Expert Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders,
Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia
|
Berkeley |
San Francisco |
| Office hours and locations |
I am a licensed psychologist with twenty-four years of experience offering psychotherapy for eating disorders, and thirteen years of experience offering cognitive therapy for depression and anxiety. At Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco, I teach various clinical courses as well as critical thinking, academic writing, and ecological psychology. I have published three books and many professional journal articles. Eating DisordersEating – a natural part of everyday life – can become problematic, turning into an all-purpose coping mechanism to manage emotions or to serve as a reward, punishment, procrastination device, and more. What started out as a habit (dieting, bingeing, or compulsive eating) can take on a life of its own, undermining health and happiness. As a psychologist, I help people understand what is going on inside them that makes them turn to eating, or dieting, or fretting about food and body size. A core aspect of recovery is learning to name and understand emotions and (when appropriate) to communicate them. To replace the problematic eating habit, I teach coping skills, self-esteem, and body esteem, and also help people with career and life transitions. I collaborate with psychiatrists, nutritionists, internists, or other professionals who may be involved with a person’s recovery. Emerging from an eating disorder (or eating problem) often requires building a long-term therapy relationship, a safe place to explore important life issues while learning (or re-learning) to trust one’s own processes. There is so much conflicting information in the news about food, health, and weight. Here are some thoughts on diet and nutrition. Overcoming an eating problem can be a lengthy process, but some focused
approaches can make a difference in a discrete period of time. Since depression and anxiety often co-exist with eating problems, it may also be desirable to address them directly. Depression and AnxietyMood disorders are so widespread they are often called "the common cold of psychological problems." Depression is a sense of hopelessness, negativity, and low energy. Anxiety is fearfulness that can range from chronic background worry to acute panic. Both can be treated with a relatively rapid, structured approach called cognitive therapy, which has been used for 25 years with great success. The method is to pinpoint, challenge, and replace distorted thinking patterns. What makes this approach efficient is that the client is given assignments to do between therapy appointments. These usually consist of logging thought patterns, though other assignments may be devised and agreed on between therapist and client. Medication is not required, although when clients want or need medication, I can refer to and collaborate with a prescribing physician. InsomniaSleeping, like eating, is a basic life function that can go awry. Millions of Americans do not get enough sleep, and this impacts their health and quality of life. There are many sleep disorders, and insomnia is one of the most common. Insomnia exists when a person is unable to fall asleep or to stay asleep. Medication is a short-term solution at best. Lasting improvement in amount and quality of sleep involves lifestyle adjustments, cognitive therapy for thoughts about sleep, stimulus control, skills to promote relaxation, and more. For some people, there may be underlying concerns that need attention. A Flexible ApproachThese two approaches to therapy – one long-term and exploratory, the other short-term and structured – can be combined, tailored to fit the needs of the individual. For instance, a person may enter therapy with a panic disorder and need the cognitive approach first to solve the panic. While in therapy, he or she may discover other issues that need attention and remain in therapy to explore them. Alternatively, a person with long-standing concerns may enter therapy intending to explore family history or relationship issues, and find that cognitive therapy helps lift background depression or anxiety. Stage-Specific ChangeWhy are there so many different types of therapy? After decades of proliferation, there is now a movement to integrate the many schools of thought and find common factors they all share. One of the most well accepted of these factors is the discovery that change proceeds according to definite stages. If the type of therapy is accurately matched to the client’s readiness to change, success is more likely and treatment failure is minimized. Summing upWhether you have immediate concerns or longstanding ones, I bring a combination of techniques that can be tailored to your needs and preferences. While I help you evaluate and heal problems, I also emphasize and build on your strengths, which are sometimes neglected in therapy. I attend to your stage of readiness and create a safe atmosphere that fosters a capacity to explore.
|