About

Professional History

I was born and raised in the mountains of NW Georgia. I went to pharmacy school at University of Georgia and graduated in 1982, moving to Atlanta to practice in 1984. I practiced as a retail pharmacist until 2011. The desire and motivation to connect with people one on one, and the time needed to do that, was missing from my work. I decided to return to graduate school and pursue a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, to focus solely on the part of pharmacy practice that inspired me the most. I graduate Argosy University in December 2014. After completing my internship through North Dekalb Mental Health and Crossroads Hospice, I have worked in acute care mental health, currently at Peachford Hospital. In May, 2017, I joined Luis Valdes, PhD and Kim Krinsky, PhD, at Psychogenyx, a small practice east of downtown Decatur. You can visit the Psychogenyx page by clicking the button below.

 

Personal Information

I grew up in a small, North Georgia town, keeping myself deep in the closet until my mid-twenties. Being a man in my late fifties, Stonewall happened when I was young, although, I only learned about it as an adult. I was a pharmacist in Midtown during the AIDS epidemic, at a time when there was no living with HIV, only dying. It was during this time that I also joined AA. I remember the devastation of so many friends and acquaintances passing on from this plague. Intimate relationships changed forever, as well as interpersonal relationships. Surviving through those days has helped me become the man that I am today.

For the aging LGBTQ+ community, I see unique challenges. Particularly in the HIV/AIDS infected community. I remember, before I even decided to return to grad school and pursue a Counseling degree, a friend of mine turned to me in the middle of a visit and asked, "what am I supposed to do now?" When I inquired further, my friend explained that back when he was diagnosed with HIV, it was still considered a sentence to an early death. "I was never thinking that I would live to see retirement, and now that I am almost there, I don’t know what I am supposed to do now" This person that I cared for, and loved, was filled with anxiety and angst and appeared to be on the brink of panic. I comforted him as best a friend could. However, this exchange was a big motivation for me to choose psychotherapy as my ‘mid-life career’. I wondered how many more in my cohort have the same feelings?  When I look at the larger LGBTQ+ community, we are all living longer, and, as out gay people going into retirement, this is historic. We do not have, for the most part, a large family and children to cushion our journey into old age.  I feel the same tingle of panic that my friend had felt. These are MY people! And I want to do what I can to help.  Additionally, my experience as a pharmacist can be of benefit with the stigma and the stresses of managing the maze of medication regimens.

It is with a heavy heart that I look at my community today and see a new plague on the gay man in Atlanta: Methamphetamine. This one drug, alone and combined with others, has changed the single life in the gay community. “Do you PNP?” is the lead off question. Normal intimate sexual relationships become altered by meth so that these relationships without the drug are no longer fulfilling. It takes a courageous effort by an individual to do the work necessary to find freedom from the bondage of this and many drugs. It is my passion to help others find their freedom.

My goal, as your therapist, is the promotion of Mental Wellness, as opposed to treating mental illness. I believe that you are much more than a diagnosis. Together we balance the combination of physical, mental and emotional well-being. Together we begin where you are, discover where you want to go and work toward getting you there.