“As a parent of four children, including a child with special needs, I can provide insight and guidance to parents coping with parenting challenges…”

General Psychiatry 

My nursing career started out as a charge nurse in an intensive inpatient psychiatric facility for adolescents in Northern Virginia. This facility also provided adult services and an onsite school program and comprehensive family services. It was in this role that I learned the importance the role that family plays in each family member’s mental health. I use a family-centered, holistic approach to client’s mental health care. I define family as who the individual defines as their family members rather than a biological bond.  

As a nurse practitioner, I continue to treat common psychiatric conditions and provide medication management. I use an evidence-based practice approach that incorporates a conscientious, problem-solving approach to clinical practice that incorporates the best evidence from well-designed studies, patient values and preferences, and a clinician's expertise in making decisions about a patient's care. 

I joined this practice after treating psychiatric conditions in internal medicine and family practice settings for over 25 years so I could focus extensively on treating psychiatric issues in individuals and families. I specialize in the care of families, including adolescents, young adults, and adults who are struggling with common mental health issues, including adjustment disorders, anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, and ADHD. I have additional training and experience in grief, special needs parenting, and assisting partners dealing with postpartum mood disorders.   

 As a Navy veteran, I transitioned from serving as an active-duty Navy Seabee into nursing school and then into nursing and later, into the nurse practitioner profession. I understand that transitions can be difficult and can provide guidance on how to successfully transition from one life experience to the next using a variety of coping strategies.  

 As a parent of four children, including a child with special needs, I can provide insight and guidance to parents coping with parenting challenges. I have experience in treating teens with anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, and ADHD.  

 I have worked in a number of settings as a nurse practitioner including a large health maintenance organization, a corporate health organization, a military clinic, urgent care settings, and private practice settings. I decided to join Chesapeake Bay Psychiatry so I could extensively treat mental health issues in a family centered setting utilizing both telehealth and in person settings, partnering with my wife, who I have been married to for over 30 years.  

 My diverse professional background has included being an adjunct professor and clinical preceptor at George Mason University along with being a clinical preceptor for Georgetown University, George Washington University, and Shenandoah University.  I have contributed to clinical textbooks and was a co-researcher in the development of the Davidson Conceptual Model of Prodromal Postpartum Psychosis Symptomology, which has been used to develop postpartum psychosis care management protocols by multiple organizations and health care systems.  I have also been a keynote speaker for Postpartum Support International.