Welcome

I offer psychological services to individuals, couples and groups. I received my first license as a psychologist in California in 1978, and having moved to New Mexico, I was granted a license as a psychologist in 2023. I have always had a private practice setting in which I did my work, which is now located in Silver City, New Mexico.

Having been trained in a variety of systems for working with individual, couples and groups, I have come to value an integrated approach to psychotherapy. More than those skills and techniques, I know the most effective aspect of psychotherapy is what is called the “therapeutic alliance.” Therapeutic alliance is the relationship that grows between you and me, while we explore your life's distresses, create a treatment plan together, see what variety of skills are useful to help you manage that distress, and grow beyond its limitations. Whether therapy is short or long term, has this title or that title (for example: CBT, EFT, Behavioral, Psychodynamic, Client-Centered, etc.), studies have shown it is the therapeutic alliance that is the best criteria for good therapeutic outcomes. To sum it up, we heal best in the context of a safe relationship, where our story, our defenses and our coping mechanisms are witnessed by a trusted other. For the therapist to also have access to a variety of approaches, skills and techniques that can be tailored to the problems at hand adds to therapeutic alliance. I attempt to offer this combination to those who contact me.

We all have these voices inside us, some of which serve us well, some of which hurt us in a variety of ways. We have all these hurtful feelings that are often louder than feeling balanced, happy, loving, and open. We have ugly behaviors that seem out of control, and other behaviors that are generous and helpful. Our bodies seem tense and locked-up much of the time, perhaps communicating harmful feelings, memories and impulses. There are also days our bodies can relax and enjoy the moment. All these threads of ourselves are woven together around a core self. The goal of Integrative Psychotherapy is to grow and weave the positive aspects of ourselves around a balanced, loving and open core, while having strong but flexible boundaries.

I began as a client-centered, humanistic, and Gestalt psychotherapist, then was certified as a Bioenergetic Analyst (somatic psychotherapy) in 1986 after a 4 year post-doc program. Then I studied psychodynamic and object relations theory and practice for 3 years at the Newport Psychoanalytic Institute. I learned EMDR , hypnosis, and trauma approaches from various organizations, as well as Cognitive Behavioral and Emotionally Focused therapeutic approaches. I studied and practiced group psychotherapy and couples psychotherapy. Informal study at Tassajara Zen Monastery taught me meditation and mindfulness practice. I became a supervisor to other psychologists and psychological associates, which continued to enhance my experience.

Weaving all these systems and actions together around the core of the therapeutic alliance, allows an environment where we can safely expose the self protective defenses and disruptive coping mechanisms that leave us alone, empty, angry, depressed, fearful, sad, longing, and living a life that isn't quite working. These self protective defenses and disruptive coping skills also affect who we choose to bring into our lives, how we relate to them, how we get “stuck” in unhappy patterns with them, and sometimes how difficult it is to even love them in a way that is nourishing to both. And there are those people whose inner struggles are such, they cannot even begin to experience a relationship, or they wonder if life is worth living. Life events that create grief, loss or fear are also impacted by what our inner selves bring to that moment or event.

Integrative Psychotherapy is based on creating a journey where together we can address your lost threads, and weave a new story based on an enlivened, healthy self that can address the ups and downs, find healing and joy, growth and freedom in this adventure called living.