DESCRIPTION OF CLINICAL PRACTICE:

I work with individuals, couples and adolescents, helping people learn how to relieve suffering and cultivate genuine happiness through Buddhist psychology and Mindfulness-based psychotherapy. It would be a joy to help you find the peace of mind and openheartedness you long for. Most people I work with suffer with one or more of these difficulties: depression, anxiety, loss, trauma, substance abuse, relationship distress, emotion dysregulation, or chronic illness.
The kind of relief I favor directly targets the root of all forms of human suffering: unending dissatisfaction with oneself due to very little direct experience of the mind as radiant and joyful. Transforming a mind mired in this kind of suffering requires tools that generate direct insight into who we are and how we create our own suffering. Mindfulness-based psychotherapy (MBP) is an evidence-based treatment for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. MBP concentrates on relieving suffering through the cultivation of three main areas of human development: 1) insight or wisdom, 2) skillful behavior, and 3) loving-kindness and compassion for self and others.
As a longtime Buddhist practitioner in the both Theravadan and Dzogchen traditions, I understand how during difficult periods meditators can mistakenly assume that spiritual practice is all that is needed. Psychotherapy can be an important part of reclaiming a life that is a balanced, productive, authentic, grounded in meaning and connectedness.
I specialize in working with professionals in high-stress careers, couples in distress, adolescents (particularly depressed, anxious, or stressed teens,) and adults who struggle with emotion dysregulation. I present at conferences on the clinical applications of mindfulness, and teach Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addiction (MBRP) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression Relapse (MBCT).

VIPASSANA/MEDITATION BACKGROUND:

I have been a yogic and Buddhist meditator for 38 years and annually do at least 30 days of meditation retreats at Spirit Rock and other Buddhist retreat centers.

RELEVANT CLINICAL TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Pacifica Graduate Institute: Masters in counseling psychology, depth psychology
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
MBSR trainings
DBT and ACT training
Non-dual psychotherapy training
I am on the MBRP clinical training team
Trauma Resiliency Training