Founder & Clinical Director

I am a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience working with autistic, traumatized, and addicted adults and adolescents. For more than six years, I have assessed adolescents and adults in residential treatment settings, where I received extensive in-person training in autism assessment and autism-specific coaching.

I’m also on the autism spectrum myself. That lived experience has given me a personal understanding of what it can mean to have autistic traits that are not recognized by others—and of how easy it is to underestimated or misread those who appear more capable. I bring that perspective together with professional training.

I am trained to administer the gold standard of autism assessment tools, the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2), and have received autism-specific training through WPS and the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (formerly the Asperger/Autism Network/AANE.org).

My approach, Primal Systems Therapy™ (PST), and subsequent PST Six Systems Model™ grew from an abiding passion for understanding how the different systems of human life interact to shape development. My special interests in neuroscience (i.e., Karl Friston’s free energy principle) and the wisdom traditions (especially Zen) led me to explore how these systems can either support development or constrain it—and how understanding those interactions can open new possibilities for growth.

When appropriate, I can provide referrals to independent practitioners who offer complementary support, including massage therapy, personal training, nutrition, hypnotherapy, spiritual guidance, and social companionship. These practitioners operate independently of the Spectrum Launch Institute, and clients will arrange services directly with them.

I have also had a lifelong special interest in reading and writing. This eventually led to my books, A Unified Theory of Happiness, a modern version of The Heart Sutra , over 100 articles for Psychology Today on psychological health and happiness, and on this website: Insights into Autism.

Outside of my clinical work, I enjoy hiking in nature and living in the quiet mountains of Topanga (currently with a puppy). I continue to write, offer workshops on autism, and lecture on Zen Psychology (i.e., 21st IFP World Congress of Psychotherapy in Shanghai, China).

“I believe that by understanding the interacting systems that shape development, we can clarify individualized goals and relationships—and that what we call ‘happiness’ emerges as a person becomes able to participate more fully in life, grounded in focus and awareness.”

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