I am a licensed psychologist and dating coach. I have done inpatient treatment, private practice, dealt with clients experiencing anxiety and depression. Now my niche is helping people find their mate. I help them identify the destructive patterns and blocks to happiness in their lives and eliminate those patterns and blocks, and I help them understand themselves better, so they can find a partner who is consistent with their life view. I have written a book, Dating from the Inside Out: How to Use the Laws of Attraction in Matters of the Heart.

EDUCATION | MA and PsyDoctorate in Clinical Psychology; Institute of Professional and Empowerment Coaching

HOW TO GET STARTED | If you're going to specialize, get training in that field, go to workshops, get experience. I've thought about offering classes to train others to do what I do.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Compassion. Be passionate about what you do. Integrity, clients can trust you. A strong belief in the good in people, in their potential and a desire to nurture that. Knowledge and insight into people's patterns.

how I got started | Lots of different factors happened at once. I had attracted alot of clients with dating issues, clients who'd say, I'm so depressed, all my friends are getting marrried and I keep dating the same guy over and over. These were women with good careers, women who came from great families, but they somehow had a relationship blueprint where they kept picking the same wrong person over and over. I realized they had to do some inner work in order to discover why they kept repeating this pattern. Also, I was just getting into dating myself: previously, my relationships had been with people I'd known from school, and all of a sudden I was, for the first time, dating people I hadn't known forever. Right around that time, The Rules came out- it was a book about dating that said, basically, women needed to play games and be manipulative in order to get a guy. I began writing my book as a reaction to all the things that were out there at the time. My philosophy is that people need to be authentic and know what they want. Well, sometimes when things are right, doors just open. I called the publisher of a magazine and asked if I could write a column, and he said yes. I started teaching a class on dating, and put the exercises I was utilizing for the class into a workbook, and sent the book to four publishers. One was the publisher of the bestselling book, The Secret. She liked what she saw, and I signed a contract with her. And, I got married.

why this job?| I always knew I was going to be a psychologist- people always came to me with their problems. My goal is to help people love more and learn more from their relationships. People want good jobs, financial success, to lose weight- but what they want most is love in their lives. I want to help them find it.

why I love this job!| I love helping people learn to accept and love themselves, and to find a partner who accepts and loves him or herself, also. I love helping people discover that dating doesn't have to be a miserable process, it can be a transformative process whether or not you get married: you can learn about yourself and the other person, and enjoy that.

my typical day| My schedule has changed since I had my baby. Now, I go into the city and meet with clients two days a week, and I work from home: I spend one evening a week on phone sessions, coaching my clients, and I write three columns.

what they are | Helping people appreciate what they do have. Sticking with them when they are struggling, and "holding the space" for them: being present, supportive and accepting of them, where they are right now.

all about growth | I like working one-on-one with clients, but I'm discovering if you want to have a wider impact, the way to do it is to write a book, speak out, write columns: pick a niche and focus on that.

my website| www.mydatingschool.com