Treatment Philosophy

Life is challenging and requires us to continually come to terms with our physical being, our being with others, our being with ourselves, and our struggle to develop a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Evolving a fulfilled life in the realms of love, work, and creativity is an on-going process of making the best of the changes around us and within us.

Having been involved over the years with the humanistic movement, gestalt therapy, encounter groups, week-end intensive workshops, cognitive therapy, and other approaches, my experience has led me to the conviction that the psychoanalytic process offers the most profound opportunity for enduring personal growth and development.

The goal of the therapy I offer is not only to address immediate symptoms, problems, and crises, but also to foster positive growth of the emotional capacities which make possible a satisfying life. These include the capacity to create more fulfilling relationships, discover more creative and effective use of one�s talents, maintain a stable, realistically based sense of self esteem, tolerate a wider range of emotions, have more satisfying sexual experiences, and generally to understand oneself and others in more emotionally nuanced and useful ways. Taken together, these capacities enable one to become �more comfortable in one�s skin�, and to be better prepared to face life�s challenges with greater freedom and flexibility.

In my experience, this sort of on-going personal growth and gradual transformation is best achieved through a process of self-reflection, self-exploration, and self-discovery that takes place in the context of a safe, honest, and authentic relationship between therapist and patient in therapy.