I specialize in working with individual adults, particularly adults that struggle with severe and complex symptoms. In my experience I’ve come to find that our minds are quite complex, and that many of the things we do are often related to unconscious parts of ourselves. The way we may approach relationships, the way we think, and the way we feel emotions all relate to how we experienced life consciously and unconsciously from infancy onward.

I work from a frame of “here and now”, paying attention to what is happening in your present inner life. I listen and pay very close attention to what you are saying and not saying, to what you are feeling and not feeling. I will begin to notice patterns in cognition and emotions, patterns in relationships and symptoms, and together we will begin to construct a map of what is happening, and form a process of moving through. You may begin to notice different memories, thoughts, emotions, and dreams (both waking “day dreams” and sleeping dreams). Our work is to grow a faculty and experience in observing yourself, with curiosity and care for yourself over time.

This approach to treatment is called depth psychology or psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Depth psychology has longstanding evidence of being effective and having lasting, lifelong change. Because this approach to treatment is intensive, and seeks a more thorough understanding, it often requires meeting more frequently and often for longer periods of time.

It can be very hard to live with emotional pain and suffering. It is often through ways of coping with our emotional hurt that you can develop patterns of an endless cycle of being stuck. Depression, hopelessness, moments of anxiety and panic, compulsivity and addictions come out of our body’s and mind’s attempt at dealing with emotional pain, but then perpetuating also being stuck in it.  It is within our work of growing your capacity to be curious, and feel your emotions, that we can begin to find a way through suffering.

It is not uncommon to find in treatment that some symptoms worsen, that difficulties intensify, particularly in the beginning of treatment. This is a normal part of the process. This type of treatment takes time, and I would want to hear about what you feel is working/not working.  This type of treatment is also not for everyone. Within our first meeting we can discuss if this approach is a appropriate.

Often individuals come to treatment with an anticipation of learning tools or methods to make the symptoms go away.  The common method of treatment that addresses tools and coping mechanisms is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). There are times where I may utilize some of these therapies if it is indicated; however, within depth-oriented psychotherapy, the goal is often to not remove symptoms, but to move through them.