Psychoanalytic

The current versions of psychoanalytic therapy all examine how a person’s mind works and affects their view of themselves and the world they live in. One central focus is that unconscious factors affect current relationships and behaviors. Psychoanalysis changed since Freud founded it. I focus on how the ways trauma and attachment are central to understanding how the mind works and impacts current thinking, feeling, and behaving, as in my new book, Traumatic Experiences of Normal Development.

I approach therapy through a Contemporary Psychoanalytic Lens to understand what is being communicated through one's behaviors and understand how past experiences influence current relationships. As we form a relationship, I have found individuals develop stronger insight, aiding with a deeper understanding of self, and experiencing more lasting and sustainable relief.

I am trained in psychodynamic (also called psychoanalytic) approaches, which focus on deep listening to help you understand what is really going on behind your symptoms. Psychoanalytic therapy is one of the longest-enduring forms of therapy and its effectiveness has been empirically verified.

I completed a 5-year post-graduate program in psychoanalysis at Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis and awaiting licensure as a psychoanalyst.

Modern psychoanalysts recognize the individuality of each person. We aim to understand the unconscious forces that may interfere with living fulfilling lives. By creating a non-judgmental space, the analyst helps people talk about feelings, thoughts and fantasies they may not have known they had. By accepting all these thoughts and feelings as valuable information, the analyst helps people learn to tolerate painful feelings and accept the disturbing and sometimes intriguing parts of themselves.

I practice contemporary psychoanalytic therapy. This means I pay attention to how your past relationships affect the way you learn to regulate and manage emotions in your day-to-day life. Our brains are built through repeated interactions with our earliest relationships and environments, and can be changed through the experience of a new relationship: therapy. This means I consider our work in session as a chance to learn new ways of experiencing your emotions that lead to joy-filled life.

I have a strong theoretical foundation in Jungian psychology and I am pursuing training to become a full psychoanalyst.

I work psychoanalytically with patients in order to more deeply explore and understand their internal world. Together we can create language for hidden, blocked, 'unthinkable' thoughts; name and reflect on unconscious conflicts; work through dreams; and build resilience.

I have years of focused training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy through the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis.

Jungian Psychology is one of the few that include spirituality in therapy. We live our personal mythologies through collective myths, with symbols that are common across cultures. Jung called these Archetypes, i.e. The Healer, The Wise Woman, The Hero. Exploring our personal Shadow within our unconscious gives us information about our inner conflicts and how to integrate them into a new psychic wholeness. I have years of ongoing training in Jungian Analysis. Creatives Welcome!

In order to heal, you have to truly get to know yourself. Psychoanalytic therapy helps you understand yourself on a more intimate level. By exploring past experiences and relationships, in addition to what is going on for you in the here and now, we can gain greater access to all that is you. This kind of therapy expands your consciousness and opens up worlds of possibility. You will start to connect the dots between past and present, which can be both revelatory and liberating.

We approach therapy through a contemporary psychoanalytic lens to understand what is being communicated through one's behaviors and understand how past experiences are influencing current relationships. As we form our relationships we have found that individuals develop deeper insight, aiding with a deeper understanding of themselves, and experiencing more lasting and sustainable relief.

I have a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology, with many advanced trainings in Jungian Therapy, known also as Analytical Psychology or Depth Psychology. These include Certification in Jungian Studies, and ongoing Sandplay Training from the C. G. Jung Institute. I attend weekly educational seminars in psychoanalytic counseling with Jungian Analysts in the international and local communities.

I worked at Valley Community Counseling Clinic, which provided extensive clinical guidance in classical and contemporary psychoanalytic theory and therapy techniques. At the Los Angeles Institute and Society of Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS) I completed the Altered States of Body and Mind program, examining eating disorders, addictions and compulsions through a contemporary psychoanalytic lens.