I am the author of a professional journal article entitled “The Perseverant Personality: A Pre-attachment Perspective on the Etiology and Evolution of Binge/Purge Eating Disorders,” ( Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 2007). It proposes that people with cyclical eating disorders have learned to “think” with their bodies, and share a unique and heretofore unidentified personality organization—a “perseverant” personality—that fosters the development of their eating disorders. My book on the same subject--for professionals and mainstream readers alike--is entitled “Hunger for Connection: Finding Meaning in Eating Disorders ," and will be released for publication by Routledge on January 11, 2018.
While treating eating disorders is my passion, I also very much enjoy working with all aspects of the human psyche. I have been a California Licensed Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist (MFT 5793) for more than 30 years, and I love working with couples and families. I am a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst and have served as a member of the faculty and Board of Directors of the Newport Psychoanalytic Institute. I have taught courses in eating disorders and Critical Thinking and Writing, and supervised doctoral and MFT students and candidates. I have also enjoyed planning for the Center and spearheaded a “Salon Series” of informal discussions for people interested in contemporary psychoanalytic ideas.
I am a graduate of the New Directions in Critical Thinking and Writing program of the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis, and I love writing and helping others develop their innate capacities for expression in prose and poetry. Earlier in my career, I was the president of my own executive search firm and I still enjoy consulting with management and individuals in managing their working lives. I am a student of meditation, mindfulness, and mysticism, and integrate these body/mind concepts into my life and practice.
I am a member of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP), the International Association of Relational Psychoanalysts (IARPP), and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). I am in private practice in Newport Beach, California.