Education and Credentials:

• Bachelor of Arts, Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
• Ph.D., Economics, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
• Juris Doctor, Law, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
• Master of Arts, Counseling Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA.
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, License #88870, Board of Behavioral Sciences, California.
• Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, Boulder, CO.
• Certified Bioenergetic Therapist, International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis, Barcelona, Spain.
• PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy), Level 1

Background:

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who sees individuals, couples, and families for psychotherapy in my Palo Alto private practice. In addition, I am a full-time, tenured faculty member at Stanford University, where I have taught courses in a wide variety of disciplines, including, most recently, classes aimed at psychological, career, and life development for law students.

My therapy work includes five years Bill Wilson Center, an agency located in Santa Clara, California. There I worked with a diverse set of clinical populations including adult outpatient clients, youth shelter clients, adult grief groups, middle and high school students, and families, couples, and adolescents required to be in counseling by the criminal justice system.

I have engaged in two post-graduate training programs in ISTDP (Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy), a major focus of my work. I trained for several years in two somatic psychotherapy modalities that emphasize physical reactions and processing in conjunction with talk during the therapy process, and am now certified in both: Somatic Experiencing and Bioenergetic Analysis.

My education and training includes extensive work in depth psychology, a field that emphasizes the role of unconscious processes in human psychology. This work has given me considerable experience in working with dreams, images, and personal narratives as part of the therapy process.

My research at Stanford and other universities has led to publications in a variety of fields, including psychology, economics, statistics, and law.

Together, we will work to change persistent self-defeating patterns and facilitate personal transformation as well as to address specific challenges such as anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship issues, career changes, divorce, and major life transitions.

Issues:

• Codependency
• Divorce
• Emotional Disturbance
• Family Conflict
• Grief and Loss
• Life Transitions
• Marital and Premarital
• Parenting
• Peer Relationships
• Self Esteem
• Trauma and PTSD

Mental Health:

• Dissociative Disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Personality Disorders

Age Groups:

• Adults

My Approach:

My approach is eclectic, drawing from many methods and mixing them in tailored ways for each client during the course of therapy. At the same time, I specialize in several modalities in which I have particularly deep training and experience including Somatic Experiencing, Bioenergetic Analysis, and various family therapy approaches.

ISTDP (Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy) is a core approach for my work with many of my individual clients. There is substantial research support for the effectiveness of ISTDP in addressing a wide range of issues, including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, and physical problems with no apparent medical cause. ISTDP is designed to help people change more quickly and more comprehensively than other therapies. When it is suitable, ISTDP tends to be effective not only at alleviating symptoms but also at creating major personal advances such as enhanced self-confidence, an ability to experience and share a greater depth of feeling, more productive and fulfilling work experiences, and engagement in closer, more positive relationships. Visit my website to learn more about ISTDP.

Treatment Orientation:

• Attachment-based
• Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
• Eclectic
• Family Systems
• ISTDP
• Psychoanalytic
• Psychodynamic
• Somatic
• Strength-Based
• Transpersonal
• Trauma Focused

Modality:

• Individuals
• Couples
• Family

Avg. Cost (per session):

$150–$200

Accepted Payment Methods:

Cash, Check, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, PayPal, Visa.

Insurance Networks:

I am an out-of-network provider. Upon request, I will provide you with a statement that you can submit to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement.

Address:

117 S. California Ave., Suite D201, Palo Alto, CA 94306

My office is easily accessible, located in Palo Alto right near the California Avenue train station, with ample parking available.