My Approach

If you are new to therapy, you may have doubt or skepticism about how talking with someone can help, especially if some of your concerns are long-standing and unyielding. Depthful therapy, however, is much more than talking. A healing relationship allows your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to be heard, respected, and explored. It also provides a respite for self-reflection and exploration in ways you may not have ever experienced. In my experience, although alleviating symptoms found in the DSM (our diagnostic manual) may be a very important initial goal, it moves far down the list of what patients want out of psychotherapy and on which experienced therapists focus.

So what really is psychotherapy and how does it work? There are many different perspectives and theories about what psychotherapy is and how it works. Therapists spend their entire careers wondering and playing with different approaches in an attempt to find a satisfying answer. If you engage with social media, you may have noticed how common it is for therapists get in unhelpful arguments over theoretical approaches, vehicles of change, and what approach is the most effective. My perspective is this: the therapeutic approach depends on the patient and the needs of the patient.

Psychotherapy is a collaborative and interpersonal endeavor that will likely evoke familiar problematic relationship patterns that can be worked through with the therapist in a supportive, contained space. Although this can be strange and uncomfortable at first, the therapy relationship is much different than one you might have with a friend or colleague; grounded in dialogue and respect, the therapeutic relationship provides an opportunity to talk and express yourself openly without censuring your thoughts with a therapist who is able to truly listen, and who has a curious, non-judgemental stance.