I think about patients from a psychodynamic perspective, and I make liberal use of both psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral techniques. In plain English? In all therapeutic endeavors, I try to maintain a balance between exploring early contributors to current troubles on the one hand -- and, on the other, focusing on present-day patterns that maintain or exacerbate them. I work from the premise that our choices and behavior often have unconscious motivations and unarticulated assumptions. I'm interested in making those processes more conscious, so you have more awareness and control over your decisions and actions. I am sometimes quiet in session so we can observe where your thoughts and feelings lead us -- but I am not a passive listener, so I will give you plenty of feedback at intervals. Difficult moments in therapy, whether due to the subject matter of our talks or to the nature of our interaction, are usually blessings in disguise-- they are often clues that we can examine for their relevance to your current ordeals.
When warranted, I may also incorporate some aspects of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a technique that I studied at Schneider Children's Hospital (now Cohen Children's Medical Center) while working with adolescents. DBT is a well-researched, evidence-based approach pioneered by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., and it encompasses many elements including skills groups, treatment team consultation, telephone coaching, and individual therapy. While I am not a DBT practitioner per se-- for instance, I don't provide skills groups for patients, and I don't have team meetings with other DBT clinicians-- I still draw upon key features of DBT (mindfulness, behavior chain analyses, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness skills) when I think it will be helpful for patients struggling with emotional dysregulation and interpersonal turmoil. (If you are in fact looking primarily for DBT, I'll gladly refer you to clinicians who have more expertise in that modality.)
When warranted, I may also incorporate some aspects of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a technique that I studied at Schneider Children's Hospital (now Cohen Children's Medical Center) while working with adolescents. DBT is a well-researched, evidence-based approach pioneered by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., and it encompasses many elements including skills groups, treatment team consultation, telephone coaching, and individual therapy. While I am not a DBT practitioner per se-- for instance, I don't provide skills groups for patients, and I don't have team meetings with other DBT clinicians-- I still draw upon key features of DBT (mindfulness, behavior chain analyses, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness skills) when I think it will be helpful for patients struggling with emotional dysregulation and interpersonal turmoil. (If you are in fact looking primarily for DBT, I'll gladly refer you to clinicians who have more expertise in that modality.)