What is therapy like?
A therapy session is a relaxed conversation, in my office or over the phone. As you tell me about yourself and your current concerns, I listen and ask questions. Together, we reflect and create new understandings about what’s going on in your life or, for couples, in your relationship.
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Why therapy?
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Therapy is seldom something anyone plans to do, but sometimes life presents challenges, sudden or cumulative. Relationships become strained. Coping strategies may stop working or become problematic, leading to a search for relief, understanding, or deeper meaning. Therapy offers an opportunity to go beyond coping to meaningful engagement with yourself, with your relationships, and with what matters most to you. My goal as a psychotherapist is to help you develop more ease with yourself and others so that you can access your potential and pursue your goals.
Relational Psychotherapy
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I have extensive training in relational psychotherapy, a form of psychodynamic talk therapy, which is based on the idea that development and change occur as people feel understood and accepted within the context of attuned relationships.
Therapy is a place to talk about issues that may be difficult to discuss with your partner or with friends and family (and about why this might be so). In therapy, we explore the experience and relational roots of your strengths and challenges and reflect on the process of making sense together of your experience. The therapeutic dialogue helps you to gain new perspectives on current issues and to explore your options as you move forward. The process is carefully individualized for each client or couple, based on my professional training and many years of experience.
Couple therapy
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In my work with couples, I listen for disconnections in the couple’s dialogue and help partners to listen and respond in emotional attunement as they work to build mutual understanding and trust to strengthen their relationship.
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Exploring difficult feelings to feel better
Sometimes people worry that therapy will cause them to feel angry and blame other people for their problems. Although exploring anger and problems in relationships may be part of your therapy process, the emphasis is on developing understanding and compassion for yourself as we talk about your experiences. Many people find that this process helps them to feel more emotionally flexible, closer to others, and less constrained by old feelings and difficulties.