Meet Roy
I have lived in Birmingham my whole life. I grew up in Trussville, went to high school in Pelham, and now I live in Vestavia with my wife Rachel, daughter Maggie, and two black cats, Rufus and Mabel. I spent some time at Auburn, got my college degree from Birmingham-Southern, my law degree from Samford, and my master's in marriage and family therapy from Alabama. I joke that I've probably been to most of the schools around town. I practice law from time to time, and I have experience working at an eating disorder treatment center, the Capstone Family Clinic in Tuscaloosa, a private practice helping families struggling with divorce, and group therapy at an intensive outpatient program.
I hope that being in my office with me is fun. I like to think that I have a good sense of humor, but now that I'm a father, there might be a lot of dad jokes. I am definitely a nerd who enjoys card games, books, and all types of music. I love sports and cooking shows-one of the few things my wife and I can agree to watch on TV. I also love listening to people talk and hearing their stories, which might explain why I became a therapist.
I use a collaborative, integrated, and experiential approach. I believe that therapy is most beneficial when you can trust me and we work on problems together. I like to start by getting to know you better, setting out goals, and working to achieve those goals together. With couples, I tend to use an emotionally-focused approach along with the teachings of John Gottman and will also use discernment counseling for couples in high distress. With eating disorders, I tend to use dialectical behavior therapy. With families, I tend to use the teachings of Murray Bowen. With children, I use child centered play therapy and theraplay. I also pull various ideas and interventions from other models including cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, attachment-based family therapy, and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. I am EMDR-trained.
I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and supervisor. My license number is L600.
The Persimmon Story
As a kid, I loved visiting my grandfather Roy at the farm he built in the middle of nowhere after returning from World War II, where he served as a pilot. We would fish in the lake he dug, gather eggs from his chicken coops, and wander endlessly through the wild east Alabama woods, never encountering another soul. He named his little piece of the world Persimmon, for the bittersweet orange fruit he loved and for the bitterly hard work that gave him such a sweet, private place to raise his family. He used to say, “the greatest luxury in the world is privacy,” and now, as a man myself with a family of my own, I finally understand what he meant.
Therapy is a private and sacred place for me, where my clients tell me difficult things, and I always want them to feel respected and heard. I want them to trust that they are in a supportive, private place. I believe strongly in quality of life, so my therapy is safe and nonjudgmental. It is a place where we increase awareness and work through the tough things so that you can spend more time enjoying the sweet stuff. I was named after my grandfather, and I'm proud to name my therapy practice after his life’s work. I look forward to meeting you and starting this journey together.
An Interview with Collabs.io.Mag
Peace of Mind in a Chaotic World - Persimmon Therapy
"I am a marriage and family therapist. Relationships and family can give us the greatest joy and often the worst pain, so they are a major focus. My customers can be anyone! I'm really here to serve anyone who is going through things and wants some help. I'm a quality of life person and try to look for ways to improve it. I work with a lot of couples, as intimate relationships are extremely important. It's interesting and cool to me that improving a relationship with a loved one has a direct impact on improving health."
Read more at https://gosolo.subkit.com/persimmon-therapy/.