About Me
I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Fellow and Approved Consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) and member of the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH). I am an Award Winning author of Hypnosis for Behavioral Health: Professional’s Guide to Expanding Your Practice (Springer Publishing Company), and co-author of Permanent Habit Control: Practitioners’ Guide to Using Hypnosis and Other Alternative Health Strategies (Springer Publishing Company). I am the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, and past Chair of the SCEH Certification Committee. I have received numerous awards from ASCH and SCEH for my contributions to both societies, as well as my peer-reviewed published papers on clinical hypnosis. I am an adjunct professor at Saybrook University and the past President of Division 30 (Psychological Hypnosis) of the American Psychological Association. I also maintain an active clinical practice at Augusta Health in Central Virginia.
My Professional Affiliations
American Psychological Association, Member, 1993 - present
Division 30: Society of Psychological Hypnosis
American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
International Society of Hypnosis
My Achievements
In 2005, I was selected and appointed by Governor Mark Warner of Virginia to serve on the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund Advisory Board, a governor-appointed body that administers the funding of ground-breaking research and innovative community-based neurotrauma rehabilitation programs.
In 2009 I was appointed by Governor Timothy Kaine to serve another four-year term. I was elected chairman of this board during my first year and served in that capacity for eight consecutive years. In 2016, I was re-appointed to serve on this committee for another four-year term by Governor Terry McAuliffe, and in 2020 for an additional four years under Governor Ralph Northam.
I have been the recipient of several Presidential Awards from both ASCH and SCEH. I have also received the Editor-in-Chief's Award on five occasions for my contributions to the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis as a reviewer and Science Editor. In 2025, I received the Distinguished Contributions to Professional Hypnosis Award from Division 30 of the American Psychological Association.
I have appeared on radio and television news programs and served as an expert behavioral health consultant for an ABC affiliate in Harrisonburg, Virginia.