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In my youth, I aspired to be the prodigal son, a straight-A student, and an outstanding athlete, beyond reproach in my willingness to outshine my peers.
With an autistic younger sibling, the burden that put on my family hastened to define my role as the first-born son. I became single-minded in pursuit of my father’s approval as a means of contrast and distraction. Unfortunately, this quest kept me focused on his needs and divorced me from my own.
After much soul-searching and rebellion, I rejected my father’s legacy to chart my own.
So many years and so many therapy sessions later, I have learned to discern the difference between meeting my own needs and seeking the approval of others.
In this journey of finding my own identity I have tangled with the stigma of mental illness, realized my own values and goals and can now offer this remedy to others as it is not something one can learn in textbooks.
All that I have become as my father’s son, my brother’s protector, my wife’s husband, and my baby’s father have coalesced into the devoted, differentiated human being you see before you who happens to have a license to practice what he is preaching.
You must accept and embrace who you are warts and all.
Know that you are not identified by your illness. You have a name, a personality and a past. And you have a story to tell. Share it.
Stay the course; stay true to yourself and watch your life unfold.
You are so much more than the sum of your parts.
Owning your imperfect brain chemistry, including the pain along with the splendor, equips and acquaints you with self-acceptance, self-reliance, and resilience.
This is a difficult time with many emotions. You’re proud. You’re ashamed. You’re angry. You’re frustrated. But most of all, you’re ready to get help. More importantly you want to get help. If you’re reading my website, now is the time.
Often we turn a blind eye to our illness as it is easier to avoid ourself than look in the mirror and face our problems directly.
When you’re able to look in that mirror and know exactly who is looking back at you I’ve done my job. Knowing yourself can be the hardest and most freeing thing to do.
While I have been a licensed clinician of mental health for well over eight years, my personal involvement in the field has spanned the better part of my life. True healing is learned in real life as much as it is in the classroom. Caring and connecting is not something you can be taught.
My work with my patients reflects the balance between my academic, clinical and personal life experiences. Beyond my credentials is a deep dedication to show up and do my best day each and every day for each and every one of my patients.
