I’m a psychologist licensed in Kansas, Iowa, and North Carolina (and have authority to practice telehealth in PSYPACT states). I provide individual psychotherapy for adults interested in learning how to practice living their best life. I earned my PhD in the clinical health psychology program at University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, NC. I was a veterinary anesthesiologist in my previous career and still enjoy being part of the veterinary community and hearing about my patient’s animal family members.
My career in veterinary medicine focused on teaching, research, and service as a tenured faculty member at Colleges of Veterinary Medicine (Virginia Tech and WesternU). I’ve spent almost all of my adult life in college towns and have enjoyed living in Lawrence since 2005. My wife and daughter are also veterinarians.
Some significant experiences in my life are a matter of public record and I share those experiences with others frequently. While I am not proud of a lot of my behavior prior to 2000, it gave me an understanding of what it is like to be in situations no one would ever want to be. I learned how to start living life differently thanks to other people much like me as well as people just like you.
When asked about my change in careers, I offer the following simple story: In 2000, I began volunteering in substance use treatment centers, jails, juvenile detention facilities, prisons, and homeless shelters. While I was enjoying my veterinary career more than ever, I also tremendously enjoyed meeting with hundreds of people who were in a place they didn’t want to be. When we moved to Kansas, my family (and many other Kansans) provided generous support in my quest to explore clinical psychology. I took my first psychology course ever at The University of Kansas and my interest in the field of psychology has continued to flourish over the past two decades.
Training in clinical health psychology at UMKC allowed me to use my medical background to discover the motivation behind changing (and not changing) habits like smoking, physical activity, eating, and sleeping. The Veterans I worked with during my APA-approved internship at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care Center showed me how effective chronic pain management using CBT and ACT can dramatically improve quality of life. The training I received at my postdoctoral fellowship at Duke Integrative Medicine has had the greatest influence on what I offer patients today thanks to the teaching, guiding, coaching, and way of being provided by Julie Seel, PhD.
Cycling, walking, writing, reading and being with family are a few of my favorite things. I eat mostly veggies, fruits, nuts, and whole grains. I continue investing in personal growth, exploring relationships and discovering places, maintaining what is in my care, and simplifying when less creates more space for growth. Meeting with patients and teaching, guiding, and coaching them to live their best life is a privilege I get to enjoy. I’m not the best fit for everybody and I hope the information in my website provides you what you need to make your decision. Please contact me if you have additional questions.
