I’m an active therapist. That means I don’t just sit there. I talk. I ask thought-provoking questions. I offer new perspectives, and explore ideas, challenge you, empathize with you, and hopefully laugh with you as we work together to help you face the challenges of your life. I offer a warmth that is not syrupy and am comfortable in very deep waters both philosophically and emotionally. I do not scare easily and work to offer a supportive and centered presence in the face of chaos, hope, fear, sadness, and anger.
My primary approach to psychotherapy is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based model supported by decades of research. ACT helps you learn how to live and enjoy the moment, to let go of thoughts that don’t serve you, to find the courage to face pain and act to create a better life for yourself. The intent of ACT is to not only help you understand who you are and how you got to be there, but to help you develop an understanding of yourself free enough to figure out who you want to become.
I run a values-based practice, founded upon an ethic of knowledge, courage, freedom, and respect. What this means is that your goals are to be defined by you and not me. I seek to provide you with the information you need to help you contextualize and understand your struggles and support you while you wrestle with the difficulty of trying to define who you want to be and fight to make the changes you desire.
My primary areas of specialization are in anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and substance use disorders. While the bulk of my work is done at the individual level with adults and teenagers, I also work with couples and families to create a healthy environment in which emotional and behavioral challenges can occur.
Background
After graduating from the University of Maryland in 2003, I worked at the Glenwood Life Counseling Center, where he underwent training in the treatment of addictive disorders. As one of the resident clinical social workers, I worked with individuals who had co-occurring mental health disorders, with a special interest in the treatment of individuals who suffered from major depression. His background also includes work with JAJ Healthcare Outpatient Mental Health Program and Glass Substance Abuse Services as well as internships at Washington Hospital Center Psychiatric Unit and Amtrak Employee Assistance Program. Most recently, I
have been providing psychotherapy services through Adaptation, a private practice I founded in 2010.
In addition to my clinical services, I served as the Member at Large for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Association for Contextual Science between 2014 and 2018, and am responsible for working to train area clinicians in the use of ACT. Currently. I am functioning as co-founder of True North along with Miranda Morris, with the primary goal of creating a community of ACT providers to help spread effective evidence-based treatment through our community.
Education
University of Maryland at Baltimore: School of Social Workâ¨Masters of Social Work, Clinical Track, EAP Specialization
Credentials
Licensed Certified Social Worker- Clinical (LCSW-C)
Certified Professional Counselor- Addictions (CPC-AD)
Professional Affiliations
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS)
Greater Washington Society of Clinical Social Workers (GWSCSW)