ABOUT ME

Born in Northern Ohio (the oldest of four children), I grew up in a small town of two thousand sassy farmers.  I was named after my great-grandfather Michael, who reportedly had the first Ford dealership in the State of Ohio (he ran it out of his hardware store).  In 1971, I escaped the farm and made it to the big city of Cincinnati, where I earned a B.A. in Personnel and Group Development from the University of Cincinnati.  After working in personnel and human resources in the 1970's, I earned a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology from Sarah Lawrence College while working for Sesame Street" in New York City (yes, I know Big Bird).

After moving to San Francisco in the 1980's, I was the Clinical Director for the Homeless Children's Network and earned my second Master's Degree from San Francisco State University.  From 1996 to 1998, I worked as a Middle School Counselor in the San Francisco Public Schools.  I came to San Diego in 1998,where I've worked as a licensed psychotherapist for Kaiser Permanente (Point Loma Psychiatry), San Diego Hospice (both inpatient and outpatient care) and Psychiatric Centers at San Diego.  I opened my private practice in 2002.