Why People Seek Therapy
People often come to therapy because something in life no longer feels sustainable — anxiety that will not quiet down, relationships that keep falling into painful patterns, depression that feels difficult to explain, or simply the exhaustion of carrying too much alone.
Many people wait longer than they need to because they are still functioning. They continue working, maintaining relationships, caring for others, and appearing “fine” from the outside. Yet internally, they may feel disconnected, overwhelmed, emotionally alone, or increasingly distant from themselves.
Therapy can become a place where we slow things down enough to better understand what is happening beneath the surface rather than simply trying to manage symptoms or push through them.
“Often the ways we learn to survive eventually become the things that keep us stuck.”
My Approach to Psychotherapy
Many people who seek therapy are used to relying on thinking, achievement, productivity, or self-sufficiency to manage distress. Often these strategies work — until they stop working.
In psychotherapy, we pay attention not only to symptoms, but to the emotional patterns and ways of relating that shape daily life. This may involve understanding why certain relationships feel repeatedly charged, why rest feels difficult, why vulnerability feels uncomfortable, or why emotional pain continues to reappear despite insight.
My approach is psychodynamic and insight-oriented, meaning we pay attention to both present struggles and the deeper emotional experiences that may be shaping them.
Additional Reading
If you are wondering whether this way of working might fit you, you may also find these reflections helpful:
• How to Find the Right Therapist (And Why It Often Takes Longer Than People Expect)
• Therapy for High-Functioning Professionals
• The Emotional Cost of Being Highly Self-Aware
• Why Intelligent People Overthink Emotions
• Performing “Competence”
What Changes in Therapy
Over time, therapy can become a place where you feel less alone with your inner life and more connected to yourself and other people.
The goal is not simply symptom reduction — although anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties often improve. The deeper goal is creating greater emotional flexibility, stronger relationships, and a life that feels more genuine rather than simply managed.
Today I provide psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in San Francisco, as well as telehealth therapy throughout California for adults and couples seeking deeper understanding, meaningful change, and greater emotional freedom.