BACKGROUND

     I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California only and have been in the field for sixteen years. As an intern and as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I have trained in a few areas of specialty. I work with many couples and families to address issues such as sexual, physical and verbal abuse and relationship therapy. I work with families that deal with addiction and those who were raised in families that were impacted by alcohol and drug abuse. In 1994, as an intern, I started working in a program treating sexual abuse that occurred both in families and by offenders outside the family. I have continued to work with victims, offenders and all the family members since then.
     In 1997, along with a business partner, I founded Cross Creek Family Counseling, Inc. in Citrus Heights, Ca.. I worked as the Clinical Director of Cross Creek for eight years, seeing clients and supervising and training Marriage and Family Interns and Trainees. During this time I had the opportunity to work with children of all ages and their families to resolve a wide variety of emotional and psychological issues. Many of the kids I worked with had been abused, abandoned or neglected and were receiving treatment along with their parents to reunify or adjust to a foster family and heal from the hurts of the past.
     In October of 2005, I retired from Cross Creek to devote myself to a full time private practice in Grass Valley. During my last four years at Cross Creek I started doing on-line E therapy with many clients. I enjoy the work and find that it helps many people who for one reason or another, cannot do face to face therapy. 
     This web site was developed to keep that avenue of therapy open to all who might benefit from E-therapy. After working in the field of sexual abuse recovery, I have decided to put my experience to further good use and write a book about protecting our children from sexual abuse. I hope to have it finished by the end of this year.

                    A THERAPEUTIC APPROACH

One of the many approaches I use in my work is Ego State Therapy. Most people are more familiar with the term "defense mechanism". Ego states or defense mechanisms are adaptive parts of ourselves that were formed during childhood to deal with a variety of issues and events. If you were abused at three years of age, you have a part of you that holds those memories and feelings through the mind of a three year old. This part is frozen in time and still operates from his or her age. Do you sometimes feel like a child while knowing that you are an adult? Are there people in your life who make you feel incompetent, childlike or otherwise different than you tell yourself you are? These are your ego states that get triggered in certain situations or by certain people.
     Ego states also form around positive events and relationships. We identify with the good things about our parents or families and form parts that hold onto those traits and beliefs with which we identify. 
     In trauma and abuse, there are usually many ego states that form and get easily triggered throughout our lives. Most of the time, the adaptive behaviors of these ego states are counterproductive to leading a healthy life. It is like letting children run your life, It never works. We never get rid of these parts but with the right work, we can get them to work with us instead of against us. In the course of your work with me, we will develop ways for you to get in touch with these parts and help to shift them from self-sabotaging behaviors and emotions to those that work congruently with your adult choices and goals.

                         RESULTS TO LOOK FOR

     In the process of doing this work, you will experience an increase in peace of mind, contentment, and often productivity. If you find yourself stuck in a rut, self-sabotaging your own success or repeating self destructive behaviors, it is because these parts believe it is in your best interest to hold you back. In many philosophies and theories of psychology there is a basic premise that says "When you want something and you want it congruently, the universe will conspire to give it to you." Ego state work helps to line up your inner world with your outer world and give you the healing for which you have been searching. This in turn, opens the door to many wonderful possibilities for your life.