Frequently Asked QuestionsPonte Vedra Psychologists

Do you have a license?

License to Practice as a Psychologist
Yes, I am licensed as a psychologist in the state of Florida. I have been licensed here since 1991. My license number is PY4603.
You can check the Florida Department of Health website to verify my license. You can also check PsychSearch to see if I have ever violated state regulations that govern my profession. I have not.

What is your educational background?

Education
- Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, University of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, PA
Areas of focus: ADHD, stress, depression, cognitive behavioral therapy
- Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Fairfield University — Fairfield, CT
Areas of focus: stress management, career counseling, theory of emotions
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, University of Wisconsin–Madison — Madison, WI
Area of focus: flourishing, eudaimonia, or the well-lived life

Clinical Training
Across my graduate and postdoctoral years, I had seven years of supervised clinical training in CBT, ADHD, stress, and depression treatment.

• Clinical Psychology Resident, Cognitive Therapy Clinic, Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (three years) — Pittsburgh, PA
  Specialties: CBT, sexual dysfunction, depression, mood disorders, insomnia
• Clinical Psychology Intern, Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (one year) — Piscataway, NJ
  Specialties: sex therapy, couples/marital counseling, family therapy
• Clinical Psychology Trainee, University of Pittsburgh Clinical Psychology Program (five years) — Pittsburgh, PA
  Specialties: ADHD, stress, depression, CBT

What is your professional experience?

Professional Experience
I have been in private practice in Ponte Vedra Beach since 1991, specializing in CBT for adults, couples, and families. Before that, I was an HR professional at Citibank, GTE Sylvania, and PepsiCo International, where I worked in talent selection, organizational development, and executive training.
My corporate background helps me relate to clients from business and professional environments. I understand the pressures of high-level decision-making, leadership, and career transitions.

Have you published anything?

Research & Publications
I have conducted research and published scholarly articles on the role of positive and negative thinking in anxiety, depression, and stress; the effectiveness of cognitive therapy for depression; the effects of depression on sleep and sexual functioning; psychological factors in coronary heart disease; how to assess positive and negative thinking; and how to measure stressful life events.
Within the scientific community, I am probably best known for the development of the States of Mind Model, which over the past 20+ years has generated substantial research contributing to our understanding of healthy and unhealthy patterns of thinking. You can check out my Research & Publications page.

Have you taught any courses?

College Courses & Professional Workshops
I have been a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and an adjunct faculty member in the College of Health at the University of North Florida. I have taught graduate and undergraduate courses on introductory psychology, human sexuality, mood disorders, and research methods.
I have delivered presentations and conducted workshops for employees, executives, academics, healthcare professionals, and patient support groups.

What kinds of treatments are available to me?

Behavioral health professionals (also called mental health providers) use several methods to treat people with behavioral health problems (also called mental illness or mental disorders). The two most common treatments, by far, are pharmacotherapy (also known as psychiatric medication or drug therapy) and psychotherapy (also referred to as "talking therapy" or "therapy").

What are my options for taking medications?

Pharmacotherapy is the treatment of behavioral health problems through medication. A patient receiving pharmacotherapy takes a dose of a psychiatric medication prescribed by a physician, intended to reduce symptoms of a mental illness.

There are five main groups of psychiatric medications:

• Antidepressants – Used for disorders such as clinical depression, dysthymia, anxiety, eating disorders, and borderline personality disorder.
  Examples: Citalopram (Celexa), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Sertraline (Zoloft), Duloxetine (Cymbalta), Venlafaxine (Effexor), Bupropion (Wellbutrin), Mirtazapine (Remeron), Isocarboxazid (Marplan), Phenelzine (Nardil).

• Stimulants – Used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, and sometimes to suppress appetite.
  Examples: Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Daytrana), Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin), Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, Vyvanse), Mixed Amphetamine Salts (Adderall), Methamphetamine (Desoxyn), Modafinil (Provigil).

• Antipsychotics – Used to treat psychoses such as schizophrenia and mania.
  Examples: Chlorpromazine (Thorazine), Haloperidol (Haldol), Perphenazine (Trilafon), Thioridazine (Mellaril), Thiothixene (Navane), Trifluoperazine (Stelazine), Aripiprazole (Abilify), Olanzapine (Zyprexa), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Risperidone (Risperdal), Ziprasidone (Geodon).

• Mood Stabilizers – Used to treat bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder.
  Examples: Lithium Carbonate (Carbolith), Carbamazepine (Tegretol), Valproic Acid (Valproate), Valproate Semisodium (Depakote), Lamotrigine (Lamictal).

• Anxiolytics & Hypnotics – Used to treat anxiety disorders and insomnia.
  Examples: Diazepam (Valium), Nitrazepam (Mogadon), Zolpidem (Ambien, Stilnox), Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), Alprazolam (Xanax), Temazepam (Restoril), Clonazepam (Klonopin).

What are my options for undergoing talking therapy?

Psychotherapy (or "talking therapy") treats behavioral health problems through verbal and nonverbal communication with a trained mental health professional.

You can receive psychotherapy:
- Individually
- With others — couples, family, or group therapy
- In combination — e.g., individual therapy for depression plus couples therapy for relationship issues
- Alongside medications — many people benefit from a combined approach

People often seek psychotherapy when informal help from friends or family isn’t enough, or when they prefer a private, professional, and evidence-based relationship.

