The human story is what has always most deeply interested me— how we strive and struggle to realize ourselves and to make commitments to others.This interest brought me west from my undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism to UCLA’s film school where I achieved a Masters in Fine Arts. Subsequently, I worked in the entertainment industry as a story analyst, a development executive, and a screenwriter. “Show business” had its rewards but ultimately left me unfulfilled and searching.. My enduring interest in the human story lead me to USC where I earned a Masters in Education and ultimately a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology. In my doctoral program I was honored with the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award and my doctoral dissertation, The Vulnerable Self of the Adult Child of an Alcoholic, was awarded several honors including Outstanding Dissertation. I became an adjunct professor in theoretical psychology at the University of Southern California and taught at UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital in the area of developmental psychology.

My interest in writing endured throughout the years of my psychotherapy practice. I have been a contributing writer for the Santa Barbara Independent and a columnist for several magazines. My syndicated column Healthspan investigated aspects of psychological and physical health as they pertained to extending one’s “healthspan.” That column was honored with the C. Everett Koop M.D. Media Award for best science news story in a daily newspaper. My novel The Cure for Love is available on Amazon  in both softcover and ebook.

I feel grateful to live in one of the most beautiful and progressive cities in the country and always strive to give back wherever I can. I’ve been a volunteer, board member and/or supporter of many organizations that work to make this a better and more humane place: The Fund for Santa Barbara, Lotusland, Pacific Pride, AHA, Foodbank of Santa Barbara, among others.

And even though I understand that living in a benign and aesthetic environment has it’s healthful benefits, I have also come to realize that paradise doesn’t make all of our human struggles disappear. So I am called to continue providing the best service I can to adults of all ages and couples of all persuasions.