I have worked for the past 20 years in both community mental health and inpatient treatment settings, including having worked at the Oregon State Hospital for the past 13 years. During this time I have worked with a great many individuals from different socioeconomic, racial, cultural, religious, gender identity, and sexual preference backgrounds. Examples of the most common presenting difficulties I have worked with include a wide variety of mood and anxiety disorders, as well as substance, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Additionally, I most often met with people who have complex and multi-layered problems, including being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, PTSD, Personality Disorders, as well as Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorders among others.

I grew up in the Midwest and moved to Florida in my early teens where I would go on to college. I returned to Chicago for my masters and graduate school. In 2000 I moved to Vancouver Washington for my internship where I immediately fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. I met my wife shortly after moving out here and while I am a transplant, she is a fifth generation Oregonian. In my personal time I enjoy constantly learning new things, doing art and other activities that allow me to engage my creative and expressive sides. I also enjoy playing all kinds of games, watching movies and YouTube. I make a point of laughing many times everyday and finding humor in life. I believe each day is a gift to be treasured and cherished.

In 1994 I lost vision in my left eye and then in 2019 went legally blind and am now considered low-vision. What this means is that there are things I can see, things I can’t, and things in between depending on lighting, contrast and use of assistive devices. I like the phrase coined by Sam Seavy of the the Blind Life; "I can see, but I can't.  It's complicated." I cannot make out people’s faces and appearances very well with most general social distances, and can only more relatively make out people’s likeness up close. I have general trouble reading or seeing small print and objects, as well as making things out with any great distance unless they are big enough. I also have a limited field of vision which limits what I can see at any one given time. I am very thankful for assistive devices, including my white cane, talking computer screen readers, smart phone, and magnifiers that allow me to function in daily life. I welcome the chance to answer any questions or potential concerns someone may have about my visual impairment, so please don’t hesitate to do so if you feel like this may be an impediment for you. I like to think it simply helps to better maintain your own confidentiality in public.

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