I was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina. I attended Clemson University on an athletic scholarship where I majored in English Literature. After graduating I did post-graduate work in English Literature at Rice University located in Houston, Texas. Having gone through the Air Force ROTC program at Clemson and discovering that my real interests were in the field of psychology, I left Rice and went on active duty in the Air Force. The USAF sent me to the Space and Missile Systems Organization in Los Angeles. While stationed in Los Angeles, I attended UCLA on a part-time basis studying psychology. The Air Force then transferred me to the Satellite Test Center in Sunnyvale, California. While stationed at the Satellite Test Center, I entered a Masters program in psychology at the California State University at San Jose. During the latter stages of my Air Force Career, I was sent to study problems associated with drug and alcohol abuse at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, that were affecting military personnel returning from Vietnam. I also received specialized DOD training related to race relations and group therapy at Andrews Air Force Base, in Maryland. Shortly after receiving an Honorable Discharge as a Captain in the USAF, I completed my Masters Degree in Psychology and enrolled in a Doctoral Program in Psychology at the Claremont Graduate University located in Claremont, California.
After completing my Doctorate, I worked at the Kedren Community Health Center in South Central Los Angeles. I then became affiliated with the Human Sciences Center, a psychology clinic in Beverly Hills, California, where I worked for the next three years. Subsequent to my employment at the Human Sciences Center, I established a private practice in Beverly Hills. My work as a clinical psychologist has included individual and group psychotherapy, couples and relationship counseling, family therapy and forensic evaluations. I earned a State of California authorization as a Qualified Medical Evaluator, conducting medical-legal evaluations on behalf of the California Workers Compensation Appeals Board. I also developed and became the CEO of a Corporate Fitness and Wellness Company.
After approximately thirty-five years in California, my wife and I decided to return to my home state of South Carolina. We purchased a home in the Greenville area in 2006. In addition to my private practice, I was an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of South Carolina – Upstate for approximately four years, where I taught courses in Psychopathology, Life Adjustment and Sports Psychology. I am licensed to practice clinical psychology in South Carolina. My SC license number is 1044.