I received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1977. In 1994, I began 5 years of psychoanalytic training to advance my skills and understanding. I am a licensed clinical psychologist and a certified psychoanalyst. My specialization is in childhood trauma. 

My career began working in psychiatric hospitals in the 1970s. Those hospitalized were, without exception, victims of childhood trauma. I saw the devastation of childhood trauma firsthand, in split personalities, with a child self who relived the horror of trauma over and over. Or, such severe depression that several courses of ECT hadn’t had an effect. I worked with adolescents who made suicide attempts and acted out with self-injury. The complexities of how trauma affects any given person are not easy to unravel. But witnessing the long-term effects of childhood trauma made me determined to continue honing my expertise to help victims heal. And, healing is the focus of my work. 

I have been in private practice, as a psychologist and psychoanalyst, for over forty years. Since working in the psychiatric hospital, I’ve specialized in treating those who’ve been sexually and physically abused and severely neglected, who come to see me with aftereffects of trauma: persistent depression, anxiety and panic, dissociative states, eating disorders, and problems with love. I am also a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of California, where I’ve served as Dean. To help those who cannot see me for psychotherapy, I write 2 blogs. One is Moving Forward on this website. The other is Characters on the Couch, my film and TV blog, where I write about characters who struggle in ways you do, and can help you understand yourself.