Photography by Jesper von Wieding & Lasse Hieronymus / Design and webdevelopment by 
Photography by Jesper von Wieding & Lasse Hieronymus / Design and webdevelopment by
Psychotherapy is a powerful process used to address a number of mental health concerns and for promoting personal growth. Although the psychotherapist listens and responds to the patient about the patient's concerns and troubles, psychotherapy is not, as some believe, similar to talking to a friend. Psychotherapists are trained not just to listen, but to make sense of what they hear through the lenses of human development, theories about the structure and workings of the mind, psychopathology, and the origins of psychological problems. Thus, how a psychotherapist responds is the product of a complex set of ideas the psychotherapist forms about what the patient is saying. Sometimes these responses are primarily empathic, sometimes more practical, other times challenging, depending on what the therapist believes is needed in any given moment. Always, they should involve a benevolent and non-judgmental stance on the part of the psychotherapist. The psychotherapist has no personal stake in the patient's life other than an interest in giving help. This renders his or her listening and responding an objective quality that cannot be found even among the best friends and family members.
The feel and activity of psychotherapy may be different at different times during the treatment. For instance, I tend to be more active in speaking and intervening when a patient is in a time of crisis. In general, I leave a lot of space for the patient to hear his or her own thoughts and to communicate these in whatever ways feels comfortable. Nevertheless, I am hardly the stereotypical silent therapist. I understand that patients come to me for my expertise and I offer my thoughts, questions and interpretations whenever I think it will benefit a patient to hear them. I give recommendations and even advice when those seem pertinent and in the patient's interest. However, it is important that patients understand it is not my place to make decisions for them.
I specialize in psychotherapy with couples and have worked effectively with couples from diverse backgrounds and sexual orientations. My goal is to facilitate a safe atmosphere for both members in each couple and to help each member of the couple find more effective ways both to talk to and listen to one another. I bring to bear a broad range of study and teaching on couple dynamics, including theories of communication, systems, contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives and cognitive and personality styles. Couples work is pragmatic, tends to be more solution focused, and I am very hands-on when needed. A crucial aspect of couples work is to help each member feel equally valued and understood. It is important that couples feel I am not taking sides and am an advocate for each partner. While many couples present to me in crisis, a number of non acute issues can be usefully addressed in couples therapy, including:
Family therapy is a unique form of psychotherapy in which the family as a system is considered and treated. I work with both nuclear and extended families to facilitate better communication and to address dysfunctional patterns and relationships in the family. As in couples therapy, it is important that each member of a family feel I am an advocate for them and that my overall goal is promoting the health of the family as a unit, a task that involves attending to the well-being of every member. I work from family systems, cognitive and contemporary psychoanalytic points of view.
Psychoanalysis is a form of intensive psychotherapy – usually three or times a week and often utilizing the psychoanalytic couch - that I recommend only selectively. Although there are many uses for this intensive method, it is most commonly understood as helpful for people whose lives are mostly stable and who have demonstrated at least some capacity for succeeding in the realm of love and/or work. An adequate amount of mental health is required to sustain the rigors of psychoanalysis. For this reason, it is contraindicated for people who are in crisis or otherwise having trouble with basic functioning. It is most commonly understood as helpful:
Psychoanalysis is undertaken presuming that we are unaware of crucial factors inside ourselves that have a profound impact on our experiencing and behaving in the world. These can involve unconscious core beliefs about the self and others, as well as wishes and fantasies that are not conscious.
I work with psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers who are interested in sharpening their skill in psychodynamic listening and practice and to that end provide clinical consultation and supervision on both as needed and ongoing bases.
Although I strongly recommend in person treatment when possible, I sometimes do offer a "remote treatment" option to accomodate people who would otherwise be unable to attend treatments in person, either some or all of the time, because of their personal life situations (e.g., living far from available treatments, incapacity, frequent work travel, etc.) or as a way to sustain an ongoing treatment when a relocation has been necessary. It is always important to weigh the potential costs as well as the hoped for benefits when such treatment are considered. Monitoring the ongoing value of the treatment is especially necessary when undertaking remote treatments. In the absence of meeting in person each week, I try at least to structure such treatments so that they retain as many aspects as possible of the psychotherapeutic "frame" (e.g., same day and time each week, same duration, etc.).