Hi, I'm Steve.

I have been involved with providing professional counseling services since 1994. I am a native to Dayton, Ohio and attended both public and private schools growing up. Originally, when I went to college, my goal was to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a surgeon. However, the best made plans do not always come to be. The experience of playing major college football at the University of North Carolina had a significant impact on my switch from medicine to counseling. I remember my first psychology class, and my fascination with the subject. After I graduated from UNC, I took a job as a state probation officer in Graham, North Carolina. It was working this job that I began to see how people’s behavior and thinking can lead to unfortunate situations. I also saw among my teammates on the football team, how over identification with a role (i.e., football player) can create significant problems when that role ends. I saw this occur with many of my teammates whose careers ended early by an injury or graduation. Seeing this problem was one of my early motivations to pursue graduate education in counseling. I wanted to be able to help other athletes and people in general, navigate life transitions. I began my graduate journey at Wright State University in 1986, majoring in rehabilitation counseling. After graduating from Wright State University, I was admitted to the doctoral counseling program at the University of Cincinnati with a full academic scholarship. Upon receiving my doctorate, in 1995, I was appointed assistant professor of counseling at Wright State University, in the same program I had matriculated 5 years earlier. At Wright State, I was the faculty advisor for the marriage and family counseling program, and after receiving tenure, I was appointed chair of the Human Services department. I served in the role of chair for 20 years, one of the longest serving chairs in Wright State’s history. While at Wright State, I was also appointed by the university president to the position of Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR). My position as FAR finally allowed me to deliver on the promise I made myself to help student athletes. 

My development as a counselor has been in process for over 30 years. I began counseling with a very humanistic approach, seeing the relationship between counselor and client as the key to influencing behavior change. I evolved to use more systemic and cognitive behavior approaches to address issues like anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma. Since I began my journey, working with Strombeck and Associates, I have continued to refine my approach. I practice a form of cognitive behavioral therapy called, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). There have been over 1000 research studies involving ACT, and it has been clinically proven to be effective treating anxiety, depression, substance abuse, grief and trauma. ACT also works well assisting couples and families with a variety of issues. The goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility’s goal is to help people too: be present, open up, and do what matters.  If you are tired of battling uncomfortable feelings, troubling thoughts, past trauma, or if your life has become so narrow and restricted by avoidance of activities you’d actually like to be engaged in, I want to help you heal.

 Insurances accepted: Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Medical Mutual of Ohio, United Healthcare and United Medical Resources

I am located at our 51 Iron Gate Park Dr. office.