We primarily use a psychodynamic lens to understand and work with our clients through the psychological, emotional, and relational challenges they bring to therapy. Connected to the long tradition of psychoanalysis, psychodynamic perspectives are both a way to do therapy and a way to understand human nature and its relationship with our developmental, family, social, and historical context.

What does this mean?

At its core, this means that we believe that the experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that bring people to therapy have meaning. They are not “wrong” or “irrational,” but part of what makes us human, They can be meaningful vestiges from our past or valid attempts to cope with realities that are difficult to handle. This meaning is oftentimes unconscious, kept out of our awareness for different reasons. It can be rooted in old and deep traumas, internal conflicts, overwhelming losses, or unbearable wishes.

Psychodynamic therapy pays close attention to our earlier attachments and relationships. The importance of these experiences cannot be overstated in the development of who we become. Did we feel the world around us was secure, attuned, and responsive to our needs? What did we learn about what it took for our needs to be met, for us to feel we were heard and seen? These experiences impact the way our personality is organized, how we relate to others, and how we feel about ourselves. This, in turn, will impact how we deal with life challenges in the present.

Gaining awareness and insight are central parts of the process of psychodynamic therapy, but this approach is not focused on intellectual understanding. The complexity of our feelings and emotions, and the ability to experience them in the work with your therapist, is also a crucial component. We believe it is also very important to understand our experiences in the context beyond our immediate family, including other relationships, our family history, our community, and our culture.

How does this work?

Therapy is a process of growing our awareness, understanding, and acceptance of meaning; of recognizing, as if with new eyes, what we thought we knew; of being able to think about what felt unthinkable; of making sense of our present in light of our past, so that we can live a future that feels more authentic and fulfilling. Therapy is not only about getting intellectual understanding or learning tools or skills but about processing emotions and feelings that have not found ways to be expressed. Therapy is, above all, an experience.

Because our shared humanity is front and center, psychodynamic therapy does not rely on predefined protocols, manuals, or scripts. The focus is not on a “condition” or “diagnosis,” but on you as a whole, unique, and complex human being. Our approach is not guided by defining “what you have,” but by understanding who you are and how you came to be.

Each treatment is different because each person is different. Therapy is a space where uncomfortable feelings can be shared, where all parts of you are welcomed. For this to happen, you and your therapist will create an environment that is non-judgmental, empathic, consistent, and safe.