I am licensed in Ohio as a licensed social worker and liscensed chemical dependency counsleor, I have been in practice since 1995 when I graduated from Case Western Univeristy with a Master’s in clinical social work. I have worked in private practice as well as hospitals, employee assistance and corporations. My primary therapy orientation is person-centered, inasmuch as I strongly believe that a strong therapeutic relationship is paramount for client growth. I maintain that therapy should be an authentic experience, and the client’s need to be heard, valued, and understood is primary. I see my role as both a leader and a follower in treatment to promote client change, and thus I practice a balance of basic empathy and unconditional positive regard, versus directiveness in therapy. While I like to operate from an insight-oriented therapeutic stance, as I deem change that happens inside-out to be most lasting, it requires clients to have a certain level of insight into their concerns. It can be frustrating for clients who do not know what is judicious to discuss in sessions, and therefore I work with clients as well to encourage outside-in changes that can be used as a springboard to promote insight and effect lasting change. I understand that each individual is not an illness or label, rather a person with multiple contributing factors towards his or her distress and/or reasons that are his or her impetus for seeking help. For this reason, I try my best, as renowned psychotherapist Irvin Yalom puts it, to “create a new therapy for each client.” I use theory and techniques from ACT, CBT/REBT, Interpersonal Process Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Existential Therapy, Crisis Intervention, Mindfulness, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Theory, Psychoeducation, and Solution-Focused Therapy among other modalities. I have experience working with individuals, couples, and families – adolescents and adults suffering from depression/mood disorders, anxiety, trauma/abuse, addiction and substance use, divorce, infidelity, family conflict, relationship issues, self-harming, suicidal ideations, and grief. Additionally, I have done work with clients involving career path, self-esteem/self-confidence, coping skills, life-transitions, and everyday issues. My passion lies in assisting people to find their authentic self and to improve their relationships. In individual or couples’ counseling, whether one’s unhappiness stems from mental health issues or life circumstances, it is my goal to aid folks in weeding through their thorns to gain clarity and inner peace.