He combines that with cognitive-behavioral ideas to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. Mindfulness and solution-focused strategies are used when short-term, practical steps will help a person move forward. Al has worked in mental health since the early 1970s and has run a independent practice for many years.

That long experience includes both administrative roles and hands-on counseling with adults, adolescents, and children at various points in his career. He has focused much of the last decade on independent practice work with adults and families. In sessions he pays attention to past and present relationships to understand how they impact daily life.

He also highlights talents and creativity as tools for change. Treatment plans are developed collaboratively, with clear goals and steps agreed by both therapist and client. Al believes people benefit from having someone to talk to during hard times.

He helps clients build coping skills, address grief or trauma, manage parenting challenges, and work on self-esteem and identity. His manner is steady and practical, aimed at usable changes rather than jargon.