SERVICES PROVIDED
Psychotherapy
I provide individual and family psychotherapy specialized for psychosis. These include evidence-based therapies developed by professionals: cognitive-behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp), dialogic practices, mindfulness-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACTp), and compassion-focused CBTp. I also utilize approaches developed by people with experience of psychosis and recovery (see About section, Training and Credentials).
Supervision
I provide supervision for Limited or Full Licensure in Psychology. We focus on the professional development of supervisees and case formulation to guide treatment planning. I recommend use of the "person of the therapist" model (Harry Aponte, 2015) in supervisory work.
Workshop Training
I provide workshops on Open Dialogue and psychosis recovery science for clinicians, Peer Support Specialists, and families. These are tailored to the needs of the audience. My CEU application must be supported by host agencies if CEU credits are required.
Services I do not provide
People with a primary diagnosis of substance misuse, borderline or a related personality disorder, or severe depression should
seek providers specialized in these issues, such as Certified Addiction Counselors (CAC) or specialists in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I also do not provide marital or child therapy, ADHD testing, or court-ordered treatment.
Alternatives to my Services
If you have experienced unusual mental states or distress for less than two years, you may be eligible to receive an array of evidence-based services at the Program for Risk Evaluation and Prevention (PREP) program in the University of Michigan’s Department of Psychiatry. For further information: Psych-PREP@med.umich.edu
The Early Treatment and Cognitive Health (ETCH) group assists with early psychosis in E. Lansing, MI. Like U of M’s PREP program, this is a highly experienced collaborative offering evidence-based services. Go to etchwellness.org for further information.
Your local Community Mental Health agency is an excellent resource for psychiatric care and social work support. CMH clinics often offer support and social groups, referral to vocational rehabilitation, housing support, in-home check-ins if needed, assistance obtaining Social Security or health benefits, 24-hour crisis assistance, and other essential care. Find access information by searching online or calling 211 information.
Rose Hill Center in Holly, MI provides residential treatment in a farm setting. Rose Hill is a non-profit that can charge private insurers, but not Medicare or Medicaid. It has some limited scholarships, mostly reserved for referrals from a CMH clinic. For further information: rosehillcenter.org
The Therapist Directory at psychologytoday.com offers a comprehensive list of psychiatric, psychology, and social work providers. You can enter search terms for location, type of service, specialty, insurance, etc.
Limitations on Dialogic Practices
When fully implemented, Open Dialogue provides comprehensive support that is client and family centered, recovery-oriented, and sufficiently resourced to meet needs flexibly. When the model is available very early in psychosis, it has been found to resolve over 60% of schizophrenia spectrum conditions within 3-10 years without residual disability or need for further treatment (Bergstrom et al., 2018). OD can defer medications and hospitalization, often indefinitely, by addressing emergencies with intensive social and psychological support.
Unfortunately, the full Open Dialogue model is available in very few places in the US (to local residents eligible for Counseling Services of Addison County in Middlebury, VT and, in the private sector, at Windhorse Integrative Mental Health in Northampton, MA, for example). I am able to provide some elements of the dialogic approach, such as attending to the meaning of unusual experiences, helping a multiplicity of ideas to be heard, supporting tolerance of uncertainty, seeking to understand rather than pathologizing client expressions, and listening and reflecting more than speaking.
Open Dialogue in full provides immediate help and a committed team who can attend each therapeutic meeting together for the duration of treatment. This is not not available in my practice. When a dialogical team structure can be implemented, most “behind the scenes” decision-making is unnecessary. Ideally, in Open Dialogue nothing happens “about me, without me”. We do not have these options in most of our communities - I rarely have colleagues at hand to assist in worrying situations, for example, nor can I offer 24/7 support. This means I may need to obtain outside support, sometimes in the form of involuntary care, to protect your welfare. See my Informed Consent Form in the “Forms” section for more information about limitations on confidentiality and consent to treatment.