Pronouns: He, him
License: PhD
Education: Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, Bachelor of Arts in French Literature; University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, PhD in Counseling Psychology
My therapeutic style blends compassion, humor, and care with collaborative creativity geared to helping you grow, evolve, and move toward resolution of your problem experiences.
Life is stressful! Clients often come to see me when they encounter relationship struggles, changes in work or personal life, managing family issues, or trying to figure out how to manage difficult emotions. Sometimes our work involves building skills to manage the impact of traumatic experiences, including the impact of structural oppression on day-to-day experiences and connectedness.
In the first several sessions we will balance building a relationship, coming to an understanding of how problems or changes function in your life, and collaborating on goals for therapy. I want to learn about your family, relationships and cultural backgrounds – in addition to understanding the issues and problems that have led you to look for a therapist.
In the relationship between therapist and client, I see you as having expertise in yourself, while I bring experience and training in processing and addressing distress using a range of therapeutic tools. I have so much respect for all the ways that client have tried to make changes or solve problems for themselves.
My career as a psychologist has allowed me to work in settings across the US, training therapists for a dozen years. I am trained in EMDR which has a proven track record in helping clients process trauma.
I am sometimes joined in sessions by a delightful dog named Misha. I love therapy, and I love working with LGBTQIA+ people.
Meet Dan, LGBTQ Therapist at GTC
What is a helpful coping skill for dealing with shame?
TALK to someone. Shame thrives on silence and hiding. When it’s met with authentic understanding, care, and validation, shame loses some of its grip and power.
Let’s break the stigma! Share a myth about therapy you’d like to debunk.
Therapy is not just about diagnoses and treatment! There are so many ways to explore and grow in therapy. Even though therapy is often stigmatized, I always view reaching out for therapy as a sign of strength, not an indication of failure.
Therapy can involve setting boundaries. What tips do you have for setting healthy boundaries?
Setting boundaries can be uncomfortable at first! If it doesn’t feel totally natural or easy, that doesn’t mean that it’s the wrong thing to do. Every time we set a boundary with someone else, we’re also setting a bit of a boundary with ourselves…and that can be rough. So as you work on boundary setting, practice inching into the discomfort that it brings up – it’s a real opportunity to learn both about yourself and others.
Share a book or resource that had a positive impact on your mental health.
One book that has really had an influence on me is Out of the Shadows: Re-Imagining Gay Men’s Lives, by Walt Odets. This beautifully written book helped me to put many experiences into context. I’ve shared it with lots of clients and friends.
Therapists often encourage mindfulness. What’s your favorite mindfulness practice?
One of my favorite mindfulness practices is to let my vision settle and to take in everything that I can see: from close up to far off in the distance. It’s funny, because as I let my eyes settle and relax, I wind up seeing so much more.
What’s your go-to coping skill when you’re overwhelmed?
Here are two: I love breathing exercises! The forced pause that comes with breathing can be so helpful. And, sometimes, I will use one of a handful of poems as a helpful reminder to slow down, and to put my overwhelmed feelings into context.
What advice would you give to someone hesitant about starting therapy?
It’s worth a try. Many of us therapists have had the experience of being hesitant to try therapy, or fearful of what might happen, and even feel the difficulty of being vulnerable with someone else. Between personal concerns about what it may be like to talk to a therapist and unfortunate social stigma surrounding mental health, we understand that it can be tough to enter therapy. And – guess what – if it really is as bad as you think, you don’t have to continue!
Share a quote or mantra that helps you through tough times.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
– Mary Oliver, Wild Geese
Share an activity or hobby that helps you unwind and relax.
I love to cook! Managing an Indian restaurant in New York in my early 20s inspired a passion for learning about and cooking food from the Indian subcontinent. There are so many sensory experiences in cooking: smells, taste, touch, color…even sound…cooking offers a way to indulge all our senses.
