About Therapy
What’s therapy with me like
There is no one path to recovery. Stages will vary depending on your personal history and characteristics; however, there are general areas that I usually address during treatment with my therapy patients.
LOOKING BACK
Some believe that exploring the past is pointless and a waste of time. After all, talking about the past doesn’t change anything.
This is true – but looking back is not about perpetuating a victim stance, assessing blame, or abdicating personal responsibility. It is about understanding how we got here and what we need to change to move forward.
SKILL BUILDING
Having developed an understanding of the problem, we will begin to develop a road map for the healing.
During this phase, it will be necessary for you to develop a sense of stability and safety in yourself and your surroundings.
We will then begin to tap into sources of inner strength and develop coping skills which will enable you to regulate emotions and behaviors in a healthy manner when triggers and problems arise.
HEAVY LIFTING
Once you have developed a set of coping skills and feel safe and secure in your surroundings, it will be possible to address painful and long-buried memories.
Through this process, we will be able to better understand and restructure the role the painful events have played in your life and mourn the losses that have occurred related to these negative experiences.
MOVING FORWARD
The final stage of recovery focuses largely on reconnecting with people, personally meaningful activities, and all other aspects of a fulfilling and healthy life.
At this point, you will be mentally and emotionally exonerated from the painful and limiting chains of the past.
About Me
“I knew what I wanted to do in 1977. Unfortunately, it took me 20 years to get on the right path.”
When I took a high school psychology course in 1977, I told myself that I wanted to be a clinical psychologist when I grew up. I promptly ignored this insight and studied business instead.
After earning an MBA, I worked in the corporate world for over 10 years. During this time, the voice in my head scolded me for living an inauthentic life by not pursuing my dream.
In 1995, I finally decided to heed this voice and pursue my dream of being a clinical psychologist.
Though this decision was initially met with shock and disbelief from family and friends, I have never looked back. I feel incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to pursue my dream. The satisfaction I get from seeing my clients progress and forge a new, more satisfying life is something that I live for.
I graduated with highest honors from Baylor University. I later earned an M.B.A. from the University of Texas in Austin and a Ph.D. from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center where I subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship and served on the faculty for five years.
I am committed to understanding the science of behavior and recovery and have authored over 30 articles which have been published in peer reviewed journals and books. I was Director of Psychology for over 10 years at a multidisciplinary rehabilitation facility for chronic musculoskeletal pain (PRIDE). I have worked on and off in private practice since 2006.
Dallas, Texas, is home with my wife, teenage daughter, three dogs, and two guinea pigs. I love the outdoors and enjoy watching my daughter compete in athletics. I am an avid sports enthusiast, with a particular passion for college and professional football.
I have recently resumed running after a 20-year hiatus. The jury is out on how long my knees will allow me to pursue this activity.