It has been my experience as a professional counselor
that many wait far too long to seek help with significant problems--
those that don't get resolved with time and our own best efforts.

For those trying to decide if it is time to seek professional help, I recommend that you and your spouse take the time to discuss the results of an inventory designed by Everett L. Worthington, Jr., the author of Hope for Troubled Marriages (InterVarsity Press, 1993).

You may find the inventory here: Marriage Counseling Inventory

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Choosing a Counselor

Here are a few things to consider:

• Pros and Cons of Counseling by Telephone
• Counselor training and experience
• Cost of Sessions
• Counselor beliefs and values

Should you decide that Counseling by Telephone meets your immediate needs, scheduling a session is easy!

Some of the advantages of counseling by phone may be:

• Convenience. You can avoid going out for "one more thing"!
• Availability. You may live in an area where services
  are limited.
• Privacy. You may feel more comfortable than meeting
  face-to-face.
• Accessibility. You may be unable to get out and about.
• Cost. You will probably pay less for the service.

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$65.00 per contact hour

All sessions must be prepaid. (See Schedule Appointment for details)

Free Long Distance! (From anywhere in the U.S.)

Long distance charges (for the Session) are paid by
The Center for Peace in the Family.

(We will call you at the scheduled time.)

Education:

Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
MS in Marriage, Family and Child Therapy (1980)
Program accredited by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio
BA in Psychology (1977)

Training:

Indianapolis Institute for Marital and Family Relations
Family Systems approach to treatment of sexual abuse victims, perpetrators, and their families. Family Systems approach to treatment of juvenile criminal and status offenders and their families. (1989)

License:

Professional Counselor (LPC), State of Arkansas, P910701

Professional Associations:

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

Arkansas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (ArMFT)

St. John's Behavioral Health Care and EAP Services (Springfield, MO)

Experience:

Ozark Guidance Center, Berryville, AR
School-Based Counseling for Middle Scool and High School ('05 to present)

Private Practice--Berryville, Eureka Springs, Holiday Island, Arkansas
Individual, marital, and family counseling ('91 to present)

Indianapolis Institute for Marital and Family Relations (IIMFR), Indianapolis, Indiana
Sexual abuse treatment team and juvenile offender diversion program ('89 to '90)

Alverna Retreat Center, Indianapolis, Indiana ('83 to '90)
Individual, marital, and family therapy. Marriage and family enrichment programs.

St.Simon Catholic Community, Indianapolis, Indiana
Individual, marital and family therapy. Inservice training for school staff. Family living program for middle school. ('84 to'87)

Catholic Community Services, Riverside, California
Director of branch office. Individual, marital, and family therapy. ('80 to '83)

Redlands/Yucaipa Guidance Clinic, Redlands, California
Internship in community mental health setting. ('78 to '80)

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Counselor Beliefs and Values

My philosophy of counseling is rooted in the truth that "grace builds on nature". That implies that the best of natural means, ie. counseling research, theory, and technique are completed and perfected by supernatural grace. In other words, when seeking emotional and psychological healing, or behavioural change, we must "act as if everything depends on us, and pray as if everything depends on God!" (St. Augustine) I believe that my commitment to pray for my clients and to encourage them spiritually, completes and perfects the best that I have to offer by natural means.

My personal religious beliefs and values are informed by my Roman Catholic Faith and my life experience. I have come to believe all that the Church teaches in the name of Jesus Christ through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition ("He who hears you, hears me..." Luke 10:16a ).

I believe that the Wisdom of the Church is a divine gift given for the benefit of all mankind. This Wisdom which is unfathomable, is a gift to be recieved ever more deeply as we search our hearts, ask our questions, and are willing to learn from a Church that has been promised Divine guidance and has the perspective gained by nearly 2000 years of human experience.

Concerning marriage and the family:

"The Church is deeply convinced that only by the acceptance of the Gospel are the hopes that man legitimately places in marriage and in the family capable of being fulfilled.

Willed by God in the very act of creation, marriage and the family are interiorly ordained to fulfillment in Christ and have need of His graces in order to be healed from the wounds of sin and restored to their 'beginning,' that is, to full understanding and the full realization of God's plan."
(Familiaris Consortio 3)

For specific answers to what I believe on certain subjects (such as marriage, divorce, sexuality, salvation, scripture interpretation, etc.), I refer you to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.