ABOUT ME
I grew up in a small town in the mountains east of San Diego, and spent my childhood with dirt stained jeans playing epic capture the flag games, or sharing simple yet delicious meals with my large Italian family… People and community have been at my core from early on.
My first experience with psychotherapy came (much to my parents’ surprise) at my own suggestion as a seven year old after experiencing bullying at a summer camp. From a young age, I knew therapy as a place where people can go to feel better. My first therapist once told me that some of the healthiest people they ever met talk with a therapist. I’ve strongly believed this ever since.
Upon graduating high school, I attended the Barrett School at Arizona State University, and earned a bachelors degree in Finance, with a minor in psychology. After a year of stumbling around as an intern at a well-known tech company, I decided that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my professional life, so I decided to try something fun – working at a music store! Upon working the counters for almost two years, I found that what inspired me the most about working here was the abundance of regular customers from all over the world, of various walks of life, and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with them over time… When I realized this, the next step in my career path was an easy one…
I earned my degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2011 from Alliant International University and began an internship at a Zen Buddhist influenced practice. Here, I worked with a wide range of clients – men and women in the prison system, from gangs, and with addiction issues, couples, families, and individuals. I helped my clients through their experiences of depression, anxiety, grief, divorce, and personal growth. This was a tremendous experience for me both in my professional growth as a psychotherapist, and my personal growth as a man.
After graduating, I spent five years working with school aged children and their families in an award-winning prevention and early intervention program. Here I helped children and families who had experienced trauma heal and learn valuable life skills to build positive self-relationships, healthy emotional lives, and appropriate behaviors. Even in the face of working through the emotional energy of trauma, working with children is a joyous experience.
I currently live in Seattle with my wife and two cats (Cobalt and Cadmium), and while not in the office (physically or virtually), I can be found making music, running the local trails, or reading some very strange and compelling books!