My Approach to Psychotherapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
My approach to counseling and psychotherapy is a type of talk therapy that focuses on understanding yourself more deeply.
We’ll look at how your past experiences, early relationships, and unspoken feelings might shape your current emotions, behaviors, and relationships.
It’s not just about solving problems right away — it’s about becoming more aware of what’s going on inside you. That awareness can help you make healthier choices, improve relationships, and feel more in control of your life.
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The sessions are usually open-ended, meaning you can talk freely about whatever comes to mind — your thoughts, dreams, or memories. Together, we explore patterns and themes that might repeat in your life.
Key Features of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy:
1. Focus on the Unconscious
Psychodynamic therapy works from the idea that some psychological struggles come from thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness. The therapy brings these into awareness so they can be understood and worked through.
2. Importance of Early Relationships
Experiences in childhood—especially with caregivers—are believed to create internal templates for how we relate to others. These patterns often repeat in adult life.
3. Exploring Relationship Patterns
A central goal is to identify recurring interpersonal dynamics (e.g., fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting, self-criticism) and understand how they developed.
4. The Therapeutic Relationship
How the patient and therapist relate often reflects the patient’s broader relational patterns. This “here and now” interaction becomes material for exploration.
5. Emotional Insight and Integration
Rather than just giving advice or teaching skills, psychodynamic therapy aims to help a person understand why they feel and behave a certain way, leading to deeper and lasting change.
6. Present-Focused but Past-Informed
While rooted in exploring the past, modern psychodynamic therapy also heavily focuses on present functioning and current relationships.
7. Typical Goals
- Increase self-understanding
- Reduce internal conflict
- Improve emotional regulation
- Enhance relationship functioning