My Services

Psychotherapy, Couples and Marital Therapy, Premarital Counseling, Family Therapy, Executive Coaching

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Individual Psychotherapy

In individual therapy I work with adults and adolescents. 

I work with my individual clients on a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality issues, addictions, grief, traumas, adjustment to life circumstances, problems stemming from relocation and immigration, sexual issues, and relationship concerns.

I also work with a number of clients who are living with chronic medical conditions, particularly HIV/AIDS and cancer.  

I also work extensively with couples and families, providing couples therapy, marital therapy, and family therapy.
I have over twenty years of experience in the areas of counseling and psychotherapy. 

Couples and Marital Therapy, Premarital Counseling

One of my practice specialty areas is couples and marital therapy.  In the progression of a committed relationship, it is normal to experiences challenges.  Couples often expect their relationship to always remain the same, without the need for change and without any challenges.  Every living system, including a romantic relationship, evolves.  The issue is not that there are challenges in our relationships, the issue is whether we have the skills to address changes or concerns, and continue to have a mutually satisfying relationship.  For example, a couple may have had a happy relationship until they got married, or they may have had a happy relationship until they had children.  Some couples look back and make such conclusions as “had we not gotten married, our relationship would have still been great,” or “children have really strained our relationship.”  Those conclusions are not well-founded.  Relationship difficulties are not due to commitment or children, they are due to a lack of skill in navigating through stages of change within the relationship.

In my work with couples I create a safe atmosphere in which they can discuss their challenges, receive unbiased feedback, and learn new skills.  Relationship issues commonly addressed include:

–         Pre-marital counseling

–         Communication

–         Conflict resolution

–         Emotional disconnection and desire for a more passionate relationship

–         Desire for deeper intimacy

–         Unfulfilled attachment and bonding

–         Sexual orientation

–         Retirement and other lifestyle transitions

–         Differences in racial, cultural, or religious background

–         Chronic illness

–         Infidelity or fear/suspicion of infidelity

–         Deciding whether to work on the relationship or terminate it

–         Terminating a relationship in a healthy manner to reduce the amount of hurt, and to minimize negative impact on children

In couples and marital therapy we explore both current circumstances that fuel the challenges, and deeply rooted beliefs that cause conflicts in the relationship.  We are all products of our past relationships and, at times and without our conscious awareness, we re-create old and unhealthy relationship dynamics.  We do so because those are the only ways we know to respond to certain challenges.  Since unconscious tendencies can lead to many relationship difficulties, conscious realization of those tendencies can be instrumental in improving our relationships.  That is one of the goals we will pursue in couples and marital therapy.  Other goals often include the deepening of attachment and bonding, developing skills for better communication, for conflict resolution, for self-care within the relationship, and for celebrating each other and the relationship.

Family Therapy

Family therapy is an area of specialization in my practice.  In family therapy I work with several members of the family at once.  The entire family, or a subset of family members, may be present; for example, the parents and one of their children (young child or adult) may be present; or several siblings may be in the session together.  At times even extended family members come in.  We discuss the issues that are causing conflict, hurt, or psychological problems.  Such issues may be fueled by current or past events.  I create an atmosphere in which family members can speak their minds in a safe and non-judgmental manner.  The focus is not on finding who is right and who is wrong; instead, we focus on how impasses can be resolved so that the family can thrive and family members can grow and enjoy the gift that a family can be.  

While many families function well during certain stages of the family’s development, most families experience challenges during particular developmental cycles.  For example, some parents possess sufficient skills to raise their children when the children are young, but have difficulty managing adolescent years. 

There are positive and negative approaches to parenting. What we believe to be appropriate parenting is profoundly influenced by the way we were parented and by the environment and culture in which we were raised.  I often work with two types of parents: Those who believe that the way they were parented is the only correct way to parent, and those who wish to parent differently than they were raised.  Every parent and family experiences challenges regardless of parenting style. 

Commonly addressed concerns in family therapy include:

–         Attachment and bonding

–         Parenting styles, approaches and techniques

–         Fairness, justice and safety within the family

–         Mood, anxiety, or personality problems

–         Unhealthy efforts to fulfill unfulfilled emotional needs (such as abuse of alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, gambling, food, etc.)

–         Internet addiction

–         Sexual orientation of a child or a parent

–         Coping with chronic illness

–         Destructive rigidity and lack of healthy flexibility in the family

–         Traumas endured by a family member or by the entire family

–         Lifestyle transitions (births, deaths, retirements, empty nest, re-entries of children to the nest)

 

We work toward making conscious that which is unconscious and destructive.  We unveil camouflaged efforts for attachment and bonding, and come up with better ways to fulfill those emotional needs.  The ultimate goal is a healthier, more satisfying and nurturing family environment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Executive Coaching

Some of the biggest issues that keep executes and leaders up at night are interpersonal issues in organizations. I provide executive and life coaching services.  My particular areas of expertise are  stress management and burnout, as well as coping and skills building to deal with challenging interpersonal dynamics.  I also work with leaders on self-doubt and imposter phenomenon issues.