Why Psychodynamic Psychotherapy?
At its core, psychodynamic therapy is a form of depth-oriented psychotherapy that helps individuals explore the unconscious patterns, early relational experiences, and emotional conflicts that shape their current struggles. Unlike surface-level symptom management, psychodynamic work seeks to understand the why beneath distress — tracing present-day challenges back to the internalized experiences, defenses, and narratives we carry, often outside of conscious awareness.
This approach is grounded in over a century of clinical practice and psychological theory, beginning with the work of Freud, Jung, and other early analysts, and continually refined by decades of contemporary research in attachment theory, affective neuroscience, and developmental psychology. Numerous studies have shown that psychodynamic therapy can lead to lasting change that continues well beyond the completion of treatment, as it addresses not only symptoms but the deeper emotional roots that fuel them (Shedler, 2010; Leichsenring & Rabung, 2008).
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on key areas such as unconscious processes, unresolved childhood experiences, internal conflicts, defense mechanisms, and patterns of relating to self and others. In therapy, we work to bring these patterns into awareness—not for the sake of analyzing endlessly, but to allow for new insight, integration, and freedom from the repetitive loops that keep us stuck.
As we make space for parts of the self that have long been silenced or defended against, many individuals find a new sense of emotional vitality, healthier relationships, and a deeper understanding of themselves.
Importantly, psychodynamic therapy recognizes that our earliest attachments shape our internal world. Many of the relational difficulties we experience as adults stem not from weakness or failure, but from early adaptations and survival strategies that no longer serve us. Through the therapeutic relationship itself—a safe, attuned, and reparative environment—we create the conditions for these long-standing patterns to soften and reorganize.
Unlike highly structured, manualized approaches, psychodynamic therapy honors the complexity of the individual. Sessions are open, exploratory, and responsive to what emerges in the moment, allowing space for unconscious material to surface organically through memory, dreams, affect, and the therapeutic dialogue itself. It is within this unfolding process that deep and meaningful change often occurs.
In my practice, psychodynamic work is interwoven with complementary approaches such as Jungian psychology, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and attachment-based frameworks, allowing us to meet the psyche where it is and to honor its complexity with both clinical skill and great respect.
Jungian Psychotherapy
Jungian psychotherapy is a depth-oriented approach that honors both the conscious and unconscious layers of the psyche. At its core, Jungian work sees emotional pain not simply as a problem to eliminate, but as a meaningful signal — pointing toward something in the self that longs to be seen, integrated, or healed. Rather than focusing solely on symptom relief, Jungian therapy invites us to listen more deeply to the stories, patterns, and images that arise from within.
In Jungian therapy, we explore not only life events and relational patterns, but also dreams, symbols, archetypes, and creative expressions that reveal the psyche's natural movement toward wholeness. This process, known as individuation, supports you in becoming more fully yourself — integrating aspects of the self that may have been exiled, hidden, or fragmented through life experiences.
Jungian work recognizes that many of our struggles are rooted in early attachment wounds, unconscious complexes, and generational patterns we may carry without even realizing. Through the therapeutic relationship, we create a safe, respectful space to explore these inner dynamics with curiosity and compassion. As unconscious material becomes conscious, many clients experience not only symptom relief, but a deepening sense of meaning, inner peace, and personal freedom.
Jungian psychotherapy is well-suited for individuals who are drawn to inner work, who sense that there are deeper layers beneath their current struggles, and who wish to explore the meaning behind their experiences. Whether we work with dreams, personal symbols, childhood patterns, or spiritual questions, the aim is not to “fix” but to reconnect you with the wisdom, vitality, and resilience already living within you.
Photo by Erol Ahmed
Photo by Mitch
Inner Child Work
Inner child work is not about revisiting the past — it’s about restoring the parts of us that were never fully allowed to grow, so the psyche can return to balance, resilience, and wholeness.
Photo by Jeremy Bishop
Healing the Inner Child is at the heart of much of the work I do.
Beneath many of the struggles we face as adults—feelings of shame, low self-worth, chronic self-criticism, relationship difficulties, anxiety, and even perfectionism—often lies an earlier part of us that carries unresolved pain.
From a psychodynamic perspective, these early wounds are not simply “memories” but live inside us as active internal states, sometimes outside of conscious awareness, shaping how we experience the world, others, and ourselves.
The unmet needs of the child—whether for safety, attunement, validation, or secure attachment—often become the organizing template around which our adult defenses and patterns form. In therapy, we work to create a safe and attuned holding space where the emotional life of the child can gradually surface, be witnessed, and receive the kind of relational repair it may never have received.
Much of this work draws on Internal Family Systems (IFS) to approach the inner child not as a static "wound" but as a living part of the psyche. IFS helps us recognize that inside each of us lives a rich internal system of parts: protective parts that try to keep us safe by controlling or avoiding vulnerability, and exiled parts that carry the burden of unprocessed pain, abandonment, or unmet developmental needs. The Inner Child often lives among these exiles. Rather than bypass or override these parts, we compassionately build relationships with them, allowing the protective system to relax and make space for direct contact with the child's experience. This kind of dialogue with the inner child allows for a profound corrective emotional experience. The adult Self—calm, curious, and compassionate—becomes the internal parent the child always longed for. Healing unfolds not through forced reframing, but through a gentle process of reparenting and emotional witnessing.
Photo by Melissa Askew
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