I earned Masters degrees from Boston College in Pastoral Counseling (MA) and Clinical Social Work (MSW) in 1995. I have been independently licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1998. Prior to my current career, I worked for a half dozen years as a graphic designer, having earned a BA in Graphic Design from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1985.
After a short stint working as an on-call clinician doing hospital Emergency Room psychiatric evaluations, I spent the next five years at the Lowell Adult Day Treatment Center (LADT). This program primarily uses a group treatment model to help adults manage and recover from significant and persistent mental, emotional and substance abuse difficulties. It was here that my love of group therapy began, as well as my significant involvement with the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy (NSGP).
I left LADT to work for the Greater Lowell Pastoral Counseling Center (GLPCC) for the next five years as an outpatient psychotherapist seeing individuals, couples, families and groups. When GLPCC closed in 2005, I partnered with two colleagues from the Center, Pat Criste, Ph.D. and Susan Stason, LICSW (now retired) to form Pastoral Counseling Associates in Tewksbury. We shared a valuable partnership there for five years.
In 2006, I began training at the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis (MIP), first in their Postgraduate Fellowship program (two years) and then in their General Psychoanalytic Training program (four years) and moved my practice closer to the Boston/Cambridge area. The MIP programs deepened my work with patients, in particular, in working with patients who have long-standing difficulties with depression, anxiety and relationships.
Regarding Group Psychotherapy, I have served on a number of committees in NSGP and served two terms on the NSGP Board of Directors. The American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) is the organization that issues my certification as a Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP).
For my work with couples, I’m involved with the Psychodynamic Couple & Family Institute of New England (PCFINE), where I have completed their two-year Couple Therapy training program and serve on their Technology Committee.
I’m also involved with the Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) professional community in New England. I completed a four-day Externship with its founder, Sue Johnson, Ed.D. (and George Faller), in April 2018. I completed Core Skills Training (with Jim Thomas) in October 2020. EFT is an empirically-validated model. Their research indicates that approximately 90% of couples show significant improvement. EFT has greatly enriched my work with couples, and I participate in multiple EFT Consultation Groups.
Given that recovery from trauma plays a significant role for many people who seek therapy, I’ve previously been a member of, and attended workshops through, the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation (unfortunately, now closed) and the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. I participated in a week-long Somatic Experiencing therapy training with it’s founder Peter Levine in 2016.
Lastly, I’m also a member of the Division 39 (Psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association, Massachusetts Association for Psychoanalytic Psychology and the National Association of Social Workers.