About Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
The Psychotherapy relationship provides a learning forum that can shed light on how and why we get stuck in relating and behaving in unhelpful ways. The therapy helps to integrate new understandings and experiences about our-selves and our relationships with others- enhancing opportunities for lasting positive changes. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy occurs over varying amounts of time (brief through to longer term), depending upon the nature of the presenting needs.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is an in-depth form of talk therapy that brings into awareness unconscious processes. Feeling a better self-understanding leads to improved mental and relationship well-being. It is based on the idea that past experiences, particularly in childhood and adolescence, can significantly influence current emotions, relationships, and behaviors.
As a Psychodynamic trained Psychotherapist - I work with clients in the therapy relationship to bring unconscious motivations into conscious awareness. Free association, curiosity, noticing patterns of behavior and the triggers to these and addressing emotional needs previously unrecognized or insufficiently responded to are key skills in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. This process helps clients gain insight into their patterns of how they relate to them self and others and better resolve underlying issues.
I have undertaken Postgraduate training and been professionally supervised as an Adult Psychotherapist. I draw on a range of relational Psychodynamic approaches in my work with clients. These include the Conversational Model, Self - Psychology, Intersubjective Systems theory, and Developmental Attachment theory.
These theories recognize that we do not arrive in our adult relationships from a vacuum. They make room to acknowledge that some of our emotional disruptions, relationship templates, and coping and capacities for self -care – are sometimes influenced by our relational and social experiences in early and adolescent development.
- Repetitive difficulties in relationships
- Depression and anxiety
- Intimacy and avoidance issues
- Unprocessed trauma - 'old stuff' being triggered, driving emotional reactions in the present in unhelpful ways eg. impulsive anger, substance misuse
- Self esteem issues
- Gaining better understandings about personal/professional life directions
Impacts of internalized stigma, discrimination and shame
