Gottman Referral Network

About

I'm a psychotherapist based in Los Angeles and have practiced for over 30 years, with an emphasis on adults and couples. My work is based on Attachment Theory, which looks at the ways in which early experiences affect relationships. The theory's concepts of a "safe haven" and a "secure base" fit well with the Gottman approach to couples therapy. In my work with couples, I use the Gottman Method to help partners dialogue about the needs, dreams, and yearnings that so often underlie old patterns of conflict.The Method's emphasis on positivity, understanding, and friendship, as well as conflict management and communication skills, gives couples a way to achieve a lasting closeness and security.

I graduated with a Master's in Clinical Psychology in 1989 and became licensed as a Marriage & Family Therapist in 1991. I've worked in Private Practice since then, though went back to school and was awarded a Doctorate in Marriage & Family Therapy in 2010. The subject of my doctoral dissertation was conflict and intimacy in couple relationships. I developed a model that combined three approaches to understanding and working with couples in crisis: Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology (which looks at how the nervous system is affected by emotion, trauma & stress, and techniques for self soothing at such times), and Mentalization (the ability to understand one's own and other's behavior and states of mind). In 2015, I became a Certified Gottman Therapist.