These days, conversations about diversity can feel controversial — even risky. That might be a reason to take this page down, but honestly, it’s the very reason I choose to keep it up. Ignoring or, worse yet, hiding from the lived realities of the individuals I help each day would be invalidating, counterproductive, and even damaging. I can’t fully comprehend the pain, fear, or challenges faced by those who don’t look like me, speak like me, or share my background — but I believe acknowledging that reality matters.

I want so badly to tell you how versed I am on all matters of diversity and how much you can count on me to never let you down in being a leader and champion in all aspects of social justice. The truth is, I’m not and you can’t. I still have so far to go. I come from a place of significant unearned privilege, having lived and worked within systems that have afforded me advantages throughout my life — often without requiring me to acknowledge them, either publicly or to myself. I benefit from many forms of social privilege associated with being white, heterosexual, cisgender, male, U.S.-born, able-bodied, neurotypical, and highly educated. While I have made sincere efforts to better understand how these intersecting privileges shape my experiences and affect others, I know I still have a great deal to learn. I’m continuing to reflect on the impact — sometimes unintended — of my perspectives, choices, and actions, and how they influence the spaces and people around me.

I am committed to practicing with cultural humility and maintaining an openness to examining and evolving my own perspectives and beliefs. I view this as an ongoing process — one that requires continuous education, self-reflection, and a willingness to deeply listen to the lived experiences of others, particularly my clients.

I strive to create a therapeutic environment grounded in inclusion and understanding, but I am still learning, and I still fall short sometimes.  I am committed to doing the ongoing — sometimes uncomfortable — work required to grow in this area. Some of the understandings I hold today include:

•  that systemic barriers continue to threaten both individual mental health and societal well-being, even if I have not personally faced these obstacles.

• that discrimination, prejudice, oppression, privilege, marginalization, and inequality are real, deeply entrenched in our institutions, and harmful to mental health and human flourishing.

• that racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, heterosexism, sizeism, xenophobia, religious discrimination, and neuro-discrimination are pervasive and often embedded in everyday life, particularly for those whose voices have been historically silenced or ignored.

• that when a society is founded on discrimination, those injustices become part of its structural foundation — even when explicit forms of bias are less visible.

• that equality and equity are not the same, and that equity requires intentional, context-sensitive efforts to address disparities.

• that, while I may intellectually grasp the need for change, I cannot fully comprehend the urgency and emotional weight of that need for those who live with injustice every day.

• that people with underrepresented identities face daily challenges and obstacles to many of the things that I take for granted — even in seeking something as fundamental as a therapist who sees and hears them fully.

• that the privileges I hold — as a white, male, cisgender, heterosexual, neurotypical, able-bodied person — exist in direct and indirect contrast to the experiences of those who do not share those identities.

• that cultural competence is not a static achievement but a lifelong commitment to learning, reflection, and accountability.

• that the language I use is powerful and impactful, and I strive to speak in ways that are inclusive, respectful, and free of bias.

• that I must earn the right to hear someone’s story — and that trust is not given lightly.

I welcome questions and feedback about my background and perspective, and view them as opportunities for growth. Day by day, week by week, month by month, I will do better.

Land Acknowledgement

My office is located along Phillippi Creek in Sarasota, FL. This land occupies the traditional, ancestral, and unceded homelands of the Calusa, Mascogo, Miccosukee, and Seminole people. For countless generations, they cared for and sustained this land and its waterways. Their deep connection to this place endures, despite the profound injustices of displacement, dispossession, and forced removal. These historical injustices cannot be forgotten or re-written. I recognize the history of these indigenous inhabitants, of this land, and of the connection that endures between them today and always. To learn about the native and traditional indigenous inhabitants of the land where you are, visit https://native-land.ca/