Psychotherapy and Psychiatric Consultations

you are suffering and you are not sure why. You know why and you still feel stuck. You know there is something within that needs attention, though you do not know how to address it. You are drawn towards therapy and are not sure why. You sense there is shame, any kind, anywhere, that is in your way.

We sit down and talk. Usually for 50 minutes, and in my office in Palo Alto. I listen deeply, heart, soul and mind to what you are saying, as well as to what I perceive between the lines. Together we make sense of you and find the logic as to why you feel the way you do and are where you are. That understanding can opens doors not previously seen.

We will begin with an open conversation that lasts one or two sessions where we try to understand where you are in life right now, what may need attention, and if you and I are a good fit for working together. Once we have a basic understanding of your concerns and have established that we are a good fit (it feels to you like I get you enough, and I feel that I can be of help), I will bring in my perspective on the situation along with some treatment recommendations. Naturally, we will focus on the specific symptoms and life difficulties that brought you in, but with an eye to the deepest parts, which, in my experience, allow for deepest change and greatest insight. Ideally, you will leave our work with a sense of greater freedom, both internally and externally. Sometimes medications can play a role in relieving symptoms, and I may recommend them when appropriate. 

Three features I love about the work of psychotherapy: 

1. I love introducing people to the complexity of their own minds. Without slow and careful inspection, it can be hard to appreciate how many concurrent systems we have running and how much depth we all live with and manage, sometimes consciously, sometimes not. 

2. I love how alive and honest therapy can be, with change occurring in momentary interactions. 

3. It is applied philosophy. Whatever we are uncovering, we are always circling two long-debated questions: how to make sense of the world we live in; and how to live a meaningful life within it.