The Journey That Shapes My Work
From Biology and Teaching to Psychotherapy
I have long been attentive to people and curious about what shapes their feelings and behavior. Studying biology, with a concentration in biopsychology, gave that curiosity another dimension. I wanted to understand how our physical processes and emotional lives influence one another.
Although research interested me, I missed human connection. I became a high school biology teacher, hoping to share my enthusiasm for the living world. I enjoyed making complex ideas approachable and creating a classroom where students felt heard and encouraged.
What increasingly held my attention, though, was what students brought into the room beyond the curriculum. Relationships, stress, and struggles outside school affected their ability to engage. I found myself wanting to work more directly with the experiences shaping their lives.
My own therapy helped clarify that direction. Experiencing a relationship where I could explore difficult feelings and notice what was happening in my body changed what I understood support could offer. I returned to school for a master’s degree in mental health counseling, began practicing in Lower Manhattan, and later established my practice in Northern New Jersey.
The One you are looking for is the One that is looking.
- Saint Francis of Assisi
How My Work Became Body-Based
I was introduced to body-based work through Primal Therapy. Before that, I often felt I was going around in circles in talk therapy. I gained insight into my patterns and could explain why I struggled, but those same patterns continued in my daily life. I wanted a way to experience change beyond understanding it.
Primal Therapy brought me into contact with unresolved feelings and needs from earlier in my life. Feelings I had previously described or tried to understand became emotions I could feel in my body and express. The work was cathartic and powerful, opening a way to engage with myself that I hadn’t experienced before.
That experience led me to explore Somatic Experiencing, Inner Relationship Focusing, and eventually Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. I came to appreciate that powerful emotional experiences do not always lead to lasting change on their own. The nervous system also needs time, space, and support to process what has emerged and integrate it into daily life.
This understanding continues to shape how I work. I value emotional expression while paying close attention to pacing and allowing room for an experience to settle, rather than moving quickly toward the next breakthrough.
Finding a Sense of Home Through BCST
My interest in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy began with a moment of fascination during a training. In my last Somatic Experiencing Module, they introduced touch work. During this experience, I perceived movement in a person’s kidney area. I was fascinated by the sense of aliveness beneath my hands and how one area seemed to have its own rhythm within the larger body. That moment left me wanting to learn more about what quiet, attentive contact can reveal.
As I explored BCST, that fascination became something more personal. When I first experienced what the biodynamic tradition calls the Long Tide, I remember thinking, “I am home.” I felt this deep connection to myself and beyond. It gave language to a way of perceiving and experiencing the world that had long felt familiar but was hard to describe.
Through receiving sessions and continuing my studies, I began to recognize a stillness that felt different from dissociation or loneliness. This stillness felt alive. I could be quiet and deeply connected at the same time, without needing to explain myself or make something happen.
Experiencing that connection changed how I understood presence in my work. I learned to stay attentive to another person while staying grounded in myself, without taking on their experiences. BCST became another way to offer care: through touch, listening, and time for an experience to unfold beyond words.
What I Bring to Our Work
I bring curiosity, careful attention, and a commitment to continued learning. My background offers several ways to approach a concern, but I don’t assume I know which will be most useful before we begin.
I value moments when something feels true for you: finding words for a feeling, recognizing a preference, or experiencing support in a new way. My aim is to understand your experience as closely as I can and remain willing to revise my understanding. If I miss something, I want room for you to tell me. I value the trust involved in this work and the opportunity to accompany you.
Outside the Therapy Room
My family is at the center of my life. I love being a husband and father, spending time outdoors, dancing with my wife, cuddling with my two dogs, trying new foods, and steadily building my home-improvement skills.
I also enjoy adventure. Some of my most memorable experiences include driving across the country with my wife and dog, skydiving in Seattle, backpacking through Europe, competing in martial arts in South Korea, and working at the Renaissance Faire. I’m drawn to experiences that spark curiosity, deepen connection, and offer fresh perspectives on the familiar.
Let’s Find a Place to Begin
Choosing someone to work with is personal. A free 20-minute phone consultation offers time to ask questions, share what you are looking for, and get a sense of whether we might work well together.
Therapy, Caldwell
307 Bloomfield Ave Suite, 204, Caldwell, NJ 07006