The pattern has a history.

Psychodynamic therapy is a depth-oriented approach rooted in the recognition that a significant portion of mental life operates outside conscious awareness, and that the patterns shaping present-day experience — emotional responses, relationship dynamics, self-perception — often trace back to earlier experiences that haven't been fully processed. While rooted in psychoanalytic tradition, modern psychodynamic therapy draws on attachment theory developed by John Bowlby, object relations theory, relational psychoanalysis, and self psychology.

A 2010 meta-analysis by Jonathan Shedler in American Psychologist found psychodynamic therapy produces effect sizes comparable to other evidence-based treatments, with effects that appear to continue growing after treatment ends — a finding not consistently seen in more structured short-term approaches.

Psychodynamic sessions have a different structure than most therapy. There's no predetermined agenda set by the therapist and no homework assigned at the end. The client largely directs what's explored, and I follow that material closely, noticing patterns across sessions and offering observations that open up rather than close down exploration.

The therapeutic relationship itself is one of the most clinically potent aspects of the work. How a person relates to the therapist — what they expect, fear, or need from that relationship — often directly mirrors the relational patterns organizing their broader life. Sessions move with more open space than most clients expect initially. That space is not absence of direction; it's the condition under which deeper material surfaces.

It's indicated for depression, particularly chronic or recurrent depression; complex trauma and attachment disruption; anxiety rooted in relational or developmental origins; personality-level patterns that other approaches haven't shifted; and any presentation where the client senses current difficulties have deep roots they haven't been able to reach. Shedler's 2010 meta-analysis found it effective for depression, anxiety, somatic disorders, eating disorders, substance use, and personality disorders.

Research also documents a sleeper effect: gains continue accruing after treatment ends. Psychodynamic therapy is especially indicated for adults who've tried shorter-term approaches and found that while those produced relief, they didn't address what felt most fundamental. When the surface has been addressed but the source persists unchanged, depth work is typically the indicated next step.

Psychodynamic and attachment-informed frameworks are the theoretical foundation through which I understand clinical material, regardless of which specific modalities I'm using at any given point. I trained in psychodynamic and relational frameworks through my MSW education at Kean University, and more than ten years in behavioral health has reinforced that unconscious process, relational history, and the therapeutic relationship are almost always clinically relevant.

I integrate psychodynamic thinking with IFS and Somatic Experiencing. IFS often clarifies which parts are running the patterns psychodynamic work identifies; SE helps discharge what psychodynamic exploration brings into awareness. The combination reaches what no single approach alone achieves.

Alchemy Psychotherapy is a private-pay, out-of-network practice. A reduced fee is available in limited circumstances based on financial need and current caseload. I do not bill insurance directly, but I provide a Superbill on the first of each month for clients with out-of-network mental health benefits, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. Under the No Surprises Act, you have the right to a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before treatment begins.