By training, I'm a clinical psychologist, coach, certified holistic health care practitioner, and yoga instructor. By avocation, I've studied zoology, socio-biology, cultural anthroplogy, and diverse traditions of spirituality. In conjunction with lifelong meditation and yoga practices, these have helped me develop a holistic perspective on the human condition. For over three decades I've helped people work their vital edges and craft integral life change. From coaching, to counselling, to deep therapy, and most recently intruction in Intuitive Yoga, I provide an integrated spectrum of services.
I believe that we each have the capacity to create and maintain an authentic and deeply satisfying life. This belief isn't a manifestation of wishful or the New Age thinking; it is founded on a deep, reality-based appreciation of just what we are capable of... all of us. The corollary of that, of course, is that nothing is more common in this world than great potential. Why then, do so few people seem to create truly amazing lives for themselves? A few of the most common reasons are this: many do not believe they have the abilities they do; many don't know what they really want out of life; and many who do know what they want don't know how to move their lives in that direction. Probably the greatest hinderace, however, is that in our Western culture we tend to look for what we deeply want and truly need in all the wrong places. My personal vision of this extraordinary life is found in the concept of Deep Living. which you will find information on elsewhere in this site.
Coaching and therapy are related yet different in several important ways. As mentioned above, my services range from coaching to counselling to deep therapy, and this reflects a continuum of professional assistance. At one end, lies coaching. An important distinction between these lies in the degree to which the client is able to engage in mindful affort toward a desired end.
As a psychologist in Ontario, Canada I'm required to be a generalist and I've helped people with most forms of psychological / behavioural problems; however, I have notably extensive training and experience in cross-cultural counselling, traumatic stress injuries, and existential crises. Though I rarely do couples counselling these days, I created the One Year Marriage relationships model, literally writing the book, and continue to coach couples who wish to follow its principles.
Please note: I am currently reducing my client load to make time for my writing, podasts, and other recording projects and I've placed my license to practice psychology in the State of California (PSY 18522) on inactive status for the time being. Accordingly, my availability for direct service is very limited at present. I do remain registered as a psychologist in the Province of Ontario (CPO #2986).
CONFIDENTIALITY: As a practicing clinical psychologist, I am bound by professional ethics and law to respect and protect the confidentiality of my patients. The Canadian Federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act establishes the legal mandate for this and my Privacy and Confidentiality policy was written in accordance with that. You can download a PDF copy here!
NEW! I have practiced the art of yoga since my teens and in the years since I've invariably recommended yoga to my family, friends, and clients. I decided recently, however, to take that a step further and become certified yoga instructor (Yoga Alliance RYT200). Keep an eye out for more articles and audiocasts on yoga in the coming months.
Ongoing: I've been in the process of creating an expanding series of medatation recordings that are available at no cost through Insight Timer and SoundCloud. Links to these can be found in this website on the Audiocasts page.
So, please take a look around, explore the rest of the site. If you come to beleive I can help you, you can contact me by way of the contact page.
Axioms of Change
The following are a few of the principles that have influenced me and continue to guide my personal life and professional services.
- Axiom 1: We have the capacity to change and transform our lives in almost any conceivable manner. We can manifest desired change in our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual selves; improve our social lives and finances, and alter our physical environments in the most profound ways. Limitations to such changes may exist, but perceived limitations are often illusory or minimal, and sometimes dissolve when we take transformative action.
- Axion 2: Regardless of our life circumstances, we can adjust in such a way that we can be at peace with life as it presents itself. When desired changes cannot be made or are slow in coming, we can adjust positively to what life has presented us with. Healing from dis-ease is a choice between changing that which we can change, and coming to peace with that which we cannot or choose not to change.
- Axiom 3: We create our own suffering. We may not cause an injury or the pain it produces; however, realize it or not we are in control of the amount of suffering we experience. The primary ways we create our suffering is through thinking and acting along variations of attachment and non-acceptance. Even when a degree of suffering seems inevitable, our clinging to ideas of how our life should be otherwise and non-acceptance of life as it presents itself, magnifies and prolongs this suffering needlessly. When we do not accept undesirable life events, we avoid our deepest reactions to them, close our minds and hearts to the experience, and thereby cut off our inner healing ability in the process.
- Axiom 4: Healing and change best start out with a non-judgemental acceptance of the way things are at present. Accepting our selves and others as we are, embracing life as it is, is not complacency... It's simply an acknowledgement of reality that clears a path to choice, healing, and true freedom. By practising this we can tap into a boundless reservoir of transformative potential, and open the door to healing. Change can then occur naturally and often more easily that you might expect.