My Approach to Helping
What does it feel like to be in therapy with me?
Psychodynamic therapy, or object relations therapy, identifies dysfunctional patterns and the context and reason for these patterns. This form of therapy assumes that we think and feel on both conscious and non-conscious levels. Some levels of thinking are closer to the unconscious, occurring at primary levels of experience.
As your therapist, I am part mirror and part observer. Gradually, you and I begin to see the patterns of thinking, feeling, and action taking place automatically and unconsciously. These complex behavior patterns are made up of many threads of experience, and like knots, are often tied up, bound and inflexible.
More Info About My Practice
My clients set the agenda for their therapy sessions. speaking freely, I listen, following the pattern of my client's thoughts and feelings.
Like unraveling a knot, the therapy process loosens knotted, painful memories and experiences. The strands of the knot are slowly softened and warmed in order to ease up the binding action of the knot. Each strand is followed along to see where it goes and where it started. Unraveling the knot is a slow process at first. It is hard to know where to start, and which threads bind the most, but as the tensions start to ease, other threads start to loosen.
My Therapy Focus
This is in-depth therapy: it is complex and elegant and takes time and dedication to master, and not every therapist is trained to do this. I have been learning and now teaching this method for 20 years. It's not for every client. The clients who want this are those who want to make real change and need a therapist with empathy and expertise. That is what I bring to the work, to collaborate with my clients who are poised to accept and finally understand themselves.
The Duration and Frequency of Therapy
How do I know when I've had enough therapy?
Setting goals is an important part of therapy. Sometimes people ask: have I made progress? Am I reaching my goals? Another important question is: Do I want more? Am I getting enough? Can I feel comfortable talking about whatever comes to my mind and thinking my thoughts, and feeling my feelings?
