Clinical Psychological Services consist of Evaluation and Treatment; those things that I do to help you understand, change, or accept your thoughts, feelings, actions, and interpersonal relationships. Sometimes, I see people exclusively for the purpose of evaluation, but usually my clinical work includes both evaluation and treatment.
Evaluation may consist of office interviews and observations, medical and psychological record reviews, psychological testing, talking with other, appropriate, knowledgeable sources (such as parents of children, for example), and occasionally, observing people in their natural environment (such as home or school). Testing includes assessment of intelligence, academic abilities, social skills, personality, memory, and neuropsychological screening. I do not do comprehensive neuropsychological testing.
Treatment consists of talking psychotherapy using a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal procedures and techniques to help people understand, change, and/or accept aspects of themselves or their lives. Goals of treatment often include greater understanding of oneself and the reasons for symptoms and problems, reduction of emotional distress, problem solving to change thoughts, behavior, and relationships, and learning to accept and live with those conditions and factors that cannot be changed.
As a general, clinical psychologist, I have expertise in the evaluation and treatment of many different psychological problems. The most common problems include:
- Anxiety Disorders: general stress, worry and anxiety; panic disorder; anxiety to specific situations; obsessive-compulsive problems; response to traumatic events
- Depression and Mood Disorders: depression, bipolar disorder, manic states, and grief reactions
- Couple and Family Relationship Problems
- Anger Management
- Feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, guilt, shame, and internal conflicts
- Relationship problems with others, such as family, friends, coworkers, or supervisors Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with children and adults, and Disruptive Behavior, and Academic Problems with children and adolescents
Severity of problems ranges from mild to severe. I work with children, adolescents and adults as individuals, couples, and families. I especially enjoy helping people improve their relationships by reducing conflicts, solving problems, and increasing cooperation and acceptance. When clinically appropriate, I also provide intensive outpatient treatment as an alternative to more restrictive inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. This involves meeting with a person several times per week and often collaborating with other health-care professionals, family members, and social support systems. Finally, my clinical work also includes supervision to other mental health providers and students, and consultation to businesses.
Treatment Orientation and Techniques
As you may know, clinical psychology has many theories for understanding people and techniques for helping them. At the most general level of understanding, I operate within a bio-psycho-social theoretical orientation that recognizes the influences and contributions of our biology, our mind, emotions, behavior, and our social world. Within this general framework, I use specific theoretical orientations (such as cognitive-behavioral, psychoanalytic, interpersonal, couple and family systems, existential, Gestalt, etc.) to further guide my understanding and treatment interventions, but I do not limit or restrict myself to any one of them.
Because people come to me with a wide variety of psychological symptoms and problems, from mild to severe and from acute to chronic, and because each person is unique, I believe a diversity of theoretical approaches and treatment techniques is necessary for optimal treatment efficacy and success. Just like a physician, who sees many illnesses and uses different medicines and treatments, I use a variety of approaches and techniques drawn from the theoretical frameworks described above. Consequently, from a person's history, current problems, and goals for treatment, and from a body of psychological theory and research, I try to create a unique, collaborative relationship and a beneficial, therapeutic experience. I emphasize the use of the term collaborative, because successful psychotherapy requires a cooperative relationship between myself and the people I see and active effort on both parts. A good therapist-patient relationship needs a spirit of collaboration, an emotional bond, and an agreement on goals and tasks. Moreover, I am as interested in knowing about and building upon the positive aspects of personality and people's lives as I am focusing on those that are problematic. I try to create a therapeutic environment that is warm, understanding, empathetic, and genuine to accomplish practical, therapeutic goals.
Overall, my goal is to have treatment be both efficient and effective; I often tell people “I am in the business of putting myself out of business.” However, people are complex. Sometimes I am able to help people in a brief period of time, but for others, we need to have periodic sessions for several years. At times, I am directive and give advice both within sessions and between sessions in the form of cognitive-behavioral assignments and homework; at other times, I am less directive, guiding you to understand yourself and your life and to make decisions.
Treatment Orientation and Techniques
As you may know, clinical psychology has many theories for understanding people and techniques for helping them. At the most general level of understanding, I operate within a bio-psycho-social theoretical orientation that recognizes the influences and contributions of our biology, our mind, emotions, behavior, and our social world. Within this general framework, I use specific theoretical orientations (such as cognitive-behavioral, psychoanalytic, interpersonal, couple and family systems, existential, Gestalt, etc.) to further guide my understanding and treatment interventions, but I do not limit or restrict myself to any one of them.... more