Why I do what I do...

"My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in high school. Despite 9 years of struggle, countless surgeries, a few broken bones, and many failed treatments, I lost my mother to cancer when she was 48 years old.  I was her "baby", with two older sisters.  That same year, I lost my grandparents and another great friend to cancer.  I felt helpless as I watched them struggle. Other than a wonderful oncologist that made house calls, we had no other "help" with coping, understanding difficult medical situations, or sorting out the emotional turmoil that engulfed my family as my mother's illness progressed.  I held her hand as she passed away, and that is when the second chapter of my life began.   A part of me died with my mother and at that time I felt helpless to do anything about it.  I saw no silver lining around the dark cloud that shadowed my life.  Even though my mother was at peace, the rest of us were suffering more than we'd ever imagined. 

I know what it feels like to struggle with medical decisions, loss, grief, confusion, self-defeating behaviors, anger, sadness, and frustration-- and to watch the world as you know it start to crumble. I worked hard to fill the "void" of losing my mother and the toll her illness took upon myself and my family.  It was a rough road but I was lucky enough to find out a lot about myself - sometimes it was easy and sometimes not so easy.  During this process, I became desperate to understand: 

*what causes such pain?

*what can be done to prevent or improve illness?      and

 *what could be done to help individuals and their families with their emotional and physical difficulties.

And, although this may sound strange to some, I was most desperate to find out if good things could result from the entire illness experience - and they did.  I watched my family fall apart only to rebuild again. My experiences led me to study health psychology and the professional art of psychotherapy for the past 15 years, and have led me to a very satisfying career.

I am dedicated to helping people improve their mental and physical health in a manner that is professional, caring, and grounded in research and theory. I believe everyone has what they need to solve many of their problems, it sometimes just takes a little time (and help) to find these solutions.

 As such, I have devoted my career to helping others overcome their emotional and physical troubles, by rekindling, rebuilding, and improving the many strengths each person already has.  It gives me great satisfaction to assist others in doing this. 

As a result of my dedication to my profession, I have earned two master's degrees and a doctorate in psychology, concentrating on both general clinical psychotherapy and specialized clinical health psychology.  Most importantly, however, I have used these skills to teach students, and to treat, comfort, and counsel hundreds of individuals, couples, and  families.  By being involved in both the medical and psychological aspects of health care, I have treated many physical and emotional illnesses and I have learned many ways to help people improve both mentally and physically. Using these skills, I look forward to helping you reach your therapy goals, feel better, and realize that...

-you can control your life,

and

 - every situations can teach you about yourself and lead you to an enjoyable, "healthy" life.

 

You can be confident that I will treat you and your family in the most respectful, confidential, and professional manner.  I understand that each person that walks through my door is a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter. I will help you reach the goals you desire and deserve."

More about Dr. Christian...

Dr. Christian has owned and operated a full-time private practice in Weston, FL since 2004. Prior to opening his own private practice, he was the Chief Fellow in Psychology at The University of Miami School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Christian holds 2 Master's degrees and his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.  He provides general outpatient therapy services and is a trained health psychologist providing services for a wide range of psychological and medical issues, with expertise in the areas of depression, anxiety, cancer, women's health issues, and biofeedback.  The goal of his practice is to help you achieve your goals and make you as comfortable as possible, while maintaining the absolute highest level of confidentiality.

His commitment, caring, and expertise in these areas has enabled him to establish enduring professional relationships with his colleagues, physicians, other medical care providers, and most importantly - his patients.

To learn more about what Professional Services Dr. Christian provides, please click the link.

Call Dr. Christian at (954) 649-7050 today!