Greetings!
I know life can be complicated and difficult. It also know that it can also be a joyous experience.
My interest in working with people has always been to walk with them through their difficult and complex challenges and help them see and reach the better days that can be ahead. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Alaska and I have provided counseling to individuals for over 25 years. I have also supervised other counselors, directed behavioral health programs, and provided training and consultation to behavioral health agencies throughout Alaska.
My training is in Counseling Psychology. I received my Masters degree from Boston University and did a year of post- graduate work there as well. I worked for many years in community mental health centers. I have worked successfully over the years with a wide variety of people with many different types of issues including stress, anxiety and depression as well addiction and relationship problems.
I understand that the key to counseling success is a genuine alliance between a counselor and the person seeking help. My approach is relaxed, but focused. My intent is to understand and support the goals of those I work with. I see my role as helping them to clarify what they want in their lives and how best to achieve it. I also assist individuals in evaluating the choices they have in their lives, the possible advantages and disadvantages they pose and moving through the ambivalence they may feel in order to create positive change in their lives.
Most importantly, I’ve learned from the challenges in my own life and I’ve gained a sense of humility and empathy from it. Personal strife is a universal experience and we’re all in this together.
I would be honored to work with you.
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Parenting issues, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Caregiver issues and stress, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dependent Personality, Emptiness, Family Problems, Fatherhood Issues, Guilt and shame, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Mood disorders , Paranoia, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Social anxiety and phobia, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy
AK LPC PCOP132