Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor I

Board Certified Practitioner of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy

Certified Experiential Therapist III

Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner

I have worked in the field of addiction treatment for over seven years, including more than five years as a psychodramatist. How did that happen?

After more than two decades working in the world of HIV/AIDS - as a counselor, educator, grant developer/administrator, program director, and clinical researcher - I came to recognize that addiction not only increased the risk of HIV exposure, but also is a potentially lethal threat in its own right. As I shifted focus to addiction I became aware that process addictions (including eating disorders) were often intertwined with dependency on substances. I also began to appreciate the importance of neglect and trauma in the life experience of so many people with addictions. Personal experience and clinical practice made it apparent to me that recovery encompasses mind, body, and spirit.

Fortunately my training as a drug and alcohol counselor exposed me to psychodrama and sociometry and, in a good way, I was instantly hooked. I love psychodrama. I love how it creates safety, invites creative expression, enhances spontaneity, celebrates mistakes, encourages risk-taking, and fosters deep connections with others.

The importance of embodiment and felt sense in psychodrama, together with an ever-keener awareness of the impact of developmental/relational trauma on patterns of addiction and ill health, led me to further training in Psychodramatic Bodywork® and becoming a practitioner of Somatic Experiencing® as an approach to trauma resolution.

I welcome further opportunities to be of service, especially to:

• members of the LGBTQ community;

• survivors of trauma and neglect;

• persons in recovery (or contemplating recovery) from substance and process addictions, including eating disorders;

• seniors (like me!) grappling with questions of meaning,  purpose, and mortality.