About Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can help you to feel freer, more in control of your life, and more fulfilled in relationships. People seek psychotherapy for many reasons: anxiety, depression, relationship problems or other distress. All these struggles involve a common story: we tend to be a certain way in the world because of feelings we have about ourselves and our relationships.
Psychotherapy provides a safe environment in which to explore these thoughts, feelings and expectations as they show themselves in your struggles in the world and in the therapy relationship. I provide a warm, nonjudgmental and professionally focused environment in which we sort through ways of being that cause suffering, so that you can experience the world differently and behave in different ways. People gain confidence, improve relationships and change repetitive patterns of behavior that cause pain.
Here are some questions that people often have about psychotherapy.
What is your approach?
As we talk about the distress that makes you seek psychotherapy, we identify themes, or repetitive, charged areas of struggle for you. My approach is psychodynamic, meaning I believe that we are only partly aware of fears or convictions we hold about our relationships and ourselves. These fears and expectations push us toward repetitive or self-destructive patterns of behavior, which may feel beyond our control.
Bringing these feelings about ourselves to the psychotherapy relationship and discussing them in a nonjudgmental and caring setting frees us to have different perspectives, to feel freer, more creative and less driven by anxieties.
How do I know if I need therapy?
Therapy is indicated when we feel “stuck,” unable to use our own resources, or the support and input of friends, to shift our perspective, feelings and behavior. Therapy offers skilled help to understand oneself in the context of a safe relationship, which can change repetitive patterns of feeling and coping, improving mood and self-image.
How can I get a sense of whether we would work well together?
I recommend scheduling an appointment to see how it feels to work together. It is important that one feels safe and also in the company of a skilled practitioner. I am glad to speak with you on the phone or through e-mail to answer any questions you have about my practice or way of working.
How can I expect to benefit from therapy?
- Get relief from painful emotional symptoms
- Stop self-destructive behaviors
- Feel understood as a unique individual
- Understand yourself
- Improve your personal relationships
- Become more productive at work
- Change lifelong ways of coping that just aren’t working
- Gain greater control over your life and take more pleasure from life
- Prevent the past from interfering in the present
- Unlock your creative potential
Please visit Specialization Page to learn more about my approach.