Sociocultural consultations ideally integrate anthropology and psychoanalysis:

         Anthropology as the study of people in their environment (including historical, socio economic, and cultural components), interacting with one another, and acting as part of a context while contributing to the making of that context.

       Psychoanalysis as a process which goes beyond manifest content to elicit the psychological forces at work in individuals and groups which shape their emotions, choices, and actions.

       I worked on a variety of projects requiring the analysis of practices, ideas, and feelings in order to improve the working of organizations in which they were embedded.  I analyzed client satisfaction for an organization that provided homes to formerly homeless people who were at rish of returning to homelessness.  I helped a mental health organization understand and address frictions between its administration and clinicians, and provided solutions to problems in the work environment and in the delivery of services to the clients.

       My research as a PhD candidate in socio-cultural anthropology focused on a fish market in Sardinia, Italy.  I studied the behaviors of differently empowered people--men and women, bosses and workers, fishermen, fish retailers, and wholesalers--as they interacted with one another in struggles to attain reputation, power, and economic gain.  I analyzed communicative practices among members of the group, including tricks, jokes, and thievery, and explored how these practices defined a sense of masculinity and power among them.

       I work alone or in consultation with colleagues to help organizations and family businesses address problems and improve performance.