Thank you for exploring
my web site. Here is some information about me and my clinical approaches that might be helpful
in your search for a therapist.
I opened my private practice in
1997, specializing in the treatment of marital disorders, mood disorders,
trauma, chronic pain and psychosomatic conditions. It was my intention
to offer a relaxed, personalized practice–one that would contrast
with many of the managed-care dominated service providers in the Austin
area. Before opening my practice, I was a clinical and management
staff member with Austin Regional Clinic-Mental Health Associates
between 1984-1997.
Families are very important to
me. I have been married for over 30 years, with two
sons who are currently 22 and 18. Spiritual practices are essential in life, and I feel very comfortable
in exploring spiritual issues with clients in our therapeutic work.
After all, we are made up of many parts—physical, mental, emotional,
interpersonal and spiritual, not necessarily in order of importance. My personal faith background is in the Christian tradition. I consider myself interested in all faiths, however, and you will find at my office a spirit of curiosity and respect for all spiritual traditions.
After receiving my Master of
Social Work degree from The Ohio State University in 1975, I worked
in Columbus, Ohio at Southwest Community Mental Health Center. My
wife and I moved to Austin in 1977 for her to accept an Associate
Professor position at Southwest Texas State University. I obtained
entrance into the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) in 1978,
and was a clinical staff member at the Austin/Travis County MH-MR
Center from 1978-1984.
I co-founded The Milton H.
Erickson Institute of Central Texas in 1987 with friends and colleagues: Seyma Calihman, MSSW, Carol Kershaw, Ph.D. and Bill Wade, LPC. We later separated into two organizations:
the Institutes of Austin and Houston. Both of
these institutes continue to provide training for professionals in the use of
hypnosis in psychotherapy.
I am an Advisory Board Member for The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, served as a reviewer for the Ericksonian
Monographs, and contributed to Tales of Enchantment by
Stephen and Carol Lankton. I have been on the faculty of regional
and national conferences for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis,
The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, the National Association
of Social Workers, the Texas Association of Marriage and Family Therapists,
and The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
I am Board Certified through the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work (ABECSW) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). I hold a Diplomate through the American Hypnosis Board for Clinical Social Work (AHBCSW). I am an Approved Consultant of The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH), and was approved as a Fellow of that organization in 2004.
I have lectured on Family Therapy
at the University of Texas School of Social Work at Austin. I am a
volunteer for Capital Area Mental Health Center, the Central Texas Chapter of the Red Cross. I am active with the state and local units of the National
Association of Social Workers/Texas, and serve as Vice Chair of that
organization's Committee on Peer Review. That committee reviews
complaints made against social workers for ethical violations, and
agencies for alleged violations of professional standards.
I use a variety of approaches
developed during nearly 30 years of clinical practice. From the start,
family systems theory and approaches has been one of the main
foundations of my work. I have extensively studied different hypnotic
approaches to psychotherapy for 20 years, and find it to be an invaluable
aid for both understanding my clients and helping them master new cognitive,
emotional and behavioral skills. Especially important is the work of
Milton
Erickson, M.D., who was a leader in conceptualizing and expanding
the uses of hypnosis. More recently, I have been using Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
as a very useful adjunctive procedure in dealing with trauma. Hypnosis
and EMDR are very complimentary tools.
Two important teachers of mine are Stephen Lankton, MSW and Stephen Gilligan, Ph.D., both of whom are well-known students of Milton Erickson. I began studying with Steve Lankton in the mid 1980s with a focus on the indirect suggestion, metaphoric and storytelling aspects of Erickson's work. I
have studied with Stephen Gilligan since 1989 as he
developed and modified his Self-Relations
Psychotherapy within the context of intensive multi-day supervision groups.
Emotional problems frequently develop
and persist because of a person's inflexibility in relating to
one or more aspects of themselves that they find unacceptable. These "parts" are felt to be the problem, but in fact it is the hiding of
them that causes the internal and interpersonal problems that leave
people feeling frustrated, hopeless and alone. All of my approaches
are aimed at helping the client develop new perspectives and abilities, and new ways of relating to aspects of themselves that are felt to be so unacceptable.
My practice approaches typically fall under
the broad category of cognitive behavioral therapies. I have focused
on mind-body approaches to therapy since the early 1980s.
