“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward!”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

Most of the time, people can recognize when something isn’t right in life and when things need to change. However, when things go wrong, often the tendency is to try and fix it as fast as possible. We try to fly. This sounds appealing. Why wouldn’t we want to fix the unpleasantness of life as soon as possible? The problem is that by trying to fly before we know how to crawl, walk, or run we don’t build the foundation needed to maintain the change we are trying to make. To make changes that last, we need to first lay a foundation. Often this foundation is made up of examining and planning. While this may not sound helpful, it does help us better understand how to do things differently and construct a better life.

I have been a licensed psychologist since 1994. And during that time, I have focused on helping people build foundations that support the changes that they are wanting to make. I have both a master’s degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Biola University. I also have a Master’s of Divinity from Denver Seminary. During my doctoral program I pursued the standard coursework for a psychologist, and I also received training in the integration of faith into the counseling process. In addition to practicing counseling for over 30 years, I also taught graduate level counseling courses for over 17 years. In 2021 I retired from teaching, but have continued counseling and providing supervision to other counselors.

In working with people, I take a practical and strength-based approach. This means that I work with clients to identify concrete goals and then utilize the individual’s resources to reach these goals. This often involves using short term techniques to help clients bring about the change that they are wanting. People often do not realize the resources that they already have. Counseling involves healing, but it also can focus on a person learning how to better utilize the resources that they already have. During the counseling process I will sometimes take a life cycle approach which looks at the current transitions in a person’s life and the impact of these on someone’s current situation.

While I have worked with a variety of situations and types of clients in my professional practice, I currently focus on adults and marriages. My areas of emphasis are men’s issues, which includes anger, sexually related issues, navigating identity, and other issues that men often face. I also work extensively with a range of marital issues such as anger, communication, and recovery from affairs. Finally, I also work with depression, general life transitions, and trauma.

If my approach or background sounds like I might be of help to you, please give me a call or send me an email. Together we can work to accomplish the changes that you are wanting to make.