As a younger man, Ian loved working on his high school newspaper, studying Greek philosophy and leading hikes for his graduate school hiking club. He has always relished wide-ranging conversations with thoughtful, curious types – and what better backdrop for that than a ramble between the trees?
These days Ian works as a psychiatrist in private practice, with a focus on psychotherapy and behavioral treatments. While men’s work and therapy are different, there is overlap. He finds that the skills he is honing in his profession and in peer-based men’s work, inform and enrich one another.
Ian first became open to men’s work through a friendship with a longstanding member of another men’s group. Those early conversations with that man felt more stressful and difficult than useful, but, over time, he came to believe that it’s possible to develop a habit of speaking more directly with others, even about some of the most difficult things. Ian now believes that speaking the truth with kindness can be one of the greatest ways to show respect for another person.
Ian grew up in New York State and then alternated between the Boston area and New York City for nearly 2 decades, while earning his PhD and MD. He has been published as a freelance author with a recent focus in his writing on science and medicine.