weeks. It’s important to remember that therapy is never a “quick fix”. It requires commitment towards personal growth and change on a daily basis. That being said, most people start to feel better after 8-12 sessions.
I am seeing a marital therapist already; should I also have my own individual counselor? With marriage therapy, also having your own therapist can be a tremendous relief. The energy and pressure you feel is less likely to contaminate and take up the focus of your couples sessions. Your marriage therapist can focus on the two of you, rather than focusing on just what you bring to the table. If you want to dig deep into the issues that are keeping you stuck in life and commit to this path, having your own counselor is a great way to put some much needed “added focus” on rescuing your relationship.
I can only see you on Thursday evenings, I might need to cancel an hour beforehand, and I’ll need to bring my cat… My, that’s a lot of conditions (Yes, I actually got this question once). This generally isn’t a good sign, so we should talk further. My experience over the past 23 years has been that the more conditions we place on ourselves, the less likely it is that therapy will be very helpful or effective.