The essence of my fifty years of work in counseling, teaching and community organizing can be summarized in one statement: See clearly with an open heart.

Seeing clearly requires physical, mental, and emotional balance and expanding awareness.  An open heart requires commitment to the truth of who we are and what’s happening around us along with an understanding of the fundamental human need for belonging.

I’ve had a continuing interest in identifying the core, essential components of a healthy and fulfilling life since taking a biology course from Dr. Ralph Lewis in 1969.  He guided me over the next twenty years in discerning, testing, and fine-tuning techniques and approaches that address core functions that restore and maintain balance while learning to solve problems and discover the joy of living a quality, effective life.  This approach has helped thousands of clients, students, and community members I have been honored to serve to make lasting improvements in their lives.

My commitment to seeing and thinking clearly has led me to explore how our mind and brain work and to study how stress and fear narrow our vision and impede rational thought.  I’ve developed a habit of trying to find the words that most accurately describe what’s happening and am devoted to using clear, simple terms that most anyone can understand. 

My commitment to opening hearts has led me explore the meaning of love and try to put into practice what I learned from extensive reading, including finding a message about love in every passage of the Christian Gospels and looking for indications of love in the major works of Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Chinese Philosphy, and Indigenous writing.  

I also served a number of years as “fumbles the clown,” a highly emotional, silent character who could find joy in the simplest things and loved to make people laugh while touching their hearts.