For over 20 years, I have been helping couples develop more satisfying and engaged relationships. It has been a rewarding privilege to see many couples confront and overcome their long-standing patterns of conflict and emotional isolation. After completing an MSW at Loyola University in Chicago, I attended the Family Institute, now affiliated with Northwestern University , where I did post graduate training in couple and family therapy. I also completed training in sexual dysfunction treatment and family mediation. After learning of EFT about 8 years ago, I was immediately drawn to its basic message: disruption in the secure attachment to one’s most intimate partner explains much of the distress couples experience, the sort of distress I’d been seeing in my office for years. On a personal level, having grown up in a family where emotions were not easily discussed or dealt with directly, I could immediately relate to the significance of working with emotional processes as a way to understand my self and my closest relationships.

There are dozens of couple therapy models in existence and the differences in approach can be subtle or huge, but in the end, I believe most therapists settle on a model that makes sense to them and fits with their own personal style. The research validation and peer regard for EFT also added greatly to its appeal to me. But most important, I have seen this approach be more effective with the couples I see, couples who are seeking deep and lasting emotional connection. In addition to being certified as an EFT therapist and having a practice focused on couples, I am an approved EFT supervisor, actively engaged in training other therapists to learn this effective model of therapy.

In working with individuals I utilize EFT to efficiently help clients resolve depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, significant life transitions, occupational concerns and unresolved losses. I frequently work with men who are working on ways of engaging more deeply with themselves and those closest to them.

I’ve been fortunate to train with Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg, the principal developers of Emotionally Focused Therapy. Sue Johnson has created a clear model of couple therapy that relies on attachment theory as the basis for understanding adult love relationships, the nature of couple conflict and the change processes that helps couples create strong lasting connections. Les Greenberg, better known for his work with individuals, developed EFT as a way of accessing, processing and changing the difficult emotions that can keep us locked in problematic or even destructive ways of relating to ourselves and those around us.

My offices are located in Evanston at 1227 Maple Ave. and downtown Chicago at 30 N. Michigan, Suite 816. I am licensed as a clinical social worker (LCSW) in Illinois. My standard fee for couple therapy is $140 for the initial appointment and $120 for subsequent sessions. For individual counseling the fee is $110 for the initial appointment and $100 for subsequent sessions. Insurance often covers at least a part of the cost.