Psychological practices in small town Nova Scotia tend to be general, rather than specialist, and I have been involved in a sizable range of assessment and therapeutic activities, including cognitive and psychoeducational assessment, assessment of parental capacity, assessment of child, adolescent and adult ADHD, and the treatment of various adjustment, mood and so-called ‘personality’ disorders.
Clinical psychology is a second career for me and I like to think I bring a fair range of life experience to my work. I am not a strict adherent to any specific therapeutic approach but prefer to let the client’s specific needs guide the intervention. Often, and most often with individuals in physical rehab and couples, presenting problems are pragmatic in nature and a solution focused approach is called for. My tendencies in this direction were further reinforced by my involvement in Psychosocial Rehabilitation, a very goal oriented and pragmatic approach to the severe challenges facing the persistently mentally ill. I was initially trained as a Cognitive/behavioral therapist, however, and revert to these well founded principles when dealing with more emotionally focused issues.
I graduated from the Master’s level Clinical Psychology program at Acadia University in 1998 and have worked as a clinician since that time, in both the public and private sectors. I am registered as a psychologist in Nova Scotia and am a registrant with the Canadian Registry of Health Service Psychologists. I have been trained as a provider of Psychosocial Rehabilitation for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and worked with that population for several years.
My clinical interests have both evolved and stayed the same over the past 15 years. Since graduation, I have been involved in the assessment and treatment of individuals who have suffered disabling injuries or illnesses and have a particular interest in those experiencing persistent pain. Most of my activities in this area have been in sync with other professions. My involvement with these individuals led to an interest in the emotional consequences of their sometimes traumatic experiences and has resulted in a major proportion of my practice being made up of individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, along with an interest in anxiety disorders in general. I was fortunate to be exposed to an expert couple therapist soon after my graduation and have maintained an interest in helping couples resolve conflicts in their relationships and find new and more satisfying ways of relating to each other.
I live near Kentville in the beautiful Annapolis Valley with my wife and three rapidly growing children. My own goal in life reflects my surroundings, in that I would dearly love to become a gentleman farmer.
