A Few Words About Me

I am a parent of more than 20 years. In fact as I write this I am celebrating the fact that during this past year my oldest graduated from Penn State and got married. I have two other children both of which are currently making their way through college.

Professionally I am a psychologist of more than 20 years. I graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 1984. I have worked with families in a variety of capacities both before and after getting my doctorate. For the last seven years I have been in full-time private practice working with children, adolescents and adults doing lots of family therapy. My practice is located in Whitehall, PA and I can be reached at 610.821.9515 to schedule an appointment.

Of all the things I have done in my life, the most complex, challenging, and rewarding has been my role as a parent. I have been humbled at times by the fact that while I am well trained, real life situations often are not as clear-cut as I would like them to be. Instead they sometimes become confusing and difficult. I have been rewarded when my children have done well, wanting to imagine that my contribution to their lives was the reason for their success. I have been frightened when their decision-making led to difficult consequences and have often felt responsible that in some way my parenting was flawed contributing to their failure.

Over the years I have gradually relaxed a little, realizing that while I have influenced the lives of my children, there are many factors beyond my control that also have contributed both positively and negatively. I am one of many factors that have contributed to their lives.

Having encountered many families with similar experiences I decided to develop a web site that would help parents with the complicated job of being a parent because no matter how hard we try we aren’t perfect. You will find posts on this site that deal many facets of parenting but they fall into three basic categories: 1. How work with my children and 2. How to respond most effectively to my partner, and 3. How to understand myself and find peace within my skin. I would welcome feedback. E-mail me with your thoughts.