One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began…
I’m here to help.
Are you exploring therapy because you long for change in your life but can’t seem to bring it about? Are you frustrated with a problem that just won’t go away? Or maybe you are simply exhausted and need some time to figure out why? If any of that feels like where you are right now, hear these words from Wendell Berry:
It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have come to our real journey.
No matter what you are dealing with, consider that you may be poised at the start of a new work, a journey of coming alive in a new way. If that is you, know that I am here to listen and to help. Together, we will develop skills and strategies that help you navigate the next stage of your journey with confidence and hope.
We heal in relationships.
The work we do in therapy is the work of relationship. Whether you are seeking individual or couples’ counseling, it is essential that you find the right fit and that you feel safe to be just as you are. Once you have found that, you are well on your way towards living with the freedom and aliveness your heart longs to experience.
My work as a therapist is based on a conviction that our choices and relationship patterns are fueled by our need to experience wholeness and heal the brokenness of our past. This concept lies at the core of attachment theory and is a powerful tool for helping us understand why we struggle with others and with our own internal critic. My personality is sanguine and outgoing, and I am at my best when the folks I work with are ready to build trust, address problems, and dig into the work. Trying new things and embracing vulnerability are all part of the work and the benefit of therapy.
My areas of skill and experience include: helping couples restore love and connection in their partnership and working with men who want to appraise their internal world, progress in their relationships with others, and choose a path more consistent with their values.
In her poem, The Journey, Mary Oliver wrote, “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began.” I am hoping today is that day for you.
Before beginning his career as a licensed professional counselor (TN license #4698), Richard made a few stops on his journey at UVA (wahoowa!), Covenant Seminary, Peabody College, and Stony Brook, NY. He served as a middle school and high school administrator and was the Executive Coordinator of Nashville Psychotherapy Institute. When not helping individuals and couples live more fully in their personal and professional relationships, Richard spends time with his wife and three daughters, builds all sorts of things out of wood, tends to his garden and trees, takes care of his golden retriever Skye (a regular presence in the office), and reads anything Wendell Berry ever wrote.
