I was born in the 1950s into a stable, loving, two-parent home where everyone was welcome. My friends were black & white, Jewish, Catholic, & Protestant, upper, middle, & working class. Like many Jews after WWII, my 1st-generation American-born parents were very assimilated. They had abandoned the religious traditions of their parents who had fled persecution in Eastern Europe in the early 20th-century and came as immigrants to the United States. My parents failed miserably in teaching me Torah, practicing very little religion at home and none to speak of in the wider Jewish community. But they succeeded brilliantly in teaching me how to LOVE people. My mom taught me that God doesn’t live in a building but in the human heart.  My dad was a sought-after wise man, peace-maker, and beloved friend of the poor. His heart & home were always open to everyone in need. Surely, some of my drive to do what I’m doing now is to honor the humanitarian values by which they lived & raised me.

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I have been in private practice for decades as a psychotherapist, life-coach, & spiritual mentor, and have been a student of the human condition & the world’s religions for 50+ years. My formal education includes undergraduate degrees in religious studies and journalism and a master’s degree in counseling that culminated in licensure as a Professional Counselor (LPC). I also have advanced training and many years of experience in positive psychology and MBSR. (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction)

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That said, I have learned all that I have learned only by the grace of God, and from the beautiful life-experiences ‘He’ has bestowed upon me: loving parents, global travel, pursuing Truth from the banks of the Ganges to the shores of the Galilee, countless hours sitting in session with human beings of all ages and walks of life, presenting workshops in corporate & community settings, leading retreats, teaching college, designing & delivering programs for national non-profits that serve the underserved, developing & presenting a public radio series on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, public speaking, training social workers, mentoring foster youth, settling refugees, participating in interfaith work, reading broadly & deeply, exploring & delighting in nature, contemplating the gifts of God within the microcosm of myself & the macrocosm of the world.

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Please forgive me if the above sounds in any way boastful.  How would you get a sense of me if I did not share something about myself? Ah! These screens are certainly not my way, for they are so limited when it comes to establishing heart-connections. God willing, we will meet in real time. In any case, please do not be impressed by the long list. If you are given the gift of living for many years and you have a heart to keep learning & serving, God willing, you too will wind up with a long list. Most importantly, we must always be mindful of the fact that of knowledge we have none except what God has taught us. (Qur'an 2:32)

EXPLORE MORE ABOUT:

• MY INTENTION

• INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY

• SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 

• MY VISION