I believe my midwestern background lends to a warm, laid-back stayle that will help you feel comfortable and relaxed at my office. I work hard to connect through empathy, openness, and humor so that you can work hard toward your best self. And if you are looking for fancy, you won't get it at my office. I am professional and principaled, but I still wear my converse to session.

I feel strongly that there has to be a good interpersonal fit and a nice connection for therapy to be effective. If you don't feel comfortable and safe with me, you are less likely to expose your struggles and get the most of this therapy. It's always ok to say that there isn't that connection. No hard feelings!

I also have a philosophy that therapy should make good use of your resources. It should not be a burden. If you are having to race to your appointment or squeeze it in between a bunch of other obligations, let's rethink our work together. Change takes time and comittment.

Two things that you can expect from me are honesty and directness. I'm not one for beating around the bush. I believe that if you are going to spend time and money on therapy, you deserve to have the truth about my clinical impressions. Don't worry. You are not going to leave bruised and battered. This will be a collaborative dialogue about how you can make change work for you.

We know in mental health that not all change happns in a magical 50-minute meeting. Some of your work will have to be done between our sessions. My clients know me to give practical tasks to try at home and work, where it really counts. Then we talk about what worked and what didn't. We will keep adding skills and tips into your tool box until you feel more secure and confident.

Lasty, my ultimate job is to work myself out of a job. I try to help my clients identify one or two goals, keep tabs on how well we are sticking to those goals, and repeatedly assess our progress. That way you're not in therapy for a decade. When life throws you a curve ball, you want to make a tweak, or you have another goal, the door is always open so you can return for some booster sessions or do more work.