We so often want to be able to go through life no matter what the challenges with the ability to successfully manage those challenges by ourselves.

Asking for help can sound like a ‘four letter word’ when we don’t feel supported.  We all need help and support sometimes when we are facing problems that keep us from living the life we want to live.  Who we are is often most clear when we are most challenged and our ability to recognize the need for support can be our greatest strength. Life is a series of relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and others and within these relationships, you can find yourself feeling alone, frustrated, guilty, anxious, traumatized, or depressed.

More often than not, you may see yourself as an ‘outsider’ or different from those around you; as though you just don’t belong.

These feelings can and do cause suffering and although suffering is universal and unavoidable, how we react to suffering shapes who we are and how we manage difficult times.   Suffering can keep you from being present in your life and open to experiencing life as it unfolds.  All of us need support as we navigate tough times and I am here to offer a supportive compassionate emotionally safe and welcoming environment free of judgment and accepting of where you are now and where you want to be.   I would consider it a privilege to accompany you on your journey toward living a more valued and fulfilling life.

I know that looking for a therapist can be intimidating, adding to the anxiety you may already be experiencing.

As a therapist who has been in practice for more than a decade, I offer a compassionate presence, professional expertise, and a safe space in which to develop the trusting therapeutic relationship essential to working through critical issues in your life.  The many relationships in your life can bring up strong feelings of both belonging and alienation. Sometimes you may feel disconnected from and frustrated by close family members and friends, or you may be struggling with your work environment or career choice.  At other times, you may feel so overwhelmed by change that you have all you can do just to maintain some degree of stability in your life.  It is times like these, when you find yourself looking for a compassionate presence to listen and help guide you toward making the choices needed to lead a life consistent with your values and vision for the future.  I offer my skills and expertise developed over many years of experience as a psychotherapist working with the distressing effects of PTSD, trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, social bias (based on age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation), and other mental health concerns as well as relationship issues among couples and families.  Also, I provide testing to assess for age-related cognitive decline.

One of my specialty areas is working with chronic pain and the strong emotions of anxiety and depression that often accompany our experience with pain.

Unlike the acute pain we experience immediately following an injury, accident, or surgery, chronic pain can be experienced daily for many years after. In living with this pain, you may find yourself socially, physically, and psychologically isolated as you withdraw from life out of the fear of increasing your pain or fear of feeling like a burden to those close to you.  Cutting yourself off from others and from activities you used to enjoy can bring up strong emotions such as depression and anxiety keeping you from living a valued life.  I offer a course of treatment to enhance your physical, emotional, and social wellbeing using a cognitive behavioral mindfulness approach aimed at challenging thoughts and fears and providing you with the tools to skillfully self-manage your pain so you can live the life you want.

How am I different from other psychologists?

I possess long standing training and expertise in cognitive behavior theory and its therapeutic application with a focused knowledge of our mind-body-social connections. I have taught neuroscience, cognitive psychology, human development, and multiculturalism/diversity at local universities for many years, which has given me a firm grounding in how our mental, physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing impacts how we cope with and manage the many challenges in our lives.  As board chair for the Society for the Advancement of Multiculturalism and Diversity (SAMD) for the Colorado Psychological Association, and as the American Psychological Association’s local Diversity Representative, I am in a unique position to educate future professionals in the field of psychology to increase their multicultural competence and to educate diverse communities regarding the health benefits of psychotherapy.

If you’ve been in therapy before and it has not worked for you, I invite you to give it another try.

I have been largely successful in applying well researched evidenced-based approaches and techniques of psychotherapy and would consider it a privilege to work with you to develop the skills that will help you to effectively manage the challenges you are currently facing  and those in the future. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to reach the goals you want to achieve in your life.