​MY BIO AND BACKSTORY
 

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Everybody has a backstory. It’s where we begin to understand the truth of a person—not just by what they’ve accomplished, but by the fires they’ve walked through and the ways they’ve chosen to heal. Our stories are not defined by titles or timelines, but by the quiet turning points that shape who we become.

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Here is mine:

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I’ve spent the better part of my life walking alongside children, adolescents, and adults who are carrying deep pain, whether from trauma, addiction, loss, or the struggles of growing up in a world that doesn’t always feel safe or clear. I’m a clinical psychologist licensed in both Washington and Arizona, and over the years, my work has taken many forms: from private practice and military service to residential treatment and community outreach.

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Early in my career, I served ten years on active duty in the U.S. Army as a pediatric psychologist; I eventually earned the rank of Major. I later settled in Olympia, Washington, where I built a private practice serving families for over two decades. I also worked with military families and soldiers at Madigan Army Medical Center and spent time as a faculty member in Graduate Medical Education, doing my best to train others in trauma-informed, compassionate care.

In 2018, I opened The Center for Connecting Living in Washington. More recently, I’ve taken on the role of Clinical Director at Holdfast Recovery in Arizona. In 2024, I founded NeuroFaith™, a model born out of the conviction that healing requires more than just science; it requires connection, truth, and in many cases, faith.

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Much of my work today is centered around integrating neuroscience and spiritual understanding to treat trauma and addiction. I’ve been blessed to co-author several books, the most recent being NeuroFaith™: The Intersection of Faith and Science in the Healing of Trauma and Addiction, written alongside my friends Tim Hayden and Pastor Earl Heverly. This book weaves together the heart and brain connection, the polyvagal system, and Internal Family Systems therapy. These are approaches I’ve found to be deeply transformative for the people I serve.

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I was born in 1954 in Fort Collins, Colorado. My upbringing, like many others, was marked by both love and hardship. My father, who was a brilliant and driven man, carried wounds of his own from a harsh childhood. Sadly, some of that pain was passed down. My identical twin brother Gregg and I turned to achievement as a way to survive and feel seen. But unresolved trauma has a way of surfacing; in our case, it did. During those darker teenage years, I encountered something unexpected and life-changing: the Christian faith. That discovery became an anchor and a turning point for me; it still shapes who I am and how I serve.

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In October of 2023, I lost Gregg to a long battle with depression. That loss shook me to my core. We were not just brothers; we were identical twins, mirrors, companions in both triumph and sorrow. His death could have pulled me under, and at times it nearly did. But in the midst of grief, something deeper emerged: a renewed calling to do what I’ve been doing for decades. Sitting with suffering, helping people find their footing again, and offering a path to hope. I work in his memory now, and I carry him with me every day.

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My work also extends into areas I feel strongly about: protecting children from the growing influence of ideologically driven practices, especially around gender affirmation and exposure to pornography. I believe children deserve time, safety, and guidance, not fast-track solutions that may cause lifelong harm. I’m not interested in culture wars. I’m interested in what is true, what is healing, and what helps people grow into who they were made to be.

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More than titles or credentials, what matters to me is the heart behind the work. I’ve seen how pain isolates, and I’ve seen how connection, truth about oneself, past and present, and authentic Christian faith and spirituality heal.