About Me


1


I am a board certified MD psychiatrist in private practice in Washington DC for over 35 years.
My work with patients has always been focused on using psychotherapy and the latest advances in cognitve psychology and neuroscience to help the patient get to a better place in their life.
As a physician and psychiatrist I am also trained to look at the whole person to evaluate the interactions of mind and body.
Many medical illness and medications can effect our mood and our thinking.
If I think it might be helpful to include medication to facilitate our work I will suggest it, explain my thinking and prescribe it if the patient agrees.
However I believe that psychotherapy ('talk therapy") is an essential ingredient to create lasting changes.

My approach has been to try to help patients thru stressful periods of anxiety, depression, and limiting behaviors by helping them step back and understand what is occurring and
what other possibilities may exist that you cannot see.

I help people develop the strength to not immediately react to the stress and anxiety and learn better ways to respond.
I also believe my responsibility is to help people reevaluate other areas of their life that may be limiting them in ways that they never realized.

My efforts are to help people make better choices when they feel they have no choices.

My style as a therapist is not to remain quiet and ask you: " What do you think about that?" I am not going to make you guess what I am thinking. I do not believe I have all the answers or know what is right for you. I will share my thoughts, experience, and observations, but I basically believe you have answers and abilities to change your life that you are not using at this moment. I believe we all have the ability to continue to evolve, grow and develop ourselves. My job is to assist you in seeing what is possible and help you attain what is possible.

Although I am known to be direct and honest in expressing what I do think, I do this to offer you information that you may not be aware of (we all have our blindness’s, myself included). But I also think that we often have a vague notion of what needs to be done but discount it (or avoid it). My job is to help you focus your attention and your abilities on what is most important for you. I do not know what is best for you or how you will choose to accomplish what you want (sorry I have no magic words or magic pills.) But I can help you discover this for yourself.

The direction (and outcome) of therapy is always determined by the patient. You may be saying, "If I knew what to do and could do it, I wouldn’t be coming to you!"
That is partly true but I feel my job is to facilitate your learning how to better access and focus your own thinking (and abilities) and help you alter old habits of reacting.
Sometimes my effort is to help you confront and deal with what you know you have to do but have avoided facing it.
Other times it is to create an atmoshere with you where you can discover, explore and utilize your potentials to their fullest.
Despite all my academic and professional training I have always seen myself as a coach.
I see my role as observing your unique situation and letting you know what I see and what I think and then help you find the ways to accomplish what you want to do.

I have been told (not just my mother) that I am good at making people feel comfortable. I take that as a great compliment. It is probably because I basically like people and enjoy their uniqueness. I like to think of myself as someone who is good at allowing people to "open up". I have been told that I help people be their best.... It is probably why I continue to be excited and enjoy the work I do. Helping people be their best gives me pleasure and a certain pride in my work as well. I also have been told that I am good at telling people tough things. I try to be honest with myself about my own struggles (and failures and regrets) and I think that makes me better at explaining to others what I see in their lives.

Despite some very painful experiences in my personal life, some bad decisions I have made, and several dark periods, I feel extraordinarily fortunate. Despite the frustrations, aggravations and disappointments of everyday living, I continue to appreciate life and enjoy the work I do. Generally, I do feel quite lucky. Sometimes I think it is just Karma, other times I remember Vince Lombardi's quote: "the harder we practice, the better our luck becomes " and I consider the possibility that I have shaped some of the good fortune I feel I have.

Personally I struggle daily to stay aware of how I am living my life . Some days it's easy. Others days, not so easy. Being aware is a full time job. It is not easy. Humor helps.


If I can be of any help to you or if you have any questions please contact me.

[email protected]

202-232-8608

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