My Approach

There's a reason you're experiencing what you're experiencing. My job is to help you understand it.

My training in Contemplative Psychology at Naropa University shapes everything about how I work — not as a set of techniques, but as a fundamental orientation toward the person sitting across from me. At the core of that orientation is a belief borrowed from Buddhist psychology: that within each of us is a basic goodness. Compassion, intelligence, and sanity that don't disappear when life gets hard. They get covered over. The work is about uncovering them.

The Frameworks I Draw From

I draw from several traditions that I've found genuinely useful in clinical work as practical tools for understanding why we suffer and what we can do about it.

Stoicism, particularly the work of Epictetus, informs how I think about resilience. The Stoics weren't interested in eliminating difficulty. They were interested in developing the inner resources to meet it. That orientation runs through a lot of what we do together.

Existential psychology, particularly the work of Irvin Yalom, informs how I think about meaning. A great deal of human suffering comes from unexamined questions about purpose, identity, and what we actually want from our lives. Bringing those questions into the open tends to be where real change happens.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Sessions are conversational and grounded in what you bring into the room. I'll often provide context about what's happening in your nervous system, about the thought patterns driving your experience, or about how the frameworks above might apply to what you're going through.

The present moment is the primary working surface. The past matters — but it's only in the present that anything can actually shift. By looking clearly at what's happening in your life right now, and how you're relating to it, we can begin to develop a more honest and compassionate understanding of who you are.

That understanding is what you take with you.

What to Expect

This approach works well for people who are curious about themselves and who want to understand their experience, not just manage it. If you're drawn to a deeper conversation about who you are and how you got here, this is probably a good fit.

Sessions are 50 minutes. I work with young adults, adults, and couples in Westport, CT and virtually throughout Connecticut.

Common Questions

Do I need any background in philosophy or meditation to work with you?

Not at all. These frameworks inform how I think and how I work — they're not something you need to study or subscribe to. Most clients engage with them naturally through the conversation.

Is this approach evidence-based?

Yes. Mindfulness-based approaches, Stoic-informed resilience training, and existential therapy all have substantial research support. The philosophical grounding doesn't come at the expense of clinical rigor.

How is this different from standard talk therapy?

The educational and philosophical dimension is probably the biggest difference. Rather than just processing what happened, we spend time understanding why it happened, what it means, and what frameworks might help you relate to it differently.