Therapy Approach

Part of being alive means having traits or qualities that make each of us unique. For some people, life seems easy, happiness and fulfillment come naturally, and there is not much friction along the way. For others, every day seems to bring new challenges, frustrations, disappointments, or hurts. It can be hard to find the hope, or to see a future that looks anything other than dark.

We all do things for reasons we do not quite understand. Maybe we gravitate to people who hurt us, make bad decisions, struggle to find motivation, or cannot connect the dots that make up a happy or fulfilling life.

As a licensed psychologist, my approach to therapy is "psychodynamic," oriented towards helping people understand the "whys" in how they live their lives. Why am I drawn to the wrong people? Why do I make bad decisions all the time? What motivates my thinking and behavior?

My work is not just about understanding the underlying issues, but in figuring out what to do about it. I work with people to learn how to make better choices, how to relate more effectively, and ultimately how to build a life worth living. I do this by focusing on aspects of our lives that tend to operate outside of our awareness including how our families of origin affect and influence our present-day selves, how our emotions and needs motivate us, and how we can build on our existing identities to live more authentic, fulfilling lives.

My training is in time-limited therapy (typically 15–20 sessions), and I tend to find that most people can make significant changes in this amount of time. I occasionally work with people longer-term if we agree that they continue to benefit from our work.