Traditional Psychotherapy

Traditional Psychotherapy In Denver, CO

The psychodynamic approach to therapy places a strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship. I strive to earn each person’s trust and develop a rapport so that deep inquiry into problems and conflicts can be tolerated. In successful therapy, each person feels clearly seen and well understood. Many people find this experience to be therapeutic in itself.

When I provide psychotherapy in Denver, CO, my attention is generally focused on three overlapping areas of a person’s life, and key questions are explored in each area:

1.) Relationships. How satisfying are key relationships? How could they be more satisfying? Each person’s relationship history is important. Trauma, separation, and losses are explored, but attachments that have been stable and positive are equally important.

2.) Anxiety and emotional experience. What is the overall level of anxiety (we all have some), and what are the sources? How is it managed? How much access does each person have to the full range of emotional experience? If certain emotions are blocked, how are they blocked?

3.) Sense of self. How stable and cohesive is each person’s sense of self? How do they restore a healthy sense of self when it is weak or injured (it happens to all of us)?

As we explore these issues together, new insights develop and are consolidated. As therapy progresses, relationships tend to improve, anxiety is managed more skillfully, emotional range expands and becomes more subtle, and one’s sense of self becomes stronger, more cohesive, and more resilient. These changes can be subtle or profound, depending on the length and depth of therapy.

Some people choose to end therapy when their presenting problems have been worked through. Many others, however, want to continue their growth through contemplative psychotherapy, as described below.