Psychodynamic Therapy

I was trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the University of Chicago. Psychodynamic therapy, combined with other approaches, such as energy therapy techniques can be very effective in treating a number of conditions. That said, I don't get stuck on one or two approaches. That would be like a medical doctor who only prescibes penicillin. A good therapist needs a lot of tools in his or her toolbox.

I believe that our past experiences, particularly early relationships, significantly impact our current emotional well-being and behavior. Through a collaborative exploration of your history and relationships, we can uncover patterns and themes that may be influencing your present.

Our past experiences shape how we think, feel, and relate to others. Through a psychodynamic approach, we explore unconscious patterns, childhood influences, and relational dynamics that impact your present life. By bringing awareness to these deeper layers, therapy creates space for healing, self-understanding, and lasting change.

I practice Psychodynamic Therapy to help clients understand and resolve unconscious conflicts, patterns, and emotions that influence their current thoughts and behaviors. The approach is rooted in psychoanalytic theory and emphasizes self-awareness, emotional insight, and the exploration of relationships. We explore the unconscious, learn to understand past experiences, identify patterns, examine defense mechanisms, explore attachments, learn emotional expressions and address the present.

Humans are amazing! How we make meaning of the world grows out of our core beliefs. Our core beliefs are everything we are told and experience, directly or indirectly, starting from the earliest point possible including our attachment stance.

Psychodynamic therapy delves into how past experiences influence current behaviors and emotions. I facilitate a reflective space for clients to explore unconscious patterns and unresolved conflicts, fostering deeper self-awareness. This insight-oriented therapy encourages personal growth by uncovering and addressing the roots of emotional distress, helping clients achieve a more integrated and fulfilling life

While exploring current stressors and worries, I will invite you to go deeper and seek to better understand how past experiences are shaping current concerns, explore patterns that keep repeating, and work to better understand your own inner experiences and how they are continuing to shape your experience within the world. By better understanding our roles within our life, many people start to feel less stuck, and more in control.

Music psychotherapy utilizes concepts from Jungian theory as well as attachment and client centered approaches. What is underneath your behavior patterns? What keep cropping up despite your very smart intellectual understanding of your past? "We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." Carl Jung

I use pieces from contextual behavioral therapy as skills help for you with how I practice psychodynamic therapy. I also use a feminist relational lens in how I work with you.

As I work with individuals experiencing, self-esteem issues, anxiety, depression, or trauma I use my expertise in psychodynamic therapy and focus on processing feelings and emotions. The therapeutic relationship can be an adventure of self-reflection and arduous challenges, helping uncover beliefs in order to gain insight into their current self.

Have you ever wondered if your childhood experiences shaped your current thoughts and feelings? Psychodynamic therapy may be the right fit for you if you are curious about who you are. Psychodynamic treatment can be completed within 15 sessions or less and is comparable to CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). This treatment modality allows clients to be past, present and forward in their thinking to resolve childhood traumas.

There is no resolution without understanding the "why" below the surface. This approach is part of a combination of therapeutic interventions that ensure that we examine the root of your systems to make a path forward. Our therapy sessions together will unearth and discuss deep seeded issues that may plague you daily. We can make a plan for improvement together and learn better techniques and ways of coping. Struggling for a long time doesn't mean that you can't find a way forward.

Psychodynamic therapy is like taking a deep dive into your life story, exploring the hidden chapters, and unraveling the mysteries of your thoughts and feelings. It's a bit like exploring a treasure trove of memories, emotions, and experiences to understand how they shape who you are today. Together, we'll uncover the threads connecting your past to your present, shedding light on unconscious motivations and creating a deeper understanding of yourself.

My primary orientation and lens through which I conceptualize cases is psychodynamic. I took advanced Object Relations courses in my Master's program, was a teacher's assistant to guide beginning students learning psychodynamic skills, and have participated in a weekly psychodynamic consultation group since 2017. I utilized psychodynamic approaches with success throughout my training. I have done extensive reading on the power of psychodynamic work.

In my psychodynamic approach to therapy, I help you explore and understand the deeper patterns and past experiences that shape your thoughts, emotions and relationships. Through insight and self-awareness, we work together to uncover and heal the root causes of your struggles, fostering lasting emotional growth.

Goals in psychodynamic therapy include acknowledgment of emotions, identifying patterns, improving interpersonal relationships, and recognizing/addressing avoidance. My goal in using this modality is for people to be able to gain insight into their current daily lives through self-reflection of their past.