Professional Work

My professional work has developed across clinical practice, teaching, writing, editorial work, and service to the professions of psychotherapy and clinical hypnosis.

Clinical Practice

I have maintained a private clinical practice since 1979, working in psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis, consultation, and professional supervision. I currently practice in Phoenix, Arizona, where I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

My clinical approach developed through extensive postgraduate training in Gestalt Therapy and Transactional Analysis and through four and a half years of regular study with Milton H. Erickson, M.D., in Phoenix.

My work integrates Ericksonian hypnosis with systemic, experiential, and relational approaches to psychotherapy, with particular attention to states of consciousness and to the resources people bring to the process of change.

Influence of Milton H. Erickson

Studying with Dr. Erickson changed how I understood people, communication, and psychotherapy. He taught by experience more than by explanation and demonstrated that therapy is not simply a set of techniques, but an art of noticing and using what each person brings into the room.

One of the most important lessons was utilization: the idea that even resistance, confusion, and symptoms may contain resources that can be incorporated into change. His respect for individuality, his trust in unconscious learning, and his remarkable attentiveness have continued to influence both my clinical work and my teaching.

Teaching & Training

Since the 1970s, I have taught psychotherapy and clinical hypnosis to mental health professionals throughout the United States and internationally. I have conducted several hundred professional workshops, seminars, conference programs, and training events, with teaching in more than 21 countries.

I have delivered keynote and plenary addresses for professional organizations and international conferences and have repeatedly served as invited faculty for programs devoted to hypnosis, psychotherapy, brief therapy, family therapy, and Ericksonian approaches.

My university teaching has included appointments in psychology and social work, including Arizona State University's undergraduate interdisciplinary program and Graduate School of Social Work, as well as earlier teaching at the University of West Florida and Jackson Community College.

Writing & Editorial Work

I have authored, co-authored, or edited 20 professional books on psychotherapy and clinical hypnosis, with translations in nine languages, as well as more than 65 peer-reviewed articles and book and handbook chapters.

From 2005 through 2025, I served as Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis and was subsequently awarded the title Editor Emeritus. Earlier, I served as Editor-in-Chief of Ericksonian Monographs and on editorial review boards of professional journals in the United States and Europe.

Professional Leadership & Service

My professional service has included leadership roles in organizations devoted to clinical hypnosis and psychotherapy, including service as President of the American Hypnosis Board for Clinical Social Work, as well as a decade of corporate consulting, developing and teaching “interface management” at the executive level for organizations including Xerox, USAA, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the IRS, and New York State Tax and Finance.

In Arizona, I also served on the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners, including service as Chair, bringing clinical and professional experience to the regulation of behavioral health practice.