PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

· B.A. in Psychology with distinction and honors, Univ. of Michigan in Ann Arbor, 1981.

· Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Medical School, 1988.

· Clinical Psychology Residency, Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 1988

· Post-doctoral fellowship in health psychology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 1989.

· Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Illinois since 1989

· Member, American Psychological Association

THERAPEUTIC PHILOSOPHY

Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and the client, and on your situation. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. It calls for a very active effort on your part. To be most successful, you will have to work on things we talk about both during and outside of our sessions.

Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have many benefits. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. But there are no guarantees of what you will experience.

I employ a combination of traditional psychotherapeutic approaches. I believe my role is similar to that of a personal trainer, and I view psychotherapy as analogous to working out at a health club. The "no pain - no gain" principal applies to therapy as it does to working out. My clients must be willing to be brutally honest with themselves, and I assist them in the difficult task of actively questioning and modifying their assumptions and beliefs about their world. I believe in efficient treatment, as opposed to "brief" treatment."

It is important that we agree on mutual goals for your sessions. Once that process is completed I will need to learn some about your past history so that I can better understand the influences that people and events have had in shaping your current circumstances. Then we will work together to examine and question the ways you are coping with your situation in hopes of finding more effective strategies. I rarely give advice, but instead I try to help you reach decisions you feel comfortable with.

If you are receiving any psychotherapeutic services from another clinician at the present time, please inform me. In most instances it is important for me to coordinate your treatment with the other clinician; in some cases it is inappropriate for us to begin until you have concluded your treatment with the other practitioner.

It is difficult to specify up front how many sessions you will need. That is why we must periodically review your goals to see if they've been met or to see if they must be revised. The decision to continue or stop treatment is, ideally, one that we will make together. I encourage you to discuss with me any questions or concerns you have about our work together.