Qualifications & Experience

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a B.A. from Eastern Washington University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Saybrook University.

My Call to Christian Counseling

God used therapy powerfully in my life and I wanted to be a part of that.

More About Me/On a Personal Note

I love studying theology, coaching my kids’ sports, traveling with my wife, perfecting the art of making wood-fired pizzas, and being the last fan of the sport of boxing in the U.S.

Areas of Expertise/Specialties

• Abandonment and Neglect
• Aging and Geriatric Issues
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder
• Coaching
• Counseling for Children
• Counseling for Teens
• Couples Counseling
• Codependency
• Depression
• Family Counseling
• Grief and Loss
• Individual Counseling
• Infidelity and Affairs
• Marriage Counseling
• Men’s Issues
• OCD
• Online Counseling
• Personal Development
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Premarital Counseling
• Professional Development
• Relationship Issues
• Sex and Porn Addiction
• Sexual Abuse
• Spiritual Development
• Trauma
• Weight Loss

Abandonment and Neglect

We were designed for connection—attachment. Whether we look at the biological considerations of newborns needing human touch and interaction in order to survive, the psychological work of attachment theory, or the biblical view that we are not designed to be alone—we need safe, secure, trusting relationships. Therefore, abandonment and neglect put a person in a dire situation of needing to hastily craft defense mechanisms in order to cope with the trauma—often sabotaging relationships and leading to further isolation.

We desire authenticity and attachment but seem to always need to sacrifice the former to get the latter—or worse, our authentic self is rejected or abandoned. It’s in this traumatic event that we tell ourselves stories about what is happening to us—we adopt beliefs about ourselves as a result. I work with my clients to discover what beliefs they have adopted as a result of their abandonment or neglect. How have those beliefs affected their lives and relationships? And most importantly, what does the Word of God tell us about “the more true, more complete story” of our trauma—and how can these biblical realities heal the false beliefs we come to when we are abandoned or neglected by those who mattered most? My approach here is Cognitive Behavioral in nature within a biblical narrative framework.

Depression

Depression is complicated. There are many possible sources that can generate this type of mood disorder—chemical imbalance, childhood trauma, maladaptive behavioral patterns—simply a lack of social interaction can even trigger depression (COVID lockdowns proved as much).

My goal is to determine the source of the depression and conduct a thorough analysis of its genesis and progression. We might look at diet, physical or social activity, lack of meaning, problematic worldviews, habits and behaviors that are discreetly adding fuel to the fire, childhood trauma, or even recent events that may have sunken their teeth in and never let go. Through insight-oriented therapy, trauma work, lifestyle analysis, and a biblical CBT approach, our goal is to get to the source of the depression and find new frontiers of freedom and hope. Depression has a way of putting you into a story you tell yourself about your life. My goal is to help you find the more true, more complete story—because I believe the adventure of your life does not end in you feeling this way forever.

Anxiety

I once heard a psychologist say, “The question is not why are you anxious—it’s why isn’t everybody anxious all the time?!” Anxiety is our threat detection system, and when somebody suffers from an anxiety disorder, threats can appear often and everywhere. The world is full of threats—either physical or emotional. My goal in treating anxiety is not to get my clients to see that there is no threat, but to put the threats around them in proper biblical perspective. There is more to you than you think. You are stronger than you realize. And we have a God who is bigger than we give Him credit for.

Anxiety is about fear. Fear is an emotion. Emotions are generated from our beliefs about our reality. I aim to identify what thoughts and beliefs you hold about your life that are generating the anxiety and to help “take every thought captive” in order to bring it before the truth of His Word.

Marriage Counseling

After nearly two decades of marriage to my wife and four kids later, I have discovered that nearly everything our current culture tells us about marriage is wrong. We think our problems revolve around communication, compatibility, and connection—but it’s actually way worse than any of that. We often don’t know the proper meaning of marriage in the first place. It was being under these false cultural presuppositions myself that eventually guided me to discover what marriage is really about.

What was marriage designed for? What does it mean to be a godly husband? A godly wife? What is love, anyway? I have found that when we ask these questions and compare their biblical answers to our current attitudes and behavior, we find two things: we fall much shorter than we thought we did, and there is more hope than we ever thought there was. My goal is to put help put Christ in the center of your marriage and to help each partner understand their role in God’s amazing design for marriage.

Infidelity and Affairs

Unfaithfulness in a marriage seems to create a wound like no other. The betrayal . . . the loss of what you thought you had . . . the disintegration of trust. Why did this happen? How could I do this? How could he/she do this? Where can we actually go after reeling from a pain that hurts this bad? Can I ever trust again? Is this even fixable? When a couple or a person sits down in my office with these questions, my response is, “Yes, God can put your marriage back together again.” The road is long. The work is hard. It takes patience and courage. But I have seen time and time again that if a couple is willing to do the hard work, tell the truth to each other, and begin to put the truth of His Word back into the center of their lives and relationship, God can heal all things.

Sessions: I offer 53-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.

Availability (by office location):

• Redmond – Tuesday
• Bellevue – Thursday & Friday
• Online (WA Only)– Tuesday, Thursday & Friday

Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals, couples, and families looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment the full fee per session is required at the time of service.

Insurance: As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA), some insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider). Please consult with your insurance provider as to whether they specifically cover adolescents, individuals and couples.

Receipts/Statements: In the event you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express). A fee of up to 4% per transaction will be added for credit card payments.