Psychological pain is not visible like a broken leg or a stroke but it should be taken no less seriously.  Often people don’t feel certain that they should seek help or others in their lives don’t understand why they can’t just “get over it”. In many cases the causes are from patterns of behavior that were learned early on under emotionally difficult, sometimes traumatic, circumstances, yet somehow seem to linger on causing serious misery in the present.

Trust can be very hard to feel and I don’t expect it to be there right away.  I understand that trust is earned. I also know that a secure relationship and a sense of a safe place are extremely important in order to tackle tough issues. I find it ironic that seeking therapy is seen as a weakness since I think it takes tremendous courage to face up to the thoughts and feelings that have been kept hidden or just avoided, often for many years.

-I work best with people who take their therapy very seriously.  I look for patients who are willing to take the emotional risks necessary to change and to be honest about their thoughts and feelings, in order to leave old patterns behind.

-While I am trained in various modalities, and influenced by psychoanalytic thinking, my usual approach is psychodynamic/relational.  My approach to therapy focuses on finding the repeating patterns of behavior that create difficulties in a person’s life. I also use mindfulness techniques to stay in the moment and keep aware of feelings.

-I look at relationships from the past, especially the family, current relationships and also the growing relationship between the patient and myself. I look for patterns across these different contexts.

-In psychotherapy it is critical to be honest, with both oneself and the other in order for real transformation to take place. I expect the same level of genuine commitment to being present and dealing with whatever feelings and issues come up from myself that I expect from my patients.