Personal Identities and Brief Biography

Therapy is always about the client. Sometimes, though, it is nice to know a little about the person you are considering as your therapist.

My identities:

• Cisgender male. My pronouns are he/him.
• My ancestries are northern European, including German, Norwegian, and Irish, and I grew up in Minnesota.
• Polyamorous, and I have two committed long-term relationships.
• Bisexual/Pansexual. Though, like most bisexual people, I tend to partner with one gender, in my case, women.

I grew up in Minneapolis, where the surrounding diversity ignited my passion for diversity issues. After high school, I lived in India for a year while in the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. I went to college in Colorado, where I met my wife. During college, I experienced a larger view of the world on Semester at Sea. I moved to the Bay Area in 2002 to begin my Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology. My family and I are now settled in this area for good.

I became a licensed psychologist (PSY23669) through a circuitous route. I began with a strong interest in spirituality and human development during my undergraduate major in Religious Studies. I considered a more academic career but I realized that what I really felt called to do was work with people one-on-one. I took some prerequisite courses for a year at Loyola University in Chicago and then began my Ph.D. in 2002. I earned my Clinical Psychology Ph.D. in 2008 and have been licensed since 2010.

Since 2011, I have been in private practice specializing in sex and relationship issues. I opened my practice in Mountain View, moved to Los Altos in 2015, and have continued serving those and the surrounding areas since moving to a 100% online practice in 2020.

I love my job. I am honored that I get to do work that I enjoy, that is meaningful, and that helps others live meaningful, connected lives. Below you will find a brief list of different positions that I have held during my career and, a little further down, a brief description of my therapeutic style.

Style As a Therapist:

What most sets me apart as a therapist is how active and goal-oriented I am. I don’t just nod and ask you how that makes you feel. I interrupt negative thought and speech patterns, provide education, tools, homework, and exercises to make sure you get out of therapy what you came in for. After an initial assessment, we create a treatment plan for short- or long-term work to guide your therapy. For short-term work, we focus on developing homework so you can begin making changes and see results quickly. For long-term goals, we identify questions and themes to guide our work.

During sessions, I often jot down notes or pictures to give you at the end of the session, so you have something to help you keep track of the ideas or skills you were working on.

Career Synopsis:

• Private Practice Therapist July 2011- present.
• Executive Director of the Community Center for Health & Wellness at Sofia University, January 2014- February 2015.
• Assistant Professor in Sofia University’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology program, September 2011- August 2014. I taught courses including Critical Thinking, Scholarly Writing, Advanced Clinical Practicum Seminar, and Human Sexuality.
• Clinical Director of the Community Center for Health & Wellness at Sofia University, July 2011- December 2013.
• Program Manager and Clinical Supervisor for the Community Counseling Services program at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County July 2010- June 2012.
• My book.
• My Presentations, Publications, and Achievements.
• Podcasts I’ve been on.