About Me or Why Am I Doing This?

Hi! Thanks for coming to this page to learn a little about me and why I am interested in anxiety and depression.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, which means that I am a licensed therapist. I have a private practice in California where I specialize in working with people who are experiencing anxiety and depression. I gravitated to this field because of my own struggles with these issues. In my search to be healthy I learned a few things that I hope will be helpful to you.

I treat depression from a cognitive-behavioral perspective. This means that I believe that depressed people have cognitive distortions, which are unreasonable ways of thinking. These unrealistic thoughts contribute or even cause their depression. If you can identify these thoughts and make them more realistic, then you can reduce depression.

Another thing to know about me is that I really like music, especially musicals. One day I was excited to notice that the songs in musicals can be very unhealthy and unrealistic. Why was I excited? Because these songs are great and funny examples to use to help my clients understand what cognitive distortions are.

One of my favorite examples comes from the show "Guys and Dolls" by Frank Loesser. Here are some of the lyrics.

Marry the man today

Trouble though he may be

Much as he likes to play

Crazy and wild and free

Marry the man today

Rather than sigh in sorrow

Marry the man today

And change his ways tomorrow.

See how this is unhealthy thinking? And some people still believe that they can change other people! This belief causes much unhappiness and anxiety.

If you want to see and hear more of this song click here. Don't be surprised if you find more musical references sprinkled throughout the website.

My Family

Speaking of marriage, here is a picture of me and my husband, Ralph. We have been married almost 25 years. Ralph and I have a lot in common. I like to sing and he is the church choir director. His day job is financial planning.

We have a wonderful daughter, Annelise, who is soon to be 15. She is already planning the exact date on which she can get her driver's learning permit. (April 3, 2012) Talk about anxiety!

We like to travel and especially like the national parks. This summer we went to Lake Tahoe and saw some beautiful scenery. I love mountains. I like to hike, too, and there are some very pretty trails around Lake Tahoe.

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