ABOUT MYSELF

I bring a diverse background and range of interests to my work as a therapist. I’ve practiced meditation for many years, and am drawn to nature as a source of renewal and inspiration. I had a previous career as an architect, and have long had an interest in the arts, and creative expression. The photos on this site are of gardens taken on my trips to China, Japan and Nepal. Additionally, I’m a painter and have published poetry and short fiction.

I received my M.A. in Counseling Psychology from The California Institute of Integral Studies in 1997, having previously completed a 2-year training in Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy. I was licensed as a Marriage Family Therapist (MFT) in 2000. I taught the Sleep Better class on insomnia at Kaiser Permanente. I also hold M.A. degrees in English Literature (University of Wisconsin, Madison), and Architecture (University of California, Berkeley), and a B.A. in English (Washington University, St. Louis). I’m originally from Minneapolis, and have lived in the Bay Area for over 20 years.

DESOLATION WILDERNESS

Thin mountain air, tinged with nectar,
wildflowers growing between cracks
of granite, spreading among pine and
fir, their tiny points of color concentrated
as syrup, delirious clusters all around.
I once thought that if I stepped carefully
enough, never making a mistake, I
would have everything I wanted, but
fear and desire are entwined like the
braided streams tumbling over the rock.

Here at this lake, a nested bowl near
the top of the ridge, I recognize how
I’ve always stood on the edge of things,
trying to sound the depths before me
with complicated thinking.
Now in the water I see the clear
reflection of trees piercing the line
of the horizon; soft air touches my
skin and I listen to the sharp cries of
birds, their pure arching notes, and to
the stillness buried deep in the granite.