Professional Bio

By training, I’m a licensed Ph.D. psychologist with over 20 years of experience offering psychotherapy. My work as a therapist invites people to return to their essential wholeness, to shed false identities and realize the truth of who they are. Problems are seen as opportunities; the illusion of the separate self as a doorway to enduring happiness. Stories are seen through and emotions met with the deepest acceptance. I work with people individually and hold monthly group meetings.

I received my B.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University and my Ph.D. from Temple University. I completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Florida and a clinical internship at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. I have special expertise working with older adults and their families, bringing clear seeing and compassion to the transitions of aging, death, and dying. As a member of the clinical faculty at University of California, San Francisco, I helped physicians develop communication skills and learn to address psychosocial issues with their patients. I’ve authored numerous published articles on coping with stress and chronic medical illness. And I have consulted with staff of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities about aging, dementia, and caregiving and given presentations to the community at large on these topics.

As a blogger, I’ve been featured on CNN, Huffington Post, Zen Habits, MindBodyGreen, Tiny Buddha, Inspire Me Today, and the Undivided Journal.