My Background
I received my bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis in 1975 and have many successful years of engineering experience under my belt. I was certified as a Rolfer® in 1980 by the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration. I have practiced this powerful and profoundly life changing bodywork discipline for years, although now I practice it under the generic name of Structural Integration as I am not currently a member of the Rolf Institute, and Rolfing® and Rolfer® are registered trademarks of the Rolf Institute and constitute their brand name for the work. I am currently a member of the Guild for Structural Integration.
I found that working with people, when old and deep emotional wounds surfaced in the bodywork process, was to my liking and returned to school pursuing a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. After four years of internship and passing both the written and oral exams I was licensed as a Marriage Family Therapist in 1991.I have worked both in private practice and in group and agency practices including: The Center for Attitudinal Healing, Marin Suicide Prevention Center, Marin Grief Counseling Program, the Pacific Process Institute, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) of Marin, and Refocus - a large group practice based on a twelve-step model in Corte Madera, CA. I have additional training and didactic education in neurofeedback, massage therapy, somatic therapies, psychodynamic psychotherapy, family systems therapy, brief strategic therapy, and others.
I have completed the three year training program in Somatic Experiencing (SE) and have been certified as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). SE is a nervous system therapy approach developed by Dr. Peter Levine that heals trauma and accumulated stress. I studied with Dr. Levine in 1983 and from 1988-1989 as well.
Additionally, I have personally participated in a great deal of therapy and bodywork and have supported my family members in doing the same. I am a great fan of personal exploration in the pursuit of wisdom and balance.
Working in body-oriented disciplines has given me a deeper understanding of the need for creating safety and trust in the therapeutic alliance and has given me greatly increased appreciation for effective connecting with clients. It has also taught me profound ways of bypassing the defense mechanisms in order to work with people at the deep core level. Working psychologically with clients has given me an understanding of the developmental process, where it got ‘stuck’ and how to ‘unstick’ it. The body-centered work has informed my counseling practice, and my counseling practice has informed my bodywork.
