I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota.  When I graduated from college, I moved to the west coast.  I received a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Anitoch University in 1986, and became licensed as a marriage and family therapist.  After building a home in Santa Cruz and starting a family, I completed my doctorate in psychology and wrote a dissertation on counseling families through divorce.  I have worked in private practice in Santa Cruz since 1990, offering individual and couple counseling for a wide variety of issues.  I have also led men’s groups for twenty years, and taught group process on the faculty of John F. Kennedy University.

Through my years as a therapist I have been honored by the trust my clients have placed in me.  Their honest self-reflection, and the growth and healing they have experienced, has continually inspired me to maintain my own practice of personal growth and self-discovery.  Along with my clients, I continue to strive to live life with greater mindfulness and grace.