I treat anxiety and depression in children, adolescents, and adults and conduct marital, family, and couples counseling. In addition to the Rational counseling approach, I sometimes use Freudian psychotherapy in which I was trained 25 years ago, in order to break through areas where the client finds him/herself emotionally "stuck". I also utilize hypnosis for the following; pain management, anxiety, phobias, and smoking cessation. Being an adult survivor of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and conquering that sometimes frustrating syndrome, I now work with and treat Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in both children and adults. When it is called for, I treat substance abuse by teaming with my colleague Morgan Lewis, LCSW, a substance treatment specialist.
My graduate education was begun at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, N.J., receiving my first Master's degree in Clinical Psychology in 1975. I continued my graduate education at Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida and then received a Master's degree in Social Work in 1980. While there I interned at Easter Seal's where I met my wife of 25 years. I also interned at Fellowship House, a place for profoundly emotionally ill individuals who were aided in regaining independence in living and, when possible, vocation. My experience at Fellowship House led to my doctoral dissertation on lowering the rate of readmissions to in patient psychiatric hospitals by the patient population I studied. Most of my doctorate work was done at Florida Institute of Technology, in Melbourne, Florida. I had the opportunity through them to study abroad and did so at Franklin College, Lugano, Switzerland, as a part of their International Graduate School of Behavioral Science. My experience, living in Europe, was educational not only in the classroom, but in learning to understand people from other backgrounds. I completed my doctorate from Columbia Pacific University's School of Health and Human services in Counseling Psychology in 1989. Fellow alumnus John Gray, author of "Men Are From Mars, Women are From Venus", obtained his doctorate from that program in 1982. I followed his work and progress with marital and couples therapy. I then began studying Gary Smalley's work. Dr. Smalley has worked with thousands of couples throughout the years and I was able to develop a very effective approach to marital and couples counseling. In the mid to late 1980's, I trained in seminars taught by Dr. Albert Ellis, the father of Rational Emotive (Behavioral) Therapy. This greatly helped me strengthen and solidify my short term reality based approach that is the basis of my counseling today.
I have been in full time private practice since 1990 after completing my internship at Atlantic Shores Hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, where I developed and implemented the Children's Treatment Program for that hospital. I was also the Director of Psychological and Social Work Services for Horizon's Specialty Center in Daytona, a hospital treating patients for sub-acute care until they were well enough to return home. I am currently in private practice in Wilmington, N.C., at Landfall Executive Suites, where I have maintained my office for the past 10 years and am the Clinical Director at the Burgaw clinic. I am a Board Certified Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist, and Diplomate of the Board in Psychotherapy.
