EDUCATION
I received my Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in psychology from the University of Michigan in 1994. This is also where I had a 10 year career in research and teaching, mostly in the departments of Psychology and Social Work.
I received my Masters (M.S.) and Doctoral degrees (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology from Ohio University in 2013. Finally, I completed my internship at The Ohio State University, and am a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) as well as a member of the Danish Psychotherapy Association (DPF). I am a licensed psychologist, here in Denmark.
EXPERIENCE
Having spent well over 25 years in the states and the rest in Denmark, I speak English and Danish fluently. I tend to believe that being a native of both the US and Denmark and having been an expat most of my life, gives me a personal perspective on being an expat/international with much of what that entails.
Clinically, I have several decades of experience in the assessment and psychological treatment of most psychological concerns.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THERAPY?
As a therapist, I mostly see my role as one of exploring and analyzing your expressed experiences, moving us towards a deeper understanding of who you are, how your concerns have come about, and how you make sense of the world. I come at this challenge of exploration with empathy, acceptance, honesty, and transparency. These are requirements for us to engage in an open and trusting relationship, where we can work together towards your goals.
Your therapy should be a time for the development of new ideas, deepening your self-knowledge, and emotional exploration. Such growth commonly best takes place in a supportive and open environment. Therapy is best when it is a collaborative process.
DURATION AND SCHEDULING
Sometimes therapy lasts only a few sessions. However, in therapy with me, therapy is often a much longer and deeper process towards real growth. Clients often stay in therapy beyond the initial symptom relief, in order to address more complex concerns, such as relationship problems, defensive reactions, ongoing emotional struggles, or feelings of being stuck without quite being able to put a finger on why.
HOW OFTEN DO WE MEET?
Depending on your concerns, we will likely meet weekly or bi-weekly. Initially, I think it is of great value that we start out meeting weekly, at least for the first few sessions. That said, there are often reasons for why such a schedule is difficult or impossible. This we will figure out together. We will do what we can, given the circumstances.
SCIENCE INFORMING TREATMENT
For psychological treatment to be as effective as possible, the psychologist must be grounded in both theory and research. The science of psychological treatment is growing up very fast, and there are new approaches and treatment modalities being developed all the time.
The science is informing us of things that work, and things that don’t work. We must, as individual psychologists, stay abreast of this growing body of research.
My clinical work is informed by several theoretical approaches, mostly within the humanistic and dynamic orientations. I am Client Centered, Emotion Focused, and Psychodynamic. These methods of treatment are well researched and have proven themselves effective in the treatment of a broad array of behavioral and emotional difficulties, and offer lasting change.
I look forward to working with you.
See my list of publications for more information about my research and educational background.