When I am asked about my approach or theoretical orientation, I like to say that I am a person first, a doctor second, and a psychiatrist third. First, like my patients, I am a person with strengths and weaknesses, talents, foibles, and insecurities. When I work with a patient, a relationship is created. This relationship grounds and centers all of the clinical work. Second, as a physician, I have been profoundly affected -- and humbled -- by caring for others. To this day, I love being a doctor and working at being of help to my patients. Finally, it is through the lens of psychiatry that I consider the specific problems for which someone seeks my help. While I am familiar with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and other theoretical frameworks, I have found the psychodynamic framework most helpful in working with patients. Simply put, the psychodynamic framework stresses that our minds are filled with meaning and that our relationships, past and present, define who we are. Psychodynamic psychotherapy facilitates a process where we come to better understand ourselves. Often, this process enables people to feel better. As I get to know my patients, I remain attuned to the fact that biology is continuously at play. Sometimes medication can be used to address the biology and to alleviate pain. In all, I strive to create a comfortable and warm environment, while remaining humble, authentic, human, and kind.
Interested in the human condition and science, I studied English and biology at Bowdoin College. Upon finishing medical school at the University of Rochester, I completed 4 years of surgical residency at Thomas Jefferson University. During my surgical training, I slowly realized that I wanted to know my patients better and that I was also very interested in the mind. I changed residencies and completed psychiatry training, also at Thomas Jefferson University.
When I'm not working with patients, I enjoy spending time with my wife, two children, and our dog. I have been an avid photographer since childhood and took all of the photos on this website. Additionally, I greatly enjoy cycling and getting lost in a novel.