roomINDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY 

The benefits of therapy can be vast; so too, are the reasons why people seek help from a psychotherapist.

Your reasons may include that of a crisis, a challenging life transition, a troubling symptom, a relationship problem, addiction, a search for meaning, or the sense that you are not fully living the life you’ve been given.  Whatever your reasons may be, your searching may suggest a few important things about you: you are taking initiative, you have some measure of hope, and you are open to imagining new possibilities for yourself.  These characteristics, along with the help of a skilled and compassionate guide, can help to produce a positive outcome.

Therapist as skilled and caring collaborator vs. problem-solving guru

Through the integration of science and art, effective therapy can be experienced as a healing relationship, occurring within a sacred space, that supports the conditions for growth.  The therapeutic process can be compared to that of a seed planted in a garden.  An interaction between the seed and its environment takes place, roots connect with their source, and a shoot begins to surface.  Together, the client and the therapist tend to the growth by removing the weeds, pruning, and allowing for breathing space.  In addition to using treatment methods that are widely supported, my approach places an emphasis on the therapeutic relationship and how it can serve to facilitate growth.

What benefits might you expect should you decide to engage in psychotherapy?

The presence of suffering and the desire to lessen it is a common hope amongst those seeking help.  While there are many worthwhile therapies available to you, I work from a contemporary psychodynamic perspective that places an emphasis on your inner world (the conscious and unconscious parts of you), your feelings, and your patterns of relating to yourself and others.  I will work with you to support change and growth that seeks to move beyond superficial quick fixes.  The benefits of this approach can include the following:

  • The ability to enjoy authentic intimate relationships
  • The capacity to feel generative and to experience meaning in one’s work
  • The ability to play
  • A sense of agency and the ability to take initiative
  • The capacity to tolerate and work through suffering
  • A clear sense of identity
  • Resilience, adaptability, and flexible ways of coping
  • Realistic self-esteem
  • The capacity to feel your emotions and regulate them
  • The ability to use insight with yourself and others

This list seeks to define the elements of mental health and was generated by Dr. Nancy McWilliams, Psychotherapist and Professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey.  It provides a good summary of my views and what I seek to facilitate in the lives of my clients along with the goals they bring to treatment.