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About Dean

Hi and welcome. I’m so glad you found me.

Therapy is a wonderful way of creating long term change and transformation in yourself and in your relationships. You found the right place!

Therapy is about YOU and your needs, and your hopes for change. My job is to create a safe and welcoming environment for you to work on the goals we set together.

You have tried many things to cope and make a change in your life, and it feels like the pain is too much. And sometimes, it helps to ask for help to make a shift and add direction and momentum in your journey.

Each person seeking therapy is in pain of some kind: from mild to intense. And they are looking for a solution and relief. And that is exactly what I have to offer.

Making the call to stop the suffering and make a change and shift in your life probably feels like a hard thing to do (I get that). But I am confident that if you are ready to reach out to me you will find this to be one of the most important things you give to yourself and your relationships.

About Me

As a child, I was the neighborhood “therapist” for friends and neighbors. I gravitated toward people who were in distress and offered a helping hand. I was not taught to be like this, it just happened for me. As long as I can remember I have been curious and comfortable with other people’s feelings and needs.

Being a therapist is a second career for me. I feel that I have returned home in my second act as a healing professional. I love what I do. Therapy is a profound experience and privilege for me which I do not take lightly. I am continually amazed by the bravery and vulnerability of the clients who come to see me.

I am originally from San Francisco where I grew up. I spent some time in Chicago where I completed my undergraduate studies. Later I obtained an MBA from the University of San Francisco. When I am not working, I do my best to be outdoors walking my dog, hiking with family and playing tennis.

My Approach

I have been known for my warmth, caring, positive regard, strength, fun nature and research-based knowledge in my approach to therapy. I take confidentiality seriously in order to create a safe place for clients to express themselves freely without reproach or judgment. Clients have mentioned how easy it is to build rapport and trust with me. I have a holistic approach to therapy valuing the connection between mind, body and spirit within the context of a safe and caring therapeutic relationship. And I strive to practice what I teach. I have a collaborative approach to therapy in which your needs and suggestions are valued. This is about you and your healing journey.

I am a master level childhood trauma therapist and a board approved LMFT supervisor. And I have been designated as an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy clinical fellow after completing rigorous training standards for the independent practice of couples and individual therapy and meeting the highest ethical standards. .

I have completed masters level of training (level 4) in NARM training, an approach specifically designed to heal early experiences of neglect and/or abuse. I am also trained in EMDR which is a very effective approach to treat shock traumas like the death of a loved one, break ups, accidents and medical trauma.

I am an experienced grief and loss therapist. Over the years, I have helped clients with loss in its many forms: Death of loved one (child, parent, spouse), relational break up, illness, career change. Grief counseling is very special to me, and I find it to be transformative and life changing. Mindfulness is a big part of my approach which can help in many ways: Calming nervous systems, opening partners to deeper emotional connection and helping individuals who are having a hard time with their emotions and shame-based beliefs.

PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS

  • Austin Bar Association and the Texas Lawyer's Assistance Program panel on grief and loss (May 2017)
  • Surviving the Holidays grief and loss panel sponsored by Hospice Austin (November 2018)
  • Healing Developmental Trauma with NARM webinar sponsored by Acadia Healthcare (March 2021)
  • Healing Developmental Trauma with NARM webinar sponsored by Promises Behavioral Health (September 2021)
  • NARM webinar training for graduate students and new therapists (February, March and June 2022)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy member and clinical fellow (2023)
  • President of the board of Austin IN Connection - Therapist community, networking and training based on attachment theory and interpersonal neurobiology (2019)
  • Austin Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (2016)

TRAININGS AND SEMINARS

  • Master of Arts in Counseling with honors from St. Edward's University (2014)
  • Best Practices in Trauma Prevention: Strategies for Self-Regulation Workshop (May 2013)
  • Prepare and Enrich training for premarital couples (March 2014)
  • Heart of Health & Transformation: Principles of Psychological Well-Being Dr. Dan Siegel (April 2014)
  • Exploring the triple flame: Attachment, Intimacy and Sexuality, Esther Perel (November 2014)
  • EMDR Training (January 2015 through June 2015)
  • Discernment Counseling for Married Couples training (February 2015)
  • Spirituality, Archetypes and Trauma, Peter Levine (April 2015)
  • Bringing Right-Brained Grieving to a Left-Brained World: Using Attachment and Interpersonal Neurobiology to Humanize Our Approach to Grief, Candyce Ossefort (June 2015)
  • EMDRIA International Conference, Minneapolis, MN (August 2016)
  • The Art of EMDR Therapy, Roger Solomon, Ph.D. (August 2016)
  • The Hungry Ghost: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Addiction, Gabor Mate, M.D. (August 2016)
  • The Girl in the Mirror: Awareness and Ego State Projection in Treating Body Disturbance, Andrew Seubert, LPC (August 2016)
  • Breaking the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)/Poor Health Cycle with EMDR Therapy, Carol Forgash, Ph.D. (August 2016)
  • Understanding and Treating Catastrophic Shame, Richard Chefetz, M.D. (August 2016)
  • Mindfulness and the 8 Phase (EMDR) Protocol as a Template for Addiction Treatment, Stephen Dansinger, Psy.D., MFT (August 2016)
  • The Impact of Attachment in EMDR Therapy: Theory and Practice with Video, Andrew Leeds, Ph.D. and Dolores Mosquera, Psy. (August 2016)
  • EMDR Therapy Preparation for Adults with Attachment Trauma, Ann Potter, Ph.D. and Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP (August 2016)
  • Middelberg's Integrated Therapy Training Program (September 2015 through May 2017)
  • The Whole-Brain Approach to Child and Adolescent Development with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson (November 2017)
  • Attachment in Psychotherapy: Relational Transformation and the Psychology of the Therapist, David Wallin (December 2017)
  • The NeuroAffective Relational Model™ (NARM) for Working with Developmental Trauma with Dr. Laurence Heller (February 2018)
  • Neurofluency: the Clinical Application of Neuroscience to Psychotherapy with Dr. Louis Cozolino (February 2019)

  • NeuroAffective Relational Model ™ (NARM) Practitioner Training Program: Advanced clinical training to work with developmental trauma which impacts our identity, emotions, physiology, behavior and relationships (June 2018 through May 2019)

  • Level 3 NeuroAffective Relational Model ™ (NARM) Master Level Training: How to work with the early formation of identity and new tools to work with personality disorders (borderline and narcissism) (August 2020 through July 2021)

  • Texas Board-Approved Supervisor Training for Marriage and Family Therapists- 40 hours (September 2021)

  • 33rd Annual Boston International Trauma Conference - Neuroscience, Embodiment, and the Restoration of Self (May 2022)

  • Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Practical Applications for Treating Trauma- Deb Dana at the Cape Cod Institute (July 2022)

  • Level 4 NeuroAffective Relational Model ™ (NARM) Post Masters Immersion Training. Clinical study group to continue to deepen and refine my understanding and clinical application of the NARM therapeutic process (February 2023-January 2024)

  • “HOT” Topics In Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Processing workshop with Diana Fosha, PhD (5-day training August 2023)

  • Ethics of the Supervisory Relationship and Counselor Development- Kate Walker Training (September 2023)

  • The Unfinished Business of Our Childhoods: Helping to Heal the Childhood Wounds Through Authentic Supervision (January 2024)

  • Transforming the Dancers: The Power of Emotion in Couples Therapy- Middelberg Systemic Training Institute (September 2023 to May 2024)