Areas of Expertise
Life Transitions
Periods of change are inevitable. During significant transitions, many people discover issues that they never addressed in the past, or questions about meaning and direction. I particularly enjoy working with individuals to develop an understanding of themselves, their motivations, and their values so that they can find a path through the following:
Separation, divorce, relationship issues, marital strife
Midlife "crises"
Retirement, job loss, career change
Parent or spousal death
Birth of a child
Relationship and Attachment Questions
Many of my clients begin therapy because they feel relationships have never felt quite right, they lose themselves, or have difficulty feeling comfortable. I’ve worked with those who have felt responsible for a partner's emotions, or fear expression of their emotions, and those who weren’t sure how to get past sexual issues and the cycle of anxiety they bring. Together, we confront feelings and behaviors around attachment in our therapeutic relationship to find genuine, deep ways of connecting beyond the therapy room.
I work with clients in all relationship forms, including those new to ENM, polyamory, or divorced coparenting. I have recently ventured into helping couples that are interested in working through these problems together in addition to individual clients.
Men and "Men's issues"
It might be odd to think of "men" as a specialty, but "men's issues" only means that I come to this work with focused on how men's experiences throughout life are shaped by societal expectations of them as men. For men, issues like trauma, divorce and separation, parenting, sex, and work can come with feelings of shame, guilt, embarrassment, and anger, because they learn that they should not struggle or need support. I am passionate about helping men work through these challenges, expand their understanding of themselves, and find a new way.
Addiction and Dependence
I work with those who want to move past dependence or addiction (to substances, but also porn/sex, risk, and relationships). I help those who feel "recovered" life is missing something. My life experience has given me a respect for the many different pathways to recovery and I honor the client's understanding of what addiction and recovery mean in their life. I partner with these clients to shed shame, develop an understanding of what addiction gives/gave them, and find purpose and meaning for themselves to continue in a different way.
Religious Trauma
I specialize in working with those raised in and departed from religious communities that structured every aspect of life.
Some communities don’t just tell you what to believe, but who to be, what to do, and what to feel. When that authority is gone, those answers don't automatically come from elsewhere. That’s why in its wake, religious departure leaves confusion, fear, and anxiety about what’s right and wrong.
Together, we explore those things that religion once answered: identity, morality, relationships, and choice. As an existential therapist, it’s a joy to help those on this path a purposeful life of their own making.