I was born in San Francisco and raised in Palo Alto with a few years between 7 and 12 in the San Joaquin Valley and Dallas, Texas. I graduated from St. Mary's College in California in 1965 with a BA in psychology and philosophy. I received my Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology from San Francisco State University in 1969 and was also licensed as a MFCC in 1969.

I have been in continuous licensed private practice for 31 years. I have had offices in San Francisco and Marin but for the past 19 years have practiced solely in Santa Rosa. While maintaining my practice, I was also Director of the Family Service of the Catholic Social Service of Marin for five years, an instructor of Psychology at the College of Marin - Adult Education Division for eight years and founder and director of the Sexual Abuse Treatment Service of Marin and Sonoma for six years. Most recently I was the Clinical Director of Azure Acres Chemical Dependency Recovery Center for three years. I was also a founding member of the Alfred Adler Institute of San Francisco. "I have found that courage is the key that releases us from all self-defeating patterns and allows us to create new and better ways of living. Therapy is the process that supports and affirms the courageous efforts to become one's true self."