Meet Leonard

For the past 40 years, I have worked in both Australia and America, counseling individuals, couples, and families to resolve conflict. I was Director of the Family Therapy Program at the Marriage and Family Centre in Sydney, Australia, where I managed the counseling services and trained family therapists.

In Chicago, I coordinated a 24-hour Crisis Intervention Program with the Orland Park Police Department on the Southside of Chicago, where he assisted in resolving domestic disputes, parent-child conflicts, mentally ill crises, and suicide threats. I also debriefed officers during critical incidents involving traumas. I later served as a senior affiliate therapist with the Family Institute at Northwestern University. In 2008 I moved to California where I continue to see clients.

Over the years, I have gained considerable knowledge about conflict, love, and relationships while working with clients; however, the most enduring insights came from my own experiences with relationships. After being married 26 years, I went through a difficult divorce. When that painful door closed, it opened up a door of self-exploration, insight, and healing.

Every relationship I have had revealed aspects of myself. Some I liked and some I didn’t. However, each reflection helped me to evolve. Since I am the main character in my novel, my goal is to change the character so that he achieves more love in life.

That approach is carried forward in my work with clients. My goal is to empower individuals to overcome adversity and transform their lives by viewing themselves as the hero in their personal stories. I help clients see conflict as an opportunity to reshape their stories and create inner peace.

The poem by the mystic poet, Rumi, says it all: “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers you have built within yourself against it.”