Practice Description
Most people know that psychotherapy provides emotional support. But most people can get emotional support from friends or family, so what makes psychotherapy different from that?
Psychotherapy offers a kind of emotional support that makes it possible to gradually see yourself truthfully, “warts and all.” Once you have a more realistic picture of your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll be better able to direct your energies toward meaningful change and self-development.
But psychotherapy should offer more than just emotional support. My training and experience allow me to detect patterns in how you respond to yourself and the world that get in the way of growth and enjoyment. When I notice these patterns, I’ll respectfully point them out to you, even if it’s painful or uncomfortable for you to hear. It’s often these painful truths that we are most blind to and which create the biggest barriers in our lives.
My clinical orientation is psychoanalytic. This modality looks to experiences and relationships in the formative years as having had enormous impact on any individual’s unique psychology. In session, I’ll listen to you with a trained ear, using intuition and emotional connection as well, in order to understand you in ways you probably haven’t considered before. I’ll describe to you as fully as I can how I see your past, and especially your defenses, limiting you in your present life.
For over 23 years, I’ve had extensive experience helping individuals who are depressed or anxious (with or without panic attacks). But I work with many other issues as well, including relationship challenges, grief, coping with chronic illness, career struggles, abuse suffered in childhood, autistic spectrum disorders, and more. I also work with couples and families.