I am a Ph.D.-level Licensed Psychologist and a Certified Health Service Provider in the State of Missouri. I have been practicing for over twenty years.
I work with both individuals and couples, and the types of issues and concerns I see include:
· Relationship issues
· Sexual concerns
· Eating and body image concerns
· Grief and loss
· Family-of-origin issues
· Depression
· Anxiety and stress management
· Recovering from childhood abuse
· Stage of Life Issues
Whether working with a couple or an individual, I view therapy as a joint effort between myself and my client(s). I provide a safe space and expertise gained with training and experience, and my clients provide their expert knowledge on themselves, their experiences, their thoughts and their feelings.
I believe that quality therapy involves mutually agreed upon goals and a way to evaluate when goals have been met. Thus, together my clients and I set goals, with the following question in mind: What do you want to be different when we finish therapy? I also work with my clients to continually monitor the goals we set, to make sure that progress is being made and to change or re-vamp the goals as needed. I continually check-in with my clients to make sure that therapy is working for them and that we are on the right pathway for their change, adjusting our focus or way of working together as needed.
I take an active approach in therapy. My goal is to offer my clients more than a place to vent. I try to provide my clients with feedback, ideas and direction to address problems and make their lives better. Sometimes this means challenging and confronting clients. However, my goal is always to provide such challenges in the context of a very safe and trusting relationship where my clients knows that I truly have their best interests at heart.
I realize that developing trust takes time and I do all that I can to develop a safe and trusting relationship with my clients. I ask my clients to be open and honest with me, and I also work to provide a transparent style of therapy with my clients.
I believe that therapy is a place where clients should be able to speak the unspeakable and to bare their souls. I believe therapy is a place where clients should both feel understood and challenged to make changes in their lives. I believe that if clients are open to the process of therapy and if they find a good therapist, therapy can be life altering. I do all that I can do to provide such therapy for my clients.
Additional Information and Qualifications:
In addition to my work as a therapist at CFIC, I am an Associate Professor in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Missouri. In this role, I teach therapy skills and supervise graduate students in their work with clients.
I am also a certified Civil Mediator for the State of Missouri and Federal Courts.
I have published over 45 articles/chapters in professional journals and books. I have presented over 50 papers at professional conferences.
I have been quoted extensively in the popular media on topics such as communication, eating disorders, couples issues, and sexual issues. I have been quoted in approximately 235 newspapers and magazines (including high circulation magazines and newspapers such as Prevention, Glamour, The Chicago Tribune and The Kansas City Star), and have appeared or been cited on approximately 15 national television and 50 national radio shows (including large audience shows such as National Public Radio and CNN Headline News). I have also been quoted in newspapers internationally, including in England, Australia, Ireland, Wales, India, and the United Kingdom. My work with the media is based on the belief that psychologists have an obligation to disseminate their knowledge for the good of the public.
I have been honored to be selected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). Fellow status is given to APA members who demonstrate unusual and outstanding contributions in the field of psychology. Fellow status requires that a person's work has had a national impact on the field of psychology. I was elected to Fellow Status in 2006.