About Me

Gender Pronouns

He/him/his 

Credentials

I completed my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University under the advisement and clinical supervision of Dr. Thomas Joiner. I have since worked with adults from diverse backgrounds as an outpatient therapist for the Aurora Mental Health Center, the Denver VA,  and the Colorado Springs VA. I currently  work in program evaluation and research with the Veterans Crisis Line.

Training

My training and education has focused on treating depression, anxiety, and trauma using cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness-based therapies (e.g., CBT, DBT, IPT, ACT, CAMS). I am highly specialized in the outpatient management of suicidal and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. 

Research and Advocacy

My research efforts work to reduce the drivers of cultural stigma that discourage people from talking about suicide, and to develop outpatient alternatives to hospitalization that may be more effective for managing chronic suicidal or self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. I aspire to strengthen working partnerships between efforts in research, clinical practice, and public health initiatives so that all people in suicidal or near-suicidal distress may be confident to know that whomever they talk to, they will receive humanistic and competent care.

Bio

I was raised in the Metro Denver area. Before I ever considered becoming a clinical psychologist, I went to the University of California, Berkeley for a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology, where I studied protein structures and biochemistry. After I graduated, I returned home to the University of Colorado, Anschutz School of Medicine with the intent to specialize in psychiatry. However,  in my third year of medical school, I confronted the fact that I was profoundly unhappy in my life and I walked out--on everything. I disappeared from everyone and lived on the road for a bit before eventually finding my way back. After much support from friends and family and a good amount of time (plus some therapy), I was able to recover and decided to pursue what has ended up being a much more fulfilling and meaningful "second" career in clinical psychology.

Within the next year I met my wife. She is a sociologist and demographer who has taught me so much about privilege and social forces, and she models a level of conscientiousness and compassion for others that I aspire to embody every day.  Throughout all of this, I also served as an Officer in the Army National Guard Medical Service Corps from 2009-2015, although I was not deployed before I discharged from the service. My wife and I lived for many years in Aurora, CO, and I am now practicing remotely from North Carolina. I am excited to explore the NC forests and beaches, although I expect my heart will always stay in beautiful Colorado!