Where are you located?
My office is in Austin, at Mopac and Bee Cave Road, near Zilker Park. I also see clients virtually and can see anybody who lives in Texas.
What are your hours?
I see clients Monday-Friday during regular business hours. Because of obligations to my family, I’m not usually available for evening or weekend appointments.
How long are the sessions?
My sessions run 50 minutes, though occasionally, I am open to doing double sessions if there is a compelling reason.
How much do you charge?
Sessions are $200. I have several sliding scale spots, though they are full now.
Do you take insurance?
I do not take insurance, though I am happy to provide receipts for out-of-network reimbursement if your plan offers that. Unfortunately, insurance rates have not kept up with the cost of living and doing business in Austin. Like many others, I have been forced to move away from insurance.
What is your cancellation policy?
Since I hold client slots, I require at least 24 hours’ notice for cancellations. Otherwise, I will charge for the session unless we can reschedule in the same week.
With what age clients do you work?
I work primarily with adults of all ages.
Do you work with women? Men? Couples?
I work with both men and women but do not usually see couples. I am happy to provide referrals if you seek a couples therapist.
What do you do in sessions with clients?
There’s no one answer to this, as I try to tailor sessions and my interventions to your specific needs. But I generally find it most helpful to start wherever you are now. In my experience, that material almost always leads back to the issues you are coming to therapy seeking to address, and working with something that has immediate emotional juice is usually the most productive.
As you talk through what is up for you around it, I offer reflection and insight around your story, and also, I may reflect to you things I see your body doing. If you are open to exploring that – and I want to emphasize that you ALWAYS have the right to say no to anything I propose – then we may try different sorts of practices to get a clearer picture of what your body may be trying to contribute to the story. While working with all this material, themes tend to emerge around core beliefs you may carry about the world and how you relate to it. I can help you get in touch with those beliefs and start to shift them – that’s where real change happens.
Will there be homework?
Sometimes! But this isn’t school – I won’t be checking up or giving you a grade. Whatever suggestions I provide about things to try outside of our sessions are meant to be exactly that – suggestions that may be helpful to you. The things I suggest can range from being aware of yourself in particular ways and situations to journaling, speaking up in a relationship, getting physical exercise, meditating, or simply treating yourself well.
What therapeutic modalities do you work in?
I rely primarily on mindfulness, though I often use somatic and psychodynamic approaches.
What is your professional training and experience?
I have a Master’s in Counseling Psychology and a Ph.D. in Depth Psychotherapy. I have worked in the field for over ten years. I also have supplemented my formal education with other post-graduate training in modern psychoanalysis, Hakomi, Internal Family Systems, and attachment approaches.
I tried therapy before. It was just okay. Why should I come to see you?
I tend to work quite well with people who have tried other types of therapy before, and they often find they can get a lot out of our work together because they have these past experiences. There are lots of different types of therapies out there. Many of them work well for some things but then bump up against limitations, often because they don’t incorporate awareness of the body. Because my approaches include developing mindful awareness of the body, clients can usually use the skills they have previously created to get deeper into their material, providing a quicker route to more profound change.
What else should I know to make the most of working with you?
Therapy works best when you commit to it. It may seem like a lot to set aside an hour of your week and the session fee, but you’re probably here because you want to make a change. The hard truth is that change takes work and discipline. Like all change, it may start small before it builds to what you want. But I assure you that committing to the discipline of showing up every week and honestly looking at yourself will help promote whatever process needs to happen for you.
Cats or dogs?
Why does it have to be either or? I believe in all creatures living in harmony. But sometimes Daphne, the dog, will join me in sessions. You’ll like her. I promise.
What’s with the owl?
It’s just, like, a picture I like. What’s it to you?
Hold on. Did you go from being a programmer to a therapist?
I did. I worked in software for about 15 years, but eventually got tired of the grind of that profession and wanted to do something that involved helping people more directly. A return to school, a few years of transition, and many life happenings, and here I am, happy as a clam.
What do you like to do?
When I’m not in the therapy chair, you can often find me out in the woods camping or hiking, chauffeuring my two teenagers while trying to get them to talk, or seeking out a body of water. And I’m also always looking for good show recommendations!
