Philosophy of Therapy
I view therapy as a collaborative effort between myself and my clients which, in addition to resolving the client’s specific concerns, enriches the overall quality of the client’s life beyond mere problem solving. Successful therapy requires deep and abiding respect for the client’s uniqueness coupled with profound emotional and psychological attunement and the mastery of a wide range of therapeutic skills on the part of the therapist.
Recognizing that our past is always part of our present, therapy helps us understand how our earliest relationships with caregivers have shaped our present selves and, most important, how to use that awareness to avoid repeating unhealthy patterns which undermine our ability to live a rich and satisfying life.
I do not have a “one approach fits all” philosophy of therapy. Some approaches work well for some people while other people respond better to a different approach. Having said all that, it is probably most accurate to say that my therapeutic orientation is based on Object Relations Therapy, a branch of psychoanalysis which emphasizes the significance of our relationships with our primary caregivers in infancy and childhood. How we attached—or failed to attach—to our parents and other caregivers creates a template through which we learned to relate to people throughout our lives. Fortunately, it is not a fixed pattern but one that can be adjusted, expanded and modified through later experiences and through effective therapy. At times, the therapeutic relationship can provide what was missing, and act as a catalyst for changing the pattern of relationships in the client’s future. My work is informed by Gestalt Therapy which emphasizes the client’s experience in the moment and the relationship between the client and the therapist.
