Therapy

I chose to pursue advanced degrees in social work (rather than psychology) because I believe in social work values and in the tradition of outreach to more vulnerable and diverse populations. Throughout my career (even while in private practice), community service has remained a central part of my work. I've worked in schools with at-risk, gang-involved youth, and I've contracted with agencies to provide free services to survivors of sexual assault. Kozist is my latest effort to make my expertise more accessible. The therapists on my team are also social workers, and they hold the same social work values.

The word "psychodynamic" refers to my theoretical orientation. Psychodynamic treatment is rooted in Freud (Don't worry -- the theory has evolved quite a bit since most of the things you probably know about him!) But most importantly, Freud helped us understand how unconscious beliefs and fears that originate in the past can live in the present and interfere with our lives. In other words, you may not be able to put your finger on what's bothering you, or you may be focused on something that isn't really the root of the matter. The therapists on my team help you understand what is happening in your unconscious in an effort to free you up and help you move forward! 

Several branches of theory evolved out of Freud, and self psychology is one of them. Without getting too far in depth, self psychologists believe we all need other people ("selfobjects") to meet our emotional needs throughout life. This is especially important as infants and children, as we are in our most vulnerable state and just learning about the world. When our needs are generally well met, our sense of self grows strong and we are able to feel relatively secure in the world. But when needs are not met and our sense of self is not as strong, it can become even more difficult to have them fulfilled. Treatment (therapy) can be useful because your therapist is able to recognize your needs, and he or she knows how to finally provide what has been so sorely missing. And again, finally getting what you need and growing stronger internally can help you move forward!

By now you have heard me use the word "forward" quite a bit. 'The Forward Edge' is a concept within self psychology that could be considered a pillar of my practice. Essentially, the goal of treatment is the same for all of our patients: To move forward! That can mean a lot of different things, and we encourage and challenge our patients to be unabashedly creative in designing their future. Our job is to draw that out, but to also get at what's standing in your way - and that is unique to each individual. Your complex history has given rise to fears and to defenses that protect you from those fears. In our forward edge approach, we will acknowledge the part of you that is too afraid to leave your comfort zone, but listen closely to the part of you that wants to take the healthy risk of moving forward. Your sense of self will grow stronger, and you will begin to notice positive change.

So what does this look like in session? Essentially, you talk about whatever is on your mind and your therapist listens. BUT, that is not all. Many people have the misconception that therapists are supposed to be completely neutral and therefore silent. We are neutral in the sense that we don't allow our own personal values, experiences, political views, opinions, etc. interfere with the exploration of YOUR emotional life. However, we are not silent. We ask questions. We point out things we notice. We might challenge you at times, especially the more we get to know you. And yes, we even feel sometimes :) This is all very genuine, but this approach is also strongly supported by our theoretical background. If we are successful, you will develop a very real relationship with your therapist - one in which you feel that together you can tackle anything that may come your way!