Psychotherapist - Licensed Professional Counselor

​I am non-judgmental, warm and compassionate.

I continue to marvel that one could build a successful career for the endlessly fascinating endeavor of applying scientific principles of psychology, neuroscience and meditation to the relief of human suffering and the enhancement of human functioning.

​"True community is based upon equality, mutuality, and reciprocity. It affirms the richness of individual diversity as well as the common human ties that bind us together." - Pauli Murray

I am a psychotherapist and licensed professional counselor in private practice in Durham.

​After completing my undergraduate and graduate training in psychology and research at Boston University, I trained at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, where I examined psychoanalytic theory and trained to understand people in their full complexity, including: how people develop their emotional and mental lives, how people operate from motivations that are outside their own awareness, and how to work with a full range of pathologies. In efforts to continue my clinical and professional training, I completed another set of graduate degree requirements at the Johns Hopkins University. There, I focused on improving the lives of diverse clientele with severe and ordinary mental health concerns through a social justice lens.

I am intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an advanced practitioner of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), a practitioner of Trauma Focused CBT and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). I am also a certified practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and certified facilitator of Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education (7-9th Grade and 10-12 Grade). 

In addition to my clinical work, I organize with the Radical Healing collective and am co-developing a year long mental health practitioner training program to provide mental health services using an anti-oppression and social justice lens. 

I belong to many professional organizations, including the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of North Carolina, American Counseling Association, Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Association of LGBT Issues in Counseling, American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, World Professional Association of Transgender Health.

Reflecting my wide range of interests and professional relationships, I have authored and co-authored several scholarly articles in peer reviewed journals as well as several chapters in textbooks and books related to moral engagement, cross cultural attitudes of war and peace, LGBT identity, sexology, psychological type and HIV treatment education and advocacy. I also served as a technical editor of a SPSS statistic book and  currently authoring a book chapter on counseling LGBT youth and adults.

I have a deep commitment and history of support to many social justice organizations and a special interest in supporting marginalized and underserved communities through empowerment, equity and mutuality. I currently volunteer as a sexuality education facilitator for middle school students and provide free or reduced fee counseling to individuals who would otherwise not be able to access treatment. 

As an avid traveler with a great interest in cross cultural identity, I have traveled to many countries on 5 continents. In addition to living and studying in the United States, I have spent considerable time in Salamanca, Spain, Seoul, South Korea and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Outside of my work in counseling, sexology, psychology, and travel, David enjoys yoga, running, making art, hiking, gardening, community activism and a good cup of coffee. David lives in Durham with his husband, dog, cats, chickens and fish.

In my Durham studio, I integrate Western and Eastern medicine, including neuroscience, psychology and meditation, for the treatment of mental health disorders and other general life concerns.

"Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." - Viktor Frankl

I AM NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS AT THIS TIME. NEW CLIENT APPOINTMENTS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE FALL 2018.

WAIT LIST IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.


I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE REFERRALS. IF SEEKING REFERRALS, PLEASE INCLUDE WHAT TYPE OF BILLING NEEDS YOU HAVE (INSURANCE/ SELF PAY/ SLIDING SCALE), WHAT GENERAL CONCERNS YOU HOPE TO ADDRESS IN TREATMENT AND AVAILABILITY FOR SESSIONS.
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​To become acquainted, please send me a message through the link below, and we can find a time to collaborate. Please include your availability for sessions, what general concerns you're hoping to address in treatment and what insurance you plan to use or self-pay. 

Contact Me

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NON-DISCRIMINATION & INCLUSION STATEMENT

Systems of power, privilege, and oppression have traditionally created barriers for persons and groups with particular identities, ages, abilities, and histories. I pledge to do all I can to replace such barriers with ever-widening circles of solidarity and mutual respect. I strive to be a center for health and healing that truly welcomes all persons and commits to structuring the center in ways that empower and enhance everyone’s participation.

I belong to a collective of healers who intentionally welcome all. We foster a climate of purposeful inclusion, an environment where all can feel safe, valued, cared for, and given an opportunity to form meaningful connections with each other. We value the diversity of differences which includes (but is not limited to) gender identity and its expression, age, race, ethnicity, and national origin, range of abilities, sexual orientation, financial means, family structure, educational and class status and political perspective.