I’ve been licensed as a clinical psychologist, and have practiced, taught, and trained in the field of psychology for over 37 years. Each individual I’ve worked with over the years has taught me lessons that I use to improve my approach to the process of change. I also bring the lessons learned from my own journey of personal change and growth to the relationship. I am a strong believer that therapists must grow and continue to challenge themselves in order to offer the support necessary to help others change.
I’ve grown through the joys and trials of a 35 year marriage. My personal experience takes my work with clients beyond the theoretical to finding practical approaches to achieving life’s goals and creating rewarding relationships.
Areas of Specialty and Experience
- Individual Therapy
- Couples Therapy – Trained in the neurobiology of intimate relationships.
- Men’s issues including relationship, job, career, and mid-life transitions.
- Major Life Changes
- Depression and Anxiety
- Addictions and Over Use of Substances
- Supervisor, Consultant, and Trainer for two Naval Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centers for 20 years
- Psychoactive Substance Use Evaluations for the Family Court.
- Helping Couples and Families navigate the difficult process of divorce
Client Endorsements
Dr. Craig Carlson – Poised, professional, and mental mechanic extraordinaire. Eleven years ago, I was racked with rampant angst. Daily anxiety. Today it’s clear, bright, released, relieved, relief. Consequently I spent Thursday mornings in the company of Dr. Carlson. During those mornings we dished the dirt, delving, decoupling, deconstructing, digging into all manner and matters mental, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and of course, life-changing.
Why? Well, there had always been that strident daily discomfort of the emotional kind, brought on by more than a few neuroses, and then bingo! You become a functioning Screw-up, or at least that’s what my friends used to call me.
You know these feelings of course dear reader, otherwise why else would you be checking out what I write. Today, I love my life. I love life. I get it.
With insights through process with Craig there is clarity. Clean, authentic, congruent, connected. I never knew such a way of being existed. In a word, peace. Fleeting of course, but sometimes, and increasingly now, for me a pleas ant peace.
Certainly, it’s been a weird, painful, fun, funny, journey, but totally worth it. Of course you’ve got to go through it, and do it, to get to it. I’m glad I did. I hope you do too.
p.s. Dr. Craig Carlson has become one of the most influential people in my life. I thank him.
We both want to thank you for helping us work so productively on our relationship. When we started coming to you, we knew that our relationship wasn’t what we wanted it to be. Your support and guidance have let us see that the important work for us is to create new and healthier habits in our relationship (and for ourselves), instead of trying to make our old habits work. In all of our work together, you never took sides; or if you did, you were always on the side of our relationship. We both felt your commitment to helping us find ways to put our relationship first. We also felt that you really cared about us, and about our success as a couple. That caring has been a real safety net for us as we tried new things
Dr. Carlson has seen me through very challenging times while I have experienced debilitating physical pain, emotional trauma, depression and anxiety. He facilitates a way of being, such that I am able to hope, believe and improve my life even with physical, mental, and emotional challenges that at one time seemed overwhelmingly insurmountable.
Initially, as a woman, I resisted the referral to a male psychologist because I believed I would feel uncomfortable. I was wrong. Dr. Carlson is easy to respect and trust. He is skilled at creating an environment of compassion and emotional and physical safety. Dr. Carlson has been able to focus my thinking. He imparts knowledge, teaches skills and guides my efforts to find my way, ground myself and keep going even when it feels too difficult. I am deeply appreciative of what I have learned and continue to discover about accepting my new self and reclaiming my life.
Additionally, my experience as a health educator with a Ph.D. has led me to be particularly discriminating regarding the expertise and professionalism I seek from a therapist. Having sought help with various therapists over the years, both for myself and for others, I believe I have a baseline for comparison. Dr. Carlson is talented, dedicated and effective in his practice. His diverse professional experience adds to my confidence in recommending him to others.