What problems can be addressed in a psychoanalytic space?
The psychotherapy I practice is informed by psychoanalytic theory.
Psychoanalysis offers a theoretical framework for dealing with most problems of a psychological nature however they are presented by the individual.
There are an array of conditions, words or diagnosis that people use to describe their problems and you will be familiar with how they are often described,
- depression,
- anxiety,
- phobias,
- social anxiety,
- eating disorders,
- relationships issues,
- sexual problems,
- identity issues,
- panic attacks,
- ADHD,
- personality disorder
- Obsessive, compulsive, intrusive thoughts
- Low self esteem
- Lack of motivation or satisfaction
- Loss
- Bereavement
- Anger issues
and so on.
Psychoanalysis is above all concerned with the particular, not the label. It addresses the thing that is bothering you and that is unique to you and your personal history; the thing that causes you disquiet, makes you feel uneasy or suffer or what is making your life unsatisfying, unenjoyable, inexplicable or frustrating. More precisely of what is a mystery to you.
It does this through speech.
You talk about your difficulties and thoughts that arise or you associate to. You can talk about whatever you think including your dreams and fantasies. No thought or idea is off limits.
The therapist or analyst listens in a particular way. An element of practice, using a psychoanalytic frame, aims at discovering how your unconscious functions and it is the therapist or analyst who facilitates this through their interventions. Central to all psychoanalytic traditions is an idea that our conscious thoughts and feelings are determined, unknown to us, by unconscious ideas and wishes.
Interventions and observations are also used to help you to see your problems in different ways, to reflect and elaborate.
Can it help you?
I hope so. I would not work in this way if I did not think it had this possibility for those I agree to work with. However, it may not suit everyone and as with any therapeutic intervention there are no guarantees.
Analytic work is not a quick fix. It takes time to make discoveries, some take longer than others and work is open ended. That said, long term work maybe unsuitable or undesirable. Every situation is different.
Working within a psychoanalytic frame means you are not going to be told what to do or have strategies and solutions imposed upon you or suggested to you.
It is through the process of speaking and the interventions of the therapist that you may find your own way.
What you can expect after contacting me.
Choosing who to work with and in what modality is not uncomplicated. There are many therapeutic approaches.
I will offer an initial consultation and several preliminary sessions before we come to a decision whether to work together or not. There is no obligation to attend further preliminary sessions, if after the first consultation you think my approach is not for you.
During these sessions I will ask you to speak about what is bothering you. I will talk with you in more detail about how I work and importantly you will have some experience of what it might be like to work with me.
If we decide at the end of this process that we are going to work together we will agree the fee for sessions and frequency of sessions. Session frequency varies. I will tell you what I think might be useful. The minimum frequency I work with is once a week.
What you say in these sessions is confidential, subject to certain limitations that apply to psychotherapeutic work which I will talk to you about when we meet.
Fees
Before we meet, I will agree a fee with you for the first consultation session and preliminary sessions.
Fees for ongoing work are subject to agreement at the end of assessment and any preliminary sessions and may differ from the fee for assessment sessions. Concessionary rates (including for assessment) are offered on a needs basis and subject to availability, so please ask.