My approach

There are many approaches to emotional healing, but much research indicates that the patient-therapist relationship is a crucial factor. I see the beginning of therapy as creating that relationship, building trust and an opportunity for us to get to know each other, so that we can work together to find the obstacles to the life you desire. We often find patterns in the way we function that have not produced the results we wanted. To understand our patterns, it is important to discover the thoughts, feelings and assumptions we carry with us that have led to the behaviors and choices that have not served us well.

 

My approach to psychotherapy is based on a psychoanalytic understanding of human behavior. I believe our earliest relationships, in our formative years, shape the way we experience the world, as well as our beliefs and feelings about ourselves and others. We carry that into our adult lives, often unconsciously, and it drives our behavior and the choices we make. When we can see how our present experiences hook into past ones, we can unhook them and make better choices based on current reality, not the past. My focus is on the present, but I use the past that lives inside you to free you from its influence.

I work in the strictest confidentiality, which is why I do not use e-mail. My approach is individual and I use what fits each person at any given time. I weave in other theories and disciplines such as attachment theory, cognitive behavioral techniques, family therapy, relational theories and current brain research and its implications for clinicians.