With over 40 combined years of practice as a mediator and counselor, I blend the emotional sensitivity and training of a therapist and the down to earth, problem solving wisdom of an attorney/mediator. I create a safe and accepting atmosphere to help you explore your deepest feelings and find lasting solutions to your problems.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #45762) with specific advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for partners and individuals from all lifestyles and orientations, EMDR therapy to help people resolve trauma, PTSD, anxiety and depression, and Dream Therapy to unlock the messages your unconscious is sending to you as you sleep. I am intuitive, eclectic, and holistic in my approach to therapeutic interventions, adapting techniques to fit your needs.

Prior to becoming a therapist, I was a licensed California attorney (1973) and gravitated to mediation in 1983. I mediated all types of conflict from intense family and workplace disputes to major complex civil litigation. I also trained thousands of mediators in the United States and other countries, and founded and directed a mediation and negotiation training institute. Mediation led me to psychology when I experienced that most people in conflict had emotional problems that could be better resolved with therapy.

As a lifelong learner, I am always taking trainings to advance my therapy skills to better serve my clients. The following are some of my credentials.

LICENSURE, EDUCATION, TRAINING AND TEACHING

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist: LMFT #45762

  • Coordinator, Trauma Response Network, Santa Barbara County

  • Advanced Emotionally Focused Therapy Training, Sue Johnson

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy for Individuals, Sue Johnson

  • Advanced EMDR Training, Laurel Parnell

  • Advanced Dream Work, Embodied Imagination, Robert Bosnak

  • Lifetime Achievement Award, Santa Barbara Superior Court for Contributions to the Field of Mediation

  • Director, Conflict Management Institute, Santa Barbara

  • Adjunct Professor, Alternative Dispute Resolution, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Pacifica Graduate Institute, Masters in Counseling Psychology, Emphasis Depth Psychology

  • Columbia University, Juris Doctorate

  • Harvard University, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship

  • University of Michigan, B.A. History Honors