Why I became a psychologist.
Who I am as a therapist is deeply tied to my younger self. To understand that kid is to understand how I approach therapy and think about people’s struggles.
I grew up in northern Michigan, always feeling a little out of place. In high school, I coped by doing drugs and acting out. It made me feel cool for a while, but deep down, I was deeply unhappy. A year after graduation, I hit a breaking point, believing I was losing my mind and thinking of suicide. I finally told my mom the truth, and she helped me find a therapist.
I was scheduled to see some guy named Mike. I assumed he’d hand me pills so I could get back to partying. So I showed up guarded—“Fuck this guy,” I thought. But Mike saw past my front, connecting with my loneliness and pain. He listened, took me seriously, and made me feel seen. As I opened up and started feeling better, I remember thinking, “Maybe I could do this someday, too.”
“I’ve never met a crazy person.”
Those experiences reshaped how I see pain. I always say I’ve never met a “crazy” person because I now know that no one seeks therapy because life has been too awesome. And like that insecure kid in Mike’s office, I believe everyone can get better; they just need the right person to reach them.
Putting my theory to the test.
Early in my career, I tested my theory: If Mike could reach me, maybe I could reach others. I spent four years doing inpatient psychotherapy with the toughest cases I could, refusing to write anyone off. They had the best meds and skills groups, but no one was really talking to them about how they felt.
I didn’t want to compromise my belief in life-changing therapy and fall back on worksheets and coping skills. Instead, I took risks, challenged people, and pushed back against defenses rather than waiting months for them to fall. Not everyone got better, but many did—sometimes in astonishing ways.
I then spent 13 years at the VA, helping veterans heal from war and trauma. The same principles held: when we dug deep and faced the pain, lives changed.
Your pain is a message to yourself, from yourself, about yourself.
Through those experiences I realized that even the severest problems connected to unaddressed pain—sometimes obvious, like trauma or combat, other times subtle, like parentification or feeling invisible.
And, big or small, pain always connected to experience. If I could help people confront their most guarded thoughts and feelings, we would find links between their pain and their experience.
Like a thorn left in the foot, our unhealed wounds force us to adapt, reshaping who we are and distancing us from our true selves. But it’s never too late—by facing these hurts, we can rediscover who we are and live more authentically.
No one is a lost cause.
In therapy, you should feel safe enough to cry while knowing your therapist will tell you the hard truths. A client once said, “I can’t get one over on you because you don’t take my shit,” and I think that sums me up—I mean, if you can’t trust your therapist to give it to you straight, who can you trust?
I don’t believe anyone is a “lost cause” because I once thought I was one, myself. And then Mike proved me wrong. At my darkest moment, he got through to me and saved my life. Thank God.
Everyone can be reached. They just need the right therapist.
Reach out and see if I’m the right one for you.
Let’s get uncomfortable.
My Professional Experience
I became a psychologist because I’m fascinated by people and what makes us tick. I chose inpatient psychotherapy and trauma work because I deeply believe in the human spirit’s ability to overcome and grow.
Again, I don’t believe anyone is lost.
And my career reflects this—where I’ve worked, my love for therapy, doing as much of it as possible, and writing and blogging about it all. Alongside therapy, I also am dedicated to teaching the next generation of therapists.
Work
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Richmond State Hospital (IN; 2007): Practicum student
Capital District Psychiatric Hospital (NY; 2009): Intern
Four Winds (NY; 2010 to 2012): Staff
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Albany VAMC (NY; 2009): Intern, combat-PTSD
Albany VAMC (NY; 2012-2016): Staff, combat-PTSD
Minneapolis VAMC (MN; 2016-2023): Staff, mood disorders
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Albany, NY (2011-2016): Sole proprietor
Minneapolis, MN (2016-present): Sole proprietor
Training
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Michigan State University (2004): BA, Psychology
Miami University (Ohio; 2006): MA, Clinical Psychology
Miami University (Ohio; 2010): PhD, Clinical Psychology
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New York (2011): 019156
Minnesota (2016): LP6039
Michigan (2023): 6301019263
Wisconsin (2023): 5153-57
PSYPACT (2023): 14055
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MN Society of Clinical Hypnosis (2025): Clinical hypnosis (level 1)
EMDRIA (2021): Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
American Board of Professional Psychology (2018-2024): Board certification, Clinical Psychology
Veterans Affairs (2013): Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Supervision
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I supervised psychology doctoral students during their practicum training, from 2011 until 2023. I would estimate that during that time I supervised 15 to 20 students.
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I supervised pre-doctoral psychology interns during their internship year, from 2011 until 2023. I would estimate that during that time I supervised 10 to 15 interns.
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I supervised post-doctoral (pre-licensure) psychologists during their post-doc year, from 2011 until 2023. I would estimate that during that time I supervised 5 to 10 post-docs.
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I designed and taught two courses on mental health stigma during my fifth-year of graduate school at Miami University (OH). I also designed and taught online courses in action research and research methods from 2012 to 2017.
