ABOUT DR. DODINI

    Life is hard at times. Finding happiness often takes patience, persistence, and perspicacity. (I occasionally use fancy words that most people aren’t familiar with because that makes me sound more intelligent. Just kidding. A sense of humor also comes in handy.) My great-grandfather had of all those qualities and more.

    He was a cabinet-maker and dairy farmer in southern Switzerland. He worked hard to provide for his large family, building a sturdy home that still stands today. But after losing four of his children to bubonic plague in the 1880s, he realized that his beloved homeland might not be the key to happiness and prosperity for his children and grandchildren that it had been for the many generations of Dodinis that preceded him. So, he spent the next ten years making multiple trips across the Atlantic Ocean to bring his family—one by one—to Northern California and a new life. He dedicated his life to helping his family and others achieve something better. Maybe that’s where some of my personality traits come from.

    I grew up in a small farming community in Northern California and at the age of eleven, I felt drawn to the idea of becoming a priest. At the age of fourteen I entered the seminary. (I write about some of my experiences there in my book Shine Brighter: Choosing A Life of Greater, Clarity, Purpose, and Joy). At 18, my plans changed and I left the seminary and pursued a degree in psychology with a minor in music. Then my life took a very unexpected change of direction.

    I was invited to audition for an oldies rock and roll show band called The Bop-a-Dips that was comprised of other college students at the university I attended. I had played in bands throughout high school and college, but I was in the process of preparing applications to grad schools and had no intention of joining a 50s band, greasing back my hair, and going on the road fulltime doing vocal impersonations of old rock and roll stars. But I couldn’t get the idea out of my head and somehow felt compelled to say “yes.” With my grad school plans on hold, my family and I spent the next eight years touring in two different oldies show bands, playing a nerd character and experiencing a world very different from the one I grew up in. I performed in venues from biker bars to the biggest show lounges in Las Vegas. But in many ways, those years provided a wide range of experiences with people from very diverse backgrounds that really helped prepare me for my career as a therapist.

    I was able to resume my plans for grad school and went on to get a masters degree in clinical social work and a PhD in marriage and family therapy. I worked for eight years as the clinical director for a wilderness program for teens and young adults and have been in private practice for the last fifteen years as a therapist, life coach, and family life educator providing services to individuals, couples, families, and groups.