Thinking of the Unconscious as “Mental Maps”
Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes even when we consciously want to change?
If you’ve tried therapy before but felt it only skimmed the surface, you’re not alone. I work with people ready to go deeper, understand the patterns keeping them stuck, and do the kind of lasting work surface-level approaches simply cannot reach.
I’m a clinical psychologist and trained psychoanalyst who believes that good therapy is about going deeper. The kind of change that matters most doesn’t come from focusing on symptoms — it comes from being deeply understood.
I practice insight-oriented, psychodynamic therapy. While some approaches focus only on temporary relief, psychodynamic therapy asks a deeper question: why are you suffering in the first place?
Instead of skills, techniques, or exercises addressing only what’s on top, we look beneath the surface to uncover what’s down below: painful emotions we avoid, ingrained patterns we repeat, and self-protective mechanisms holding us back and keeping us stuck. By understanding the root cause of your struggles, we address matters at the heart of the problem — leading to deep, transformative change.
The reason you’re in pain relates to things outside your awareness. They’re the things you hide even from yourself. And together, we’ll help you find them.
Getting better means coming to terms with the things you’ve been avoiding and learning to face things head on. While embracing what’s found within can be painful, it’s essential to lasting growth. Most importantly, you won’t be doing it alone – we’ll figure it out together along the way.
By dealing with problems honestly and openly, opportunities emerge, and life opens up. No longer restricted by what held you back – you’re more free to pursue all that life has to offer. You’re more open to embody all of who you are.
Individual therapy is the deep, relational work at the heart of my practice – a dedicated hour reserved only for you. Together, we explore not only what’s happening in your life, but the unseen patterns operating underneath – the things beyond our awareness that keep us stuck. As these patterns come into view, new possibilities begin to emerge. Things begin to shift. And the possibility for lasting change begins to open up.
Relationships can bring out our very best. They can also trigger our deepest struggles. When relationship problems emerge, couples need more than better communication. The conflicts unique to each partner alone often intersect and shape the couple as a whole. Psychodynamic couples therapy offers a different approach by diving more deeply into these patterns. The process of discovering “why” together in treatment explicitly builds understanding between partners in opposition. Silently – it’s also what builds the bridge for coming back together.
Psychoanalysis is the most intense and ambitious kind of treatment I offer. It’s for people who want to understand themselves more fully and are prepared to invest deeply in themselves. Patients attend sessions 3-4 times per week and often lie down on the couch. The reclined position and greater frequency promotes deeper emotional states and greater self-reflection than traditional weekly therapy. It’s often sought by therapists, creatives, and intellectuals who seek the highest level of self-understanding.
Ongoing consultation is foundational to both improving your work and enhancing your career as a clinician. I offer supervision and consultation for clinicians wanting to improve their capacity to work with patients at a deeper level, address impasses and other clinical difficulties, and expand their scope of practice.
Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes even when we consciously want to change?
Asking about a therapist’s specialty misses what really predicts good treatment outcomes.
Even simple client questions in therapy often carry unconscious meanings worth exploring first.
Our earliest bonds with caregivers quietly shape how we handle relationships as adults.