Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been one of the most significant influences on my own life. Over the past 20 years, it has changed how I relate to myself, to difficult emotions, and to other people. Unsurprisingly, it has also shaped the kind of therapist I've become.

Mindfulness and Buddhist philosophy have profoundly influenced how I understand suffering, change, and the possibility of living with greater awareness and compassion.

These ideas influence the way I practice psychotherapy. Rather than seeing mindfulness as a technique to be applied, I think of it as a way of approaching experience—with curiosity rather than judgment, openness rather than avoidance, and kindness rather than self-criticism. This perspective informs how I work with clients across a range of difficulties.

At the same time, I want to be clear about the boundaries of my role. I am not a trained mindfulness teacher, and I do not offer formal mindfulness instruction in the way that a specialist mindfulness teacher or mindfulness-based therapy program would.

If mindfulness feels relevant to your goals, we may explore mindful awareness as part of therapy in a way that is appropriate for your needs and experience. For some clients, this may include simple practices that support emotional awareness and emotional regulation. For others, the influence is less explicit, showing up instead in the spirit of our work together: cultivating presence, acceptance, and compassion alongside meaningful change.

My aim is not to teach Buddhism or mindfulness as a discipline, but to draw thoughtfully on the wisdom these traditions offer while remaining grounded in evidence-based psychotherapy and the unique needs of each person I work with.