My Background

Education and License

I received a Doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 1992. I also have two Masters degrees in Humanistic and Transpersonal psychology. I have been licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist since 1985.

Experience

I have been in private practice for over 30 years.

Additionally, I was the staff psychotherapist for the Stanford Research Institute (SRI International) for nine years.  I offered short-term psychotherapy, provided organizational development (including consultation with management, conflict resolution, and team building), and designed and presented training programs for staff on topics such as Leadership, Stress Management, Substance Abuse in the Workplace, Communication and Influence Skills, and Career/Life Planning.

I have taught professionally for nearly 30 years.  For more information, please see Teaching and Writing.

Specialized Training

I trained in Process-Oriented Psychology with Arnold Mindell for eight years.  My doctoral dissertation, a study of the relationship between childhood dreams and chronic body symptoms developed in adulthood, was based on this training.

I received specialized training and certification in gender issues from the Satyana Institute.  Please see Gender Healing for more information.

Spiritual Focus

I have been exploring the interface between psychology and spirituality for over 30 years both personally and professionally, and have maintained a meditation practice for 25 years.  Along with my wife, Janet Coster, I am co-founder of the Temenos Fellowship of AIWP, a non-profit organization that has offered support groups, as well as individual and couple’s counseling, for people on the spiritual path.