Working With A Therapist

Making the choice to seek help by seeking therapy can be a difficult decision.  Counseling may also bring up many uncomfortable feelings.

I understand.

Working with a therapist is not everyone’s first thought when life becomes unmanageable, but it works for many people.  It works because many of the psychological problems we experience are rooted in how we have learned to function in our relationships. Therapists are excellent at helping people understand cure issues behind how we act and then make changes for the better.  When symptoms like anxiety, depression or overwhelming anger affect your work and relationships with family and friends, it’s time to get help.  A therapist can be an excellent coach and adviser helping you address the root causes of emotional and relationship problems.

For couples and families in distress, counseling often provides the safe non-judgmental space to finally start healing from all those communication issues, betrayals and trust struggles we all run into eventually.  For Individuals, therapy can be the safe haven needed to explore and make sense of difficult and painful experiences that often are at the root of mental health disorders.

My approach in counseling is both collaborative and goal oriented.  I often start by introducing new coping skills to quickly deescalate conflicts and reduce the most troubling parts of anxiety, depression, relationship distress and mood instability.  We then explore how problems began to surface and then attack them head on.  Whether you are dealing with an individual disorder or serious relationship discord, working with a therapist is an excellent choice.

My Specialties

I became a therapist after ten years working in education and ministry.  In those fields as well as in mental health, I find it important and meaningful to help those who are hurting and in need of support and clinical treatment.  I received my Master’s in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis is marriage and family therapy from Azusa Pacific University.  My breadth of experience comes from working in a variety of career fields, cultures and healthcare environments.  My primary model of treatment is based on attachment theory and science using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

In addition to private practice, my work experience in mental health includes a variety of therapeutic settings such as inpatient psychiatric treatment for addiction and severe mental illness, community mental health counseling, group therapy, and hospital pediatric intensive care.

Before opening up my practice in Orlando, Florida, I built a private practice in San Antonio, Texas and am licensed in both Florida and Texas as a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT).  I am a proud Eagle Scout, Denver Broncos and Spurs fanatic as well as a devout Tour de France watcher.  When I’m not serving my community as a therapist, I’m trying my best to balance being outdoors, staying connected to my friends, church, and spending quality time with my wife and two boys.