Massachusetts Psychology Association: Past Fellow

American Psychological Association: Member

Maine Psychological Association: Member; Past Council Member; Past Chair MEPA Ethic's Committee

Bangor Area Psychological Association: Member

Bangor 'For Kid's Sake" program: Past Presenter

Bangor Area Peer Supervision Group: Member

Tufts Medical School: Past Adjunct Associate Professor

Springfield College: Past Adjunct Associate Professor

Westfield State College: Past Adjunct Associate Professor

Baystate Medical Center: Past Staff Psychologist

CONFIDENTIALITY AND INFORMED CONSENT

Your privacy is an important matter. In fact, our work is confidential by law and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules of privacy. However, if someone is being harmed or in danger of harm, that information may not be treated with confidentiality, by law, in order to protect that adult or child or even yourself. I will be glad to answer any questions you have about this matter.

Every effort is made to insure that your treatment proceeds in an ethical and professional manner as outlined by the Code of Ethics of the American Psychological Association. If you like, I am glad to supply you with a copy of the Ethical Principles Of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association.

Informed consent is another important matter that is addressed in our first meeting. You will be told about the cost of my services along with the length or our meetings, the nature of psychological work and other important matters that allow you to make an informed decision about using my services.

TOPICS OF INTEREST    Here you will find a few topics of interest to me as they relate to enhancing our day to day lives.

 AGING                       STRESS AND TRAUMA                    NUTRITION                        ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Aging is a topic that we increasingly see highlighted in magazines and newspapers as well as academic journals. Aging brings new demands on both our physical and mental health.  However, aging is also connected with greater wisdom and understanding about coping and the meaning of one's life.

Aging or how we age depends on many things, including our genetic make up; our finances; our friendships our losses and our gains. While we may be predisposed to certain illness, life style plays a very important role in behavioral and personal longevity.  Think about what makes you feel healthy and vital and what makes you feel the opposite. When you have questions about any area of concern, learn as much as you can about that matter.  Learning assists us in coping and even transcending a problem.

While articles on health and aging are plentiful, it is also important to look at how aging is impacting you, personally. Is this a rewarding time of your life or do you find that life is more burdensome with greater challenges? As we age, we may experience the loss of loved ones, greater financial challenges and even less support than we once had.

If our work involves aging related issues we will evaluate the matters that brought you to my office and look at strategies to assist you with your problem solving.  If you are dealing with issues such as memory loss or other changes in cognition, we'll discuss whether or not an evaluation by a neuropsychologist would be useful.

As always, wherever we focus our efforts, it will be in the direction of the needs and concerns that you share with me.

Stress is part of living. Trauma kicks it up several notches. When stress becomes an ongoing part of one's life, one may become desensitized and even unaware of the toll stress is taking in their life.   Stress Management comes in many forms including meditation and relaxation exercises, aerobic exercise, being around positive people and much more. Coping with trauma can take many forms depending on the traumatic experience(s).

Over the years I have worked with individuals who have experienced trauma. Trauma may come from numerous areas including:

Childhood

Military

Medical or Dental

Work

Relationships

If you come to treatment for trauma related issues, we will first do a thorough evaluation to look at your experiences and your goals. Then we will assess what you hope to accomplish in our work together. Trauma does not need to impact you in permanent manner. We will focus on integration and change.

Our brain is a very important organ. Countless studies have shown how the brain affects our behavior, our emotions and our perceptions. Even our immunity is connected to the brain. When we eat on the run, boost our energy with caffeine and sugar products and skip the exercise, we're hurting not only our brain but also most other organs in our body.

With the many demands life places upon us, nutrition may be last on the list. However, what and how we eat effects both physical and mental health; including our genes, hormones, immunity and even neurological functioning. Both anxiety and depression are governed by these same biological systems. Understanding the connection between our psychological and physical wellbeing, is a valuable tool.

Trauma, can impact our psychological as well as our physical health and balance.. Often in therapy, we seek to clarify the nature of current or previous trauma. We then move toward the development of skills and understanding in order to restore balance to your life.

Part of your work may focus on self care, including a discussion of foods and substances that can both harm and enhance your mental health.

Anxiety and depression are common conditions that lead people to seek advice from a psychologist or other mental health care provider.

Panic attacks may affect one's ability to work, in social situations, even at home.  Such attacks often come on suddenly and generate strong fear of being harmed or even dying.  It is an intense experience.  Usually the first such attack occurs during young adulthood.

When there is a dual diagnosis, depression and anxiety occur together. One may start out with anxiety and later experience depression or visa versa. This dual diagnosis is more likely to happen when one is not able to deal successfully with the original symptoms.

Finally, substance abuse and other addictions are often linked to anxiety and depression.

Medications for both anxiety and depression may be useful in decreasing problem symptoms. Medications, however, are never meant to solve the underlying problems and should always be used with some form of verbal work such as cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal relationship therapy.

Nutritional treatments are getting recognition for having a positive impact on mental health. (See section on nutrition) In recent years respected studies are emerging on the benefits of certain nutritional substances and healthy eating styles.