Being carefully and thoughtfully listened to opens up new ways of approaching problems. People often consult with me about long-standing difficulties in relationships or work situations, or else they present symptoms, including anxiety and depression, related to physical illness, work stress, or childhood abuse. They may have already identified “the problem”—either on their own or in previous therapy—but have not been able to successfully make lasting changes in their thoughts, feelings and behavior.
My areas of expertise include:
- Relationship and intimacy problems
- Dissatisfaction with career/work
- Life transitions and decision making
- Loss and mourning
- Chronic anxiety and stress
- Social isolation and poor self-esteem
- Coping with serious illness
- Overcoming the effects of abuse and trauma
After contacting me for an appointment, we will meet for an initial evaluation period of one or more sessions. During this time, I will ask questions about your current situation as well as about pertinent past history to help me form an opinion as to whether my experience and training will fit your particular needs.
How frequently we meet will depend on a variety of factors. In my clinical experience, meeting at least once per week is necessary to facilitate working on a deep enough level to support change. I frequently meet with people two or three times per week and find that meeting more frequently significantly deepens the work.
Effective treatment requires collaboration between patient and therapist. For you, it means a commitment to invest time, money, and effort in working towards growth and change and, for me, it means listening carefully to what you bring to sessions so that the two of us can make sense of, and help free you from, entrenched, dysfunctional patterns.
To learn about some of the benefits of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, refer to the following articles, The Efficacy of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy by Jonathan Shedler, PhD in the American Psychologist, Feb/Mar 2010 and The Merits of Psychodynamic Therapy", from the September 2010 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter.
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is the most intensive form of talk therapy and is particularly appropriate for those with longstanding difficulties that have not been remedied by less intensive treatments. A stable, durable analytic relationship typically lasts a number of years and involves 4 or 5 meetings a week.
The rhythm of regular analytic sessions creates a unique setting within which unconscious patterns can be brought into awareness and worked on with a view to change. Because the relationship with the analyst is also influenced by unconscious ways of behaving, it becomes a central area of study, enabling light to be thrown on patterns of relationship within the immediacy of the analytic sessions.
The work of psychoanalysis is long and arduous for both patient and analyst. When successful, however, psychoanalysis can be a unique and transformative experience, the results of which can last well beyond the conclusion of treatment.
Clinical Consultation & Supervision
Deepening one’s own work depends on having access to the mind of another. I offer clinical consultation and supervision for therapists interested in deepening their work with patients and clients through the lens of contemporary British Object Relations theory. Having gone through additional training I am also an approved supervisor for clinical social workers seeking licensure in Washington State.
Fees
My services are covered by many insurance plans including Premera Blue Cross, Regence Blue Shield, Uniform Medical and First Choice Health Network. In addition, I am sometimes able to offer a sliding scale.
Population
I work with adults, older adolescents and couples.