My approach is informed primarily by psychodynamic principles. The emphasis is on creating a safe, supportive environment in which to explore and develop insights into underlying feelings and thoughts. Together we will uncover deeply held assumptions that, although may have been useful at one time, today reinforce ways of coping in the world that are no longer effective or relevant. Through guidance in therapy, a person learns that there are a range of options for solving problems that previously were unknown, felt out of reach, or were avoided due to an internal conflict.

Over time, old patterns of thinking and behavior become more easily recognizable, the consequences of those patterns well known, the meanings of the repetitions understood, the anxieties about change managed, and the exciting new possibilities of being in the world are played with, practiced, and lived. Ultimately, the primary goal of therapy is to develop the courage to function more independently and confidently in all aspects of life.

There is an unfortunate misconception about therapy that it is forever “dredging up” old history and miring in the past, rather than focusing on moving forward with one’s life. In reality, effective therapy does just the opposite. Therapy liberates one from the past. It releases one from a history of reflexively responding to echoes from one’s past as though they were still present. It allows one to develop what the psychoanalyst, Melanie Klein, calls, “a mind of one’s own.”
 

C.V.
✦ Lehigh University – B.A.
✦ Columbia University – M.S.S.W