“As an older therapist, I appreciate the fact that both my young adult and older adult clients find me youthful and relatable.”
What was your path to becoming a therapist?
Prior to becoming a therapist, I was a writer and reporter. I found that I especially loved interviewing others and seemed to have a talent for helping them open up and feel safe and truly listened to. This led me to pursue two graduate degrees: I completed my MSW in 1984 and my PsyD in clinical psychology in 1992. I have worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings with a wide range of psychiatric issues. In my 40s, I discovered a love of teaching graduate psychology, mental health counseling, and social work students in both assessment and psychotherapy skills. As an older therapist, I appreciate the fact that both my young adult and older adult clients find me youthful and relatable.
What should someone know about working with you?
The intake process always begins with focusing on the current issues that persuaded a potential client to seek psychotherapy at this moment. Is there a current stressor, such as anxiety or loss of community? Are there long-standing interpersonal or professional issues that are causing a level of concern that the person feels ready to address? Therapy is a dialogue between therapist and client with the aim of defining treatment goals, collaborating on how to achieve a higher level of functioning, and hopefully improving general satisfaction in all areas of life along the way. Family, relationships, trauma, and substance abuse history are gathered. The intake process usually unfolds over several sessions as the connection between therapist and client develops. I work with those who have a range of issues to address in the areas of family, work, relationships, anxiety, or depressive symptoms.
What do you do to continue learning and building competencies as a provider?
I think it's really important to continue learning new skills and reading articles and texts that are relevant to current world issues. We are living in a time of prolonged stress and uncertainty. Re-reading texts on loss, grief, and trauma helps. Connecting with other therapists for case conferences helps. So does sipping my favorite chai latte, catching up with friends, and downtime (thank heavens for Netflix!).
What is one of the most important skills for a therapist to learn that is often not taught well in graduate programs?
How to conduct a mental status exam!
“Therapy is a dialogue between therapist and client with the aim of defining treatment goals, collaborating on how to achieve a higher level of functioning, and hopefully improving general satisfaction in all areas of life along the way.”