What I believe and who I am:

The Importance of Words:

One day a mother came home from work with a splitting headache. Her young daughter was singing and dancing. The daughter sang louder and louder and louder. Finally, the mother screamed, "Shut up! You have a terrible voice!"

The truth was that, because of her headache, the mother’s tolerance for noise was nonexistent. But after the little girl heard those words, she stopped singing in the choir at church. She even started talking in a low inaudible voice. The little girl believed her mother, and in that instant she went from being a joyful little girl to a shy cowering little girl—and adult.
Words are so important. If we believe that those cruel things people say about us are the truth, and then think those words in our minds day after day, this becomes our reality. 

by Don Miguel Ruiz - The Four Agreements

 “As a therapist, I have a great deal of understanding and empathy for my clients. This empathy and understanding

 comes from having walked in many of their shoes. Childhood and adolescence were emotionally stressful for me, in an

 era when parents did not understand the effect their words and actions would have on their children’s well-being.  

Besides my love for helping others in my counseling practice, I enjoy my new grandson, special times with family and friends and my constant companion, Claude, pictured here.