Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is an effective treatment for depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, low self-esteem, and interpersonal difficulties. 

This type of therapy helps you to better understand patterns that play out in your life. You will learn more about how your mind works, internal conflicts you wrestle with, defense mechanisms you use, and other things outside your awareness. By learning more about yourself and your struggles, you become better equipped to make changes in your life, to solve your problems, and to break out of self-defeating patterns you find yourself stuck in.

Think of treatment goals as the functional, tangible changes you want to make in your life. They could be personal, interpersonal, or professional. Examples include: I want to make friends and go out more; I want to stop having so many fights with my partner; I want to speak up and be more assertive with my boss; I want to be more confident in public; I want to go back to school and finish my degree. 

Goals are important. They ground therapy in reality. Without them, therapy can become an intellectual exercise, disconnected from real life. 

We will meet once or twice per week, depending on your goals and the nature of your struggles. 

Psychodynamic therapy requires consistent meetings. If you are unable to commit to weekly attendance, I recommend considering less intensive treatment options.

It depends. Short term therapy is generally 4 to 6 months. This is an option for people with circumscribed problems. Longstanding problems generally require a longer term therapy. Psychodynamic therapy for personality disorder, for example, can be 2 or more years in length.