Here I will provide some information about my professional training and experience, give you a sense of my approach when working with patients in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, and say something about what to expect from psychotherapy.

I specialize in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis and am in private practice in Dallas, Texas.  I am board-certified in both psychiatry and psychoanalysis.  I am currently Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical School and Training and Supervising Analyst at the Dallas Psychoanalytic Center.  In addition to my primary work in clinical practice for over thirty years, I teach, give lectures, and publish in the fields of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and narrative medicine.

The process of psychotherapy is centered upon a respect for each person’s distinctive human nature and an appreciation for the unique ways that each of us goes about engaging in relationships with others, grappling with inner feeling states, creating a sense of self-esteem, and pursuing success in our lives, as we define it.

When people come to see me for assistance, they are generally in a current state of distress.  The first task is to clarify what is troubling and to begin to identify its causes.  Only after establishing a safe and collaborative working relationship can we begin to understand the factors that have contributed to the present circumstances and to deepen our understanding of how these sources affect you.

Some people who come to see me have never been in psychotherapy before.  Others have had prior experiences in treatment but find that their problems reoccur and discover that a deeper understanding of themselves may be necessary for more successful and enduring change.

Some of the typical problems that I offer help with are:

Individual Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Difficulties with self-esteem
• Dissatisfaction with relationships
• Underachieving in academic pursuits and in work and professional life
• Identity issues
• Lack of meaning in everyday life
• Unremitting grief
• Interactions between emotional and physical illness in acute or chronic medical problems
• Work with individuals already in recovery from alcohol dependence
• Interference with the creative process

Medication Treatment

• For patients in psychotherapy who have significant problems with depression or anxiety and who can benefit for the judicious use of psychotropic medication.  The use of medication may be for the primary goal of relief of painful symptoms and/or it may be necessary to make it possible to work productively in the therapeutic process.

Couples Therapy

• Through an understanding of each partner’s unique personality and styles of relating, I assist in determining what has gone wrong that has established unhealthy patterns in the relationship, work to repair any damage that has been done, and try to find the strengths and best capacities of each person to form a healthy and happy way of being together.

Assistance for Parents

• For parents who have sons or daughters who are struggling with psychiatric or medical illness that create strain for the family and that require special understanding of the illness and how it impacts the growth and development of the family member who is ill and the overall health in the family system