My Approach

I utilize techniques from both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic Theory. If we work together, your therapy will be directed at working out the unconscious conflicts that are preventing you from achieving your goals.  

A Little About

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Therapy is primarily the therapy of understanding cognitions, or thought patterns. In doing so we gain insight into how they impact your mood and behavior. We also evaluate how these thought patterns emanate from the core beliefs about the self (i.e. the “cognitive schemata”). We then go about correcting the distorted thought patterns. The idea being that when we change our thinking, we change our beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. In the process our mood becomes stabilized, the level we function at in relationships increases, and our ability to achieve goals improves.  

Behavioral Therapy is essentially what it sounds like. We set concrete behavioral goals for you to achieve between sessions. These agreements could be such things as:  submiting three resumes to potential employers, asking someone on a date, dealing with credit card debt, joining a gym, etc.  Whatever is in keeping with your therapeutic goals will be translated into a plan of action.  

This is a very simplistic “Readers Digest” version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. For a more in-depth understanding you may want to check out two books:

Felling Good, by David Burns.

OR:

How To Stubbornly Refuse To Make Yourself Miserable About Anything, Yes Anything, by Albert Ellis.

A Little About

Psychodynamic Work

Psychodynamic work has its foundation in the idea of working through transference and resistance within the therapeutic relationship.

A transference is what you carry over from your family of origin and project on to your adult life. For instance, if you are from a shaming or abusive family that did not allow you to express your anger, you may transfer that fear over to adult relationships and fear that you will be shamed or abused if you let people know when you are angry with them.  As a result, you may habitually repress your anger. 

This unconscious pattern of repressing your anger would be what we mean by having a resistance to the authentic self (you are literally resisting feeling your anger and hiding it from others).  This can result in poor boundaries in relationships and an ongoing feeling of depression.  It can also interfere with your ability to assert yourself and move toward your goals.

Working psychodynamically, I will provide you with a place to express your anger within a safe, supportive environment.  You will learn to use your anger to assert your needs and hold clear boundaries.  This liberation of the authentic self will improve your relationship skills, help to alleviate depression, and create greater movement toward goal fulfillment.