Conducting psychotherapy is one of the most rewarding aspects of my practice. The overall research or meta-studies (comparative studies of all the different studies) consistently demonstrates that properly conducted psychotherapy usually results in change, that is truly valued by clients. And today, therapy is frequently problem and time focused, versus the past model of years of self-absorbed “psychoanalysis.”

    Therapy can be a place to “reconceive” oneself, and the story of one’s life. And for many issues, therapy has been proven to be as effective as psychiatric medications––without the short and long term side effects. For other problems, research indicates that therapy, combined with medication, is the most effective treatment plan, compared to medication alone.

    As noted below, despite the modern “alphabet soup” of trendy “acronym therapies:” CBT, EFT, EMDR, DBT, etc., etc. etc., essentially therapy is also a creative and exploratory process.

    This webpage begins with a quote from Harold Bloom, about the importance of characters “re-conceiving themselves.” The poet, Yeats, wrote: “We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry.”

    From my other work in the legal field, as a forensic psychologist, I certainly understand that real tragedy, past abuse, traumas, violation, life stress, dysfunction and injustice can occur. And I work with some of these victims in my therapy practice. But even for them, ultimately, one must find a “center point,” a place of calm, peace and acceptance, to be and go out in the world, to love and engage others, without the self, or the past, getting in the way of present and future happiness and hope.

Costs and Reduced Fees for Therapy

    If a client is sincerely interested in therapy after a few initial intake sessions, and cannot afford therapy, I will often reduce my fees from the posted $200/hr rate on this website to keep consistency between hourly charges for therapy work and consultation work. If cost is an issue, please call to discuss rates and sliding fee adjustments.

If Therapy Has Not Helped or Worked Before

    If you have been to a past therapist, or therapists, and have not received the help or understanding you were seeking, you may be interested in the “Mental Health Blog” entry titled, “If Therapy Has Not Helped or Worked Before,” or select the link below:

*If Therapy Has Not Helped or Worked Before*

About Models of Therapy and Therapeutic Orientations

  Many therapists today feel they need to “sell” a specific kind of therapy that distinguishes them from other therapists, in an overcrowded therapy market with therapists of quite different levels of training and qualifications.

    Therapists may claim they use “psychodynamic,” “cognitive,” “cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT),” “imago,” “dialectical behavior therapy (DBT),” “mindfulness,” “EMDR” or “EFT” models of therapy. How much they actually practice such recognized models is another matter, and, often, “consumers” act as if they are getting some kind of “specialist,” analogous to a medical specialist, when, in fact, many therapists espouse such models after attending brief one, two, or three day continuing education workshops.

    One nationally acclaimed psychotherapist and expert in post-traumatic stress disorders sarcastically refers to the acronyms or initials for all these different therapies as “alphabet soup.” And, recently a new therapist and journalist, in a New York Times commentary, remarked on the “micro-marketing” trend of today’s therapists, describing themselves as specialists to targeted groups of consumers to build a practice. However, often, once a client “buys” a therapy, good therapies often look similar, and fail to offer the quick or focused “fix.”

    Most good therapies usually address “here and now” (behavioral) changes, correcting inaccurate assumptions or thinking about self and others (cognitive distortions), and exploring the root (psychodynamic) causes of problems.

    Regardless, the research literature indicates that therapist experience, sensitivity, empathy, skill, the quality of the therapeutic relationship, and the capacities and willingness of the client for change are far more important factors for therapeutic outcome than any claimed model of “evidence based” treatment. You may wish to select the link below to read an entry from the “Mental Health Blog” about the process of psychotherapy:

*About Models of Therapy and Therapeutic Orientations*

Thinking of Psychological Services in Stages & Affording Counseling

    The trend today is towards therapy being an implied agreement between therapist and client to address specific problems. If, after that period of time, new issues arise or are uncovered, there can be a new agreement about the purpose of counseling. To make therapy more intensive, books might be suggested and “homework” or journaling exercises assigned, so that the “work” of therapy can be accelerated and continue to take place outside of the therapy hours.

Women’s Issues

    While both women and men seek therapy, women seek therapy more often than men. There are probably several different psychological and sociological reasons for this. Partly, there is more cultural permission for women to feel vulnerable and to seek help at times of psychological distress.

    Another reason for this discrepancy is the percentage of women who have been the victim of some form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse during the course of their lives. My work as a psychotherapist, particularly with survivors of physical and sexual abuse, has emphasized the importance of considering women’s issues, before “labeling” depression, anger, anxiety, feelings of helplessness, or relationship problems as a “mental disorder” or “personality disorder.” For example, some trauma experts feel that women with post-traumatic stress disorders are too often mislabeled as “histrionic” or “borderline” or “bipolar” personalties. (Please see the webpage in the Navigation Menu titled, “Trauma, Abuse & Stalking.”)

    Women who feel emotionally or financially disempowered in relationships may also seek out therapy as a  psychological “room of their own,” a place to gain perspective on themselves and their situation. The phrase, “A Room of One’s Own,” is taken from an early feminist essay about identity and creativity, by the novelist and essayist, Virginia Woolf.  Her point was that for women to grow and create they need a literal and metaphorical “room of their own.” Often, for women, and men, therapy can serve as such a place to reconceive oneself and the purpose of one’s life.

Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapy

    If you are interested in more long term or intensive “deeper” psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapy, I enjoy this kind of work. Of course, these shouldn’t be “either/or” options: focusing on the “here and now” versus focusing on deeper issues. Sometimes the nature of the psychotherapy will unfold: perhaps a person may seek counseling for a specific problem, symptom or crisis, but then feel therapy is beneficial enough to explore issues in more depth.