Our approach is grounded in the conviction that psychological experiences, even painful ones, have significance that can be understood through careful exploration. Therapy is seen as a collaborative process aimed at fostering understanding, integration, and navigating life with greater awareness, rather than solely eliminating symptoms.
Central to our work is sustained attention to the person’s unfolding experience – thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, relational dynamics, imagery, and patterns operating outside immediate awareness. We recognize that less conscious, often historically rooted, dynamics shape present life. Therapy provides the attentive presence and reliable frame for these patterns to surface safely, be understood, and potentially transformed. The focus is on following and making sense of what unfolds moment-to-moment, prioritizing emergent experience over a predetermined plan.
Psychological distress or symptoms often contain valuable communications. Trying to suppress them without grasping their roots can be ineffective. We work collaboratively to explore what these experiences might be signaling about underlying needs, conflicts, or less developed aspects of the self. This involves attending closely to subtle, moment-to-moment information, including non-verbal or somatic responses.
Our perspective is deeply informed by psychodynamic and depth psychology traditions (including Jungian), emphasizing unconscious processes and history. This is complemented by contemporary relational theories highlighting interpersonal patterns and the therapeutic relationship. A key influence is Process Oriented Psychology, informing how we track experience across channels (thinking, feeling, body symptoms, relationship dynamics). Attending to the emergent psychic process and trusting its meaning is the foundation of our work.
The psychotherapist acts as an experienced facilitator of the person’s own exploration, not an expert with answers. Our role involves careful listening, offering reflections, making connections, and maintaining a consistent environment. We follow each person’s lead, trusting the potential for self-discovery and integration. The aim is organic change, not imposed solutions.