My Professional and Personal History

Being able to share Your Experiences with a Therapist who is in Recovery is very helpful.

I have been in continuous Recovery since 1987 and been a Counselor since 1990. I was first exposed to 12-step Recovery in 1982.

I have worked in an addictions inpatient treatment center, psychiatric inpatient unit and individual therapy with a wide range of people (Addiction and majority psychiatric diagnosis, dual diagnosis, addicts with issues in long term recovery, grief issues, adjustment issues [divorce, death of loved one, career change]…as examples) as well as numerous outpatient groups (depression and bipolar focused, anxiety relief, anger management, and outpatient addiction recovery).

Most people do not really understand what it is like to be an addict, so talking with another addict can be helpful indeed.

Therapy with a Therapist in Recovery

• I bring the best of both worlds; Recovery and Therapy
• I have a passion to work with recovering alcoholics and addicts struggling with living problems or just wish to be all they can become as intended.
• Recovery is a lifeline and taproot for many of us and talking about your feelings and past events and working & living the 12-steps is therapeutic, life-saving and life-changing, but not always enough.
• More is often needed to help us heal from the wounds of growing up and living life.
• Who of us hasn’t used something to deny dealing with feelings and alter “reality” in some way? Often that can become a pervasive pattern, keeping us in bondage.
• Learn to use your emotions as tools and be able to breathe in and welcome all feelings, no matter how connected to the present, past or future, they are.
• Learn to be in peace and a strong agent of change, in your life .
• Do I choose to live with clarity or distorted perceptions?

Purposes in Life

I am clear, of some of my Purposes in life:

• To remain sober (of sound mind)
• To continue to heal and help others to heal
• To look for and see the GOOD in others
• To be of service
• To carry the message of recovery
• To continue to grow in roles before me... being a better father, husband, therapist, teacher…
• To continue to ask for God’s will and the strength and his grace to carry it out.

Prior to recovery I was a reactor to life for the most part and attempted to control it and others. I sought and used alcohol/drugs to cope. It seemed to work…at first. I knew little of having purpose and meaning

Are you still a student of recovery, as well as a teacher? A prayer I use at start of meetings is, “Please allow me to hear the message of recovery, regardless of sobriety length or who shares it and if it be your will, allow me to carry the message”.

 

Specialized Training

Extensive work with addictions, a wide range of psychiatric counseling, primarily with adults, but also to include work with adolescents and children.

Specialized education, training, interest and clinical treatment experience, includes: Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Mental Health Treatment, Alcohol and Drug Treatment/Recovery, Relapse Prevention training, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Archetypal and Client-centered approach.

Experience of my own recovery from addiction and exploring life issues to include being active in 12-step recovery for 27+ years, men’s integrative work with an archetypal focus, meditation practice, intensive deep process work, therapy, and process therapy.