How I Work

(from W.H. Auden, “September 1, 1939”)

I see my role as a therapist being to accompany you in your longing and suffering as you go forth seeking, identifying, and practicing change, moving toward the flourishing of your authentic self. To help remind you that, in the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, it is “Better [to do] one's own duty [svadharmas], though imperfect, Than the duty of another well performed.” To provide positive support, in the sacred trust of the therapeutic alliance, that is down to earth and leavened with kindness and, when needed, challenge and humor and that encourages self-awareness and responsibility. To show an affirming flame.

I specialize in depression, end-of-life issues, the use of psychedelics (preparation and integration), and men’s mental health. I am familiar with various psychosocial modalities but gravitate toward the existential model that focuses on what psychiatrist Irvin D. Yalom identifies as the four “ultimate concerns of life”—death, freedom, existential isolation, and meaninglessness. “Life,” Viktor E. Frankl wrote, “ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” I prioritize the common factors of psychotherapy above any specific models.