Integrity Geropsychology

Philosophy Over a decade of experience working with older adults has led to my belief that anyone, of any age, can benefit from talk therapy. Aging is a journey, and there are always bumps along the road and changes to deal with as we go through life. My role is to work with you to help identify stress and frustrations and to offer tools and strategies to reduce those frustrations. Even if you are hesitant about discussing your problems, or if you have never tried talk therapy before, I promise I will do all I can to help. Services & Clients I provide psychotherapy and brief cognitive assessments as a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of California (PSY34922). All services are currently virtual via secure video. Therapy sessions are between 45 and 60 minutes and duration of therapy differs from person to person. Assessment sessions include brief interview, cognitive assessment, and thorough feedback of results. Some clients may choose to seek help with mood or worry, especially around difficult life events and transitions. I have specialty training working with people who have: been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, are transitioning into the caregiver role, or are adjusting to other life events like retirement, loss of identity, or grief. Other clients may choose to meet only once or twice for help understanding and processing their recent health diagnosis or to work on concrete cognitive strategies to improve their day-to-day life. For assessment services, my goal is to provide information that is useful and actionable. I begin by interviewing the person to be assessed, as well as someone else such as a family member or friend, in order to best understand everyone's hopes and goals for the assessment. I then engage in a 60 to 90 minute cognitive assessment which will gauge a person's cognitive strengths and weaknesses and is tailored to their area of concern, such a memory issues, attentional issues, or language issues. Assessment services end approximately one week later with a 60 minute feedback session, where I explain the results of the assessment in a clear, concise way that is focused on the goals of all parties involved. Common goals addressed through assessment include clarification of cognitive limitations, aid in diagnosis of a cognitive problem, and empowering the client with tools and strategies that focus on their cognitive strengths. While I specialize in working with older adults, I am happy to work with adults of all ages. If you are unsure if my services are a good fit, you can schedule a free 15-minute initial consultation. Training & Education I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. Before that, I served as a research coordinator at the University of San Francisco, Memory & Aging Center where my passion of psychology and working with older adults was discovered. I trained at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (internship) and returned to the UCSF Memory & Aging Center (postdoctoral fellowship) where I provided therapy services to patients and families adjusting to dementia diagnoses. For 3 years in graduate school I even lived in an independent senior apartment complex (70+ neighbors, all 70+ years old!). I made lifelong friends and cherish the time I lived at Tower Grove Manor. Personal Information While not typically found in a psychologist's profile, I believe that my prospective clients should know something about me as well so the relationship does not feel so one-sided. Raised in the Bay Area, a brief trip to St. Louis for graduate school was enough to cement my desire to be a Bay Area resident for life. I am a passionate sports fan, a devoted husband to my Geriatric Nurse Practitioner wife, and loving father to my 1.5-year-old daughter.