I later began working for the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group. This was a dream job with a great group of colleagues. They taught me so much but I left there after six years because I wanted to pursue doctoral studies and it was impossible to do both. I went on to UCLA where I would do research with a Professor who is famous for his work in chemical dependency and the prevention of it.

My doctoral studies were completely different from my experience at USC. It was no longer personal practical hands-on training. UCLA was intellectually and academically challenging but I found it the perfect mix for me. I did my research, and ultimately my dissertation, on “Attachment and Loss.” I intuitively believed and continue to find that insecure attachments and unresolved losses in our personal histories contribute greatly to emotional problems of all kinds. I opened my private practice in 1983 and continue with it today. I’ve also spent a number of years teaching psychology classes… most were in addiction and/or family counseling. If interested, see my credentials. I think I learn the most from my patients. Psychology is a science but it includes a lot of philosophy and, it is my opinion, that psychotherapy is an art. No two people are exactly the same. The process involved in all of my services is to some degree a mutual one in that we are always learning and discovering together.