Eric earned his Bachelor degree in Psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington in 1986, and a Master’s degree in Counseling and Social Psychology from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1991. Eric’s profession has been in the practice of psychology continuously since 1991 when he began his career in a community mental health agency in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Working in this less populated geographic region afforded the opportunity to refine his skills working with a broad range of populations including individuals with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and adjustment problems. This was the beginning of Eric’s broad range of activities within the practice of psychology; including development of behavior interventions, risk assessment of individuals in crisis, psychological testing, and psychotherapy. During that time, Eric also joined a newly formed crisis response team providing Critical Incident Stress Debriefings following traumatic events within the community. This marked the beginning of a strong interest in trauma, which continues to the current day.
In 1996, Eric relocated to lower Michigan where he continued to provide services in a larger urban community mental health agency. His work included developing behavior plans to be implemented in residential and day activity program settings with individuals engaging in severe behaviors of self-harm and other impulse control difficulties. Desiring to maintain a diverse, effective skills set, Eric continued to also work concurrently as a therapist for many years with Catholic Charities in Genesee & Shiawassee Counties.
Eric’s interests in his therapy practice include working together with individuals experiencing Mood Disorders including Depression and Bipolar Disorder; Anxiety; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Trauma; Borderline Personality Disorder; Self-harm; Impulse Control Disorders; and those experiencing difficulties with co-occurring substance use, life transitions, interpersonal relationships, and stress management.
Eric’s clinical approach utilizes a cognitive-behavioral framework with an emphasis on providing a caring, supportive, therapeutic environment grounded in strategies supported by research. Eric applies cognitive-behavioral strategies to help individuals learn to recognize and change self-defeating patterns of thinking and behavior. Eric’s therapeutic style will focus upon developing insight as well as acquiring new effective skills in making one’s desired changes. Strategies will offer education and practice in important DBT-Informed skill areas as well including mindfulness, interpersonal relationship skills, distress tolerance skills, and dialectical thinking. Eric understands that entering into therapy represents a huge commitment of both time and resources; and with that in mind will work collaboratively with the individual to set efficacious goals to achieve the changes that you desire.