How psychotherapy differs from informal advice
- Expertise: in-depth understanding of emotional problems
- Training: methods based on research-supported theories
- Professionalism: impartiality with your best interests at heart
- Objectivity: support for emotionally charged or sensitive issues

There are 250+ psychotherapy methods; most fit into five categories: psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, cognitive, and eclectic. About 40% of U.S. therapists identify as eclectic, blending techniques to fit each client’s needs.

What is your approach to psychotherapy?

An Integrative versus Eclectic Orientation
I consider my orientation to be integrative rather than eclectic. I strive to incorporate the best insights from psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, and cognitive approaches.
As a default position, I use cognitive therapy to treat depression and anxiety because:
1. Cognitive therapy has been proven highly effective for these conditions.
2. I have achieved consistently good results with it for over 30 years.

In individual psychotherapy, I enter into a contractual, professional relationship in which the client agrees to pay me a fee for providing psychological services designed to accomplish their specific treatment goals. Common goals include restoring psychological health, maintaining well-being, and promoting personal growth.
Treatment interventions are chosen to help the client identify, target, and change dysfunctional patterns of thinking, feeling, or acting that cause significant emotional distress and impairment in daily life.

How do you develop a treatment plan?

Developing an Effective Treatment Plan
Treatment goals vary widely. Some clients have narrow goals such as relief from anxiety, recovery from depression, or anger management. Others have broad goals such as personality change, personal growth, optimal functioning, self-understanding, or deeper intimacy.
My training in diverse treatment methods gives me the flexibility to address a wide range of client needs.

Your goals will typically fall into one or more categories:
- Crisis Management/Stabilization – stopping a situation from worsening
- Palliation/Relief – partial easing of distress
- Recovery/Restoration – complete relief and return to normal functioning
- Maintenance/Relapse-Prevention – sustaining recovery
- Recurrence-Prevention – avoiding future problems
- Personal Growth – improving or enhancing well-being
- Optimal Functioning – achieving the best possible level of performance

Goals often evolve during therapy, requiring adjustments to the plan. I also consider your past responses to treatment, what helped, what didn’t, and what made things worse.

Our work will be guided by an understanding of factors that:
- Predispose problems
- Precipitate problems
- Perpetuate problems
- Palliate symptoms
- Exacerbate distress
- Prevent/Protect against future problems

Do you adhere to any professional code of conduct?

As a professional, I will use my best knowledge and skills to help you while following the rules and standards of the American Psychological Association (APA). In your best interests, the APA puts limits on the relationship between a therapist and a client, and I will abide by these. Let me explain these limits, so you will not think they are personal responses to you.

First, I am licensed and trained to practice psychology—not law, medicine, or any other profession. I am not able to give you reliable advice from these other professional viewpoints.

Second, state laws and the rules of the APA require me to keep what you tell me confidential (that is, private). You can trust me not to tell anyone else what you share, except in certain limited situations. I explain what those are in the "About Confidentiality" section of the FAQ. Here I want to emphasize that I try not to reveal who my clients are. This is part of my efforts to maintain your privacy. If we meet on the street or socially, I may not say hello or talk to you very much. My behavior will not be a personal reaction to you, but a way to maintain the confidentiality of our relationship. Even if you invite me, I will not attend your family gatherings, such as parties or weddings. As your therapist, I will not give you gifts; I may not notice or recall your birthday; and I may not receive any of your gifts eagerly.

Third, in your best interest and following the APA's standards, I can only be your therapist. I cannot have any other role in your life. I cannot, now or ever, be a close friend or socialize with any of my clients. I cannot be a therapist to someone who is already a friend. I can never have sexual or romantic relationships with any client during or after the course of therapy. I cannot have a business relationship with any of my clients other than the therapy relationship.

How do you protect my privacy and confidentiality?

Your privacy is extremely important to me. As a licensed psychologist, I am bound by both state law and the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct to protect your confidentiality.

What you share in therapy is private unless:
- You give written permission to share it.
- You are in danger of harming yourself or someone else.
- I have reason to believe a child, elder, or dependent adult is being abused or neglected (mandatory reporting laws apply).
- A court orders me to release information.

In most cases, if I need to contact another professional about your care, I will first obtain your written consent via a signed release form.

For added privacy, I avoid publicly acknowledging clients. If we see each other in public, I may not greet you unless you initiate contact. This is to protect your confidentiality, not because of a personal reason.

What is your cancellation policy?

I reserve your appointment time exclusively for you. If you must cancel or reschedule, please give at least 24 hours’ notice.

• Late cancellations (less than 24 hours’ notice) and missed appointments are billed at your regular session fee, except in cases of illness or genuine emergency.
• This policy is standard among mental health professionals and helps ensure I can offer appointment times to other clients in need.

Do you offer telehealth sessions?

Yes. I provide secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth sessions for clients located in Florida. Telehealth can be a good option if you:
- Prefer the convenience of attending from home or office
- Have transportation or mobility challenges
- Travel frequently within the state
- Need continuity of care during illness or bad weather

Telehealth sessions are conducted via a secure video platform. All the same confidentiality rules apply.

How do I get started?

Starting therapy is straightforward:
1. Contact me — Use the phone, email, or secure contact form on this website.
2. Brief consultation — We’ll discuss your needs, goals, and scheduling options.
3. First appointment — We’ll review your background, history, and current concerns, then outline a preliminary plan for treatment.

Use one of the three buttons below to reach out today—call me, send an email, or use my secure contact form to schedule a confidential consultation.