ABOUT THERAPY
Starting your therapeutic journey…
I’m sure you want to know about my qualifications and experience. But I bet you’d like to know what to expect working with me even more than where I went to grad school.
Initially, I’ll have a bunch of questions. I’ll have questions about daily life. Who do you live with? What is a typical day like for you? Do you work? Or go to school?
I’ll want to know about your background. Who did you grow up with?
I want to learn more about whatever brought you to see me.
How long has it been going on? Was there a specific event that triggered it? What makes it worse? What makes it better?
After that, your experience working with me will truly depend on you.
Some people like to get right down to business. Others need time to warm up. Some people really love to talk and can’t wait to tell their story. Other people are more reserved or introverted… or just waiting for the right question.
I will work on finding the right questions. I will be focused on getting to know you in a way that matches your personality and your style of communicating.
You are the expert on you. I’ll be your partner, and we’ll work together to come up with solutions so that you can learn how to heal.
My goal is to get to know you.
The most important part of therapy is what we call the “therapeutic alliance.” That’s a fancy term for building a relationship where you have genuine trust.
Trust that I won’t judge you… that I will always go out of my way to understand you… and that I have the expertise, experience, and perspective to help you develop better ways of coping.
As your ally, I will dedicate myself to learning about you and your challenges. As I get to know you, I will be able to help you establish realistic, achievable goals and develop very personal ways to reach those goals. Together we will unravel the problems that tend to repeat themselves in your life.
But how does therapy actually work?
Therapy works by examining the stuff that keeps coming up in your life. It works when you examine that stuff with the right person.
That person must be deeply and reliably in your corner with no other motivation or agenda.
That person has to have the right training, experience and perspective.
That person must be unflinchingly honest.
When you find that, you will be surprised by how the solutions surface and become clear. That doesn’t mean the work is easy or the solutions are easy.
It means you have a trusted partner who knows how to support you through the hardest times.
About Me
Professional background…
Since 1997, I have been helping people deal with some of the most difficult times in their lives.
Before I became a therapist, I was a Medical Social Worker. I worked in the ER and the ICU of a Level I Trauma Center for 15 years. After that, I worked in a cancer treatment center for two years.
Since 2002, I have been a volunteer member of an organization that provides crisis intervention services for First Responders – and I continue to do that work.
Those experiences were invaluable to me. I learned how to support people who were going through the worst times in their lives. I learned how important it is to truly just listen.
I learned about different ways of showing compassion. Sometimes it means just sitting with someone. Maybe in complete silence. Sometimes it means focusing on specific, decisive action. I learned a whole lot about problem-solving.
Life keeps going all around us no matter what we’re dealing with and how impossible that can seem.
Connecting with others has always been incredibly meaningful to me and brought me great joy.
As I was choosing my career, I knew I wanted to engage that passion. To that end, I started my higher education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, which I received from DePaul University in 1993.
I then went on to earn my Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Loyola University in 1997.
When I’m not doing therapy…
My wife and children are the center of my world.
I am happiest when I am with them – whether we’re being ridiculous at the dinner table, taking our dog for a walk, or just sitting around watching TV.
I love spending time with friends, some whom I’ve known since high school. I love music, movies, and Netflix.