My academic explorations and early training offered core foundation in drive, ego, object and self—and balance the depth of psychodynamic, existential, psychosynthesis, intersubjective, psycho-biographical and insight oriented approaches to psychotherapy, while balancing these with being informed by practical, skill building methods such as Cognitive Behavioral, Dialectical Behavioral, Acceptance and Commitment, and Internal Family Systems, and so on.

A key influence in my early training was professor Jeffrey Seinfeld, known for his work in spirituality in clinical social work, and his work on integrating object relations, existential and intersubjective philosophies into clinical practice. He supervised my master’s thesis I wrote on cross-cultural approaches to working with diverse clients from an intersubjective and psycho-biographical lens. One of my noteworthy field advisors, at NYU was Professor Eda Goldstein, known for her contributions of weaving models from ego psychology, self psychology and object relations into the standards for clinical social work practice in the practice of psychotherapy in this context as we know it today.

My approach is heavily informed by psychodynamic methods, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), solution-focused, and a considerable array of relevant integrative approaches from the growing evidence base.

My conceptual framework relies on a rich intellectual lineage: I look to the foundational work of Jeffrey Seinfeld, PhD, and Eda Goldstein, DSW, as well as the work of David Olsen, PhD, known for his integrative family therapy, relationship renewal model, and contributions to preventing and treating burnout, as described below. I have had the great good fortune of studying and learning from many other acclaimed thought leaders, to whom I am grateful but who are too plentiful to enumerate here in this brief snapshot. It is important to recognize that the discourse of the field is dialogic and that we all grow and deepen in community to advance our field together. Want to say thank you to all my mentors and teachers, who are all appreciated!

Since the beginning of my career, I have worked with executives, professionals and their families, as well as college students and persons from diverse backgrounds in individual, family, couples and group modalities using customized approaches from a rich tapestry of theoretical traditions and with a solid foundation from the evidence base.

As an integrative marriage and family therapist, I have refined skills from this discipline and its evidence base derived from Bowenian systems theory, structural, strategic, solution-focused, and narrative methods, and further informed by emotionally-focused, Gottman, Imago, and relationship renewal models. My supervised experience early in my career was directly under David Olsen, MSW, LCSW, LMFT, PhD, a nationally renowned family therapist who wrote Integrative Family Therapy, The Couples Survival Workbook, and When Helping Starts to Hurt, on Burnout, and who developed the relationship renewal model as an extension of Bowenian Family Systems therapy. While working with Dr. Olsen as my direct supervisor in the early part of my career following the completion of my master’s program, I became fluent in translating systems theory into the understanding of organizational behavior as related to actual practice in the four arenas of psychotherapy, coaching, EAP work, and organizational consulting. Burnout and compassion fatigue treatment and prevention for executives and professionals is a foundational skill from this experience. Further, I continued to refine my approach to spirituality in clinical practice in this setting where Dr. Olsen was fluent in this area as well. It was under Dr. Olsen that I learned executive and professional coaching as a part of my core skills set.

Presently affiliated with several Employee Assistance Programs, I am known for my work with executives and professionals and their families in the context not only of EAP work, but also psychotherapy and executive coaching, as well facilitating seminars and workshops.

When addressing matters of spirituality, as relevant or requested in my work, I believe that spirituality is our inner landscape and language of purpose and meaning in our lives. When invited into a dialogue of spirituality, I join my clients within your own context, whether it is in the lane of the world view of scientific positivism or from the perspective of whatever faith or tradition system may be meaningful to you. Your purpose and meaning is treated as ‘sacred’ whatever its flavor or container at The Awareness Practice™, and I am honored should you wish to delve into such deep matters here with me. Doing so is optional, and only if it serves you and your goals in your own preferred context.

I have completed intensive trainings and received multiple designations from an array of spiritual programs in the interest of deepening in mindfulness, spirituality and the understanding of ancient wisdom traditions and related philosophies. How ancient wisdom is, at times, connected to the growing evidence base of my fields is fascinating to me. I am an ordained minister of the Universal Worship Service with an advanced ordainment in spiritual caregiving and enjoy offering celebrancy through weddings, funerals, house blessings and so on. I have completed a two year alchemical retreat guide training and certification to lead alchemical retreats, as well as a two year healing retreat guide training. My publications include “The Psychology of Self in Sufism” in the Journal Sufi, co-authored with Terry Graham, and also co-authored with Dinesh Sharma an article on optimistic universalism and social justice in the life and works of Rumi, Wordsworth, and Mazrui in The Journal of African and Asian Studies. My poem, “Dohm Alley Musings” was included as a part of a several-year outdoor Romantic Poet’s Exhibit in downtown Princeton. For many years, I served on the Art for Healing Committee of Princeton Healthcare System, and have an ongoing interest in the growing evidence base of the healing impact of art and the arts on mental health and healthcare. I believe this interest is palpable in the architecture of this website.