Psychodynamic Therapy in San Anselmo, El Dorado Hills + Online in California
What is Psychodynamic Therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy is foundational to traditional talk therapy, and is focused on how your past is impacting your present. It addresses all aspects of your mental health, from your relationship satisfaction, to your self-esteem, life purpose, and ways you might be self-sabotaging. Its goal is to help you access and uncover your unconscious patterns and childhood programming to help you change, grow and heal.
At the core of psychodynamic therapy lies is the understanding that your past impacts your present.
This means that all experiences you’ve had, including your childhood and upbringing, unresolved stressors, or traumatic experiences, influence and impact your current behaviors and thought patterns. The tricky part is that most of the influence is unconscious and even pre-verbal, meaning your mind, body and nervous system was shaped and influenced before you could talk, and therefore its impact can be hard to access.
Our psychodynamic therapists can help you access your unconscious and make sense of your symptoms. If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, lingering trauma symptoms, postpartum, parenting or relationship stress, psychodynamic therapy can help you understand the root cause of your symptoms, and finally heal.
Ready to get started? Book a free consultation call to learn more about how we can help.
"The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination."
-Carl Rogers
In psychodynamic therapy, the focus is on uncovering and understanding how your childhood experiences and relationships have impacted you. This process can help illuminate the root cause of your current mental health challenges, leading to significant improvements in your quality of life. As you learn to identify and understand patterns in your behavior and relationships that you might not be consciously aware of, you’ll learn to relate to your life, yourself and others in ways that bring more connection, intimacy and fulfillment, and less stress, suffering and conflict.
It’s important to note that understanding alone is not enough to bring relief and transformation. Because we work holistically, our therapists offer psychodynamic therapy along with somatic modalities, mindfulness and various evidence-based treatment modalities to help you process and metabolize your experiences and increase your capacity to make changes in your life, instead of just repeating experiences from your past.
How Does Psychodynamic Therapy Work?
We incorporate psychodynamic therapy into our holistic counseling approach because it honors your past, and supports our commitment to helping you find the root cause of your mental health struggles. This type of therapy is critical for unearthing the deeper patterns of pain and disconnection that are contributing to feeling ‘stuck’ in your current phase of life. Our integrative therapists use psychodynamic therapy as part of a holistic approach to mental health that honors the mind-body-spirit connection.
Psychodynamic Therapy at The Holistic Counseling Center
What Issues Can Psychodynamic Therapy Treat?
Infertility Inner Child Healing
Intergenerational Trauma
Life Transitions
Narcissistic Abuse
Parenting
Perfectionism
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Psychedelic Integration
Relationship Satisfaction
Self-Sabotage
Psychodynamic Therapy is effective in treating a wide range of mental health issues and diagnoses, including:
Burnout
Childhood Trauma
Existential Crisis
Grief
What People are Saying
★★★★★
“Kim is a skilled therapist who advocates for the emotional growth of her clients while holding a safe space for them to come just as they are. Her approach is gentle yet effective. I highly recommend her.”
- Erin, Folsom, CA
Meet The Team
Psychodynamic Therapists
Kim Burris
Founder, Licensed Therapist, LMFT
Anxiety, Postpartum Depression, Spirituality, Existential Crisis + Spirituality
Dr. Anjali Connors
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Anxiety, Depth Work, Life Transitions, Psychedelic Integration + Spirituality
Perri Griffin
Licensed Therapist, LMFT
Anxiety, Shadow Work, Postpartum,
Existential Crisis, Life Purpose + Spirituality
Associate Therapist, AMFT
Sinclair Mitchell
Anxiety, Trauma, Shadow Work, Spirituality, Self-Esteem + Life Transitions
Tessa Wendell
Associate Therapist, AMFT
Anxiety, Trauma, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Postpartum + Spirituality
Ready to work together?
Here’s how to get started:
-
The duration of psychodynamic therapy varies depending on your individual needs and goals. You may experience significant improvement and insights in a relatively short time (6-8 sessions), while others may benefit from longer-term therapy (1 year) to explore deeper issues and achieve lasting change. Generally, therapy sessions occur weekly and may continue for several months to several years. Please note we will work with you to accommodate scheduling and financial concerns. Weekly therapy is recommended but not required for therapy to be effective.
-
Psychodynamic therapy can be beneficial for most individuals, but is not suitable for everyone. It's particularly valuable for people who are on a healing journey, who are open to exploring their inner world and are willing to engage in self-reflection. It’s not suitable if you are currently experiencing a crisis or psychosis. When you schedule a free consultation call we can answer any questions you have about psychodynamic therapy, and discuss how our therapists can help.
-
Psychodynamic therapy is a type of psychotherapy, and the most well known and recognized form of traditional talk therapy. While psychotherapy is a broad term encompassing various therapeutic approaches, psychodynamic therapy specifically focuses on exploring unconscious processes and childhood experiences to help you understand present behaviors and emotions more deeply.
-
Traditional psychoanalysis, as developed by Sigmund Freud is what most people stereotypically think of when discussing therapy, where a client lays on a couch and tells their therapist all their thoughts while the therapist just nods and listens.
Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy have a similar approach and orientation - seeking to uncover and understand the impact of the past on the present. Current day psychoanalysis can be powerful practice but typically involves a hefty time and financial commitment, as sessions are required 2-3 times a week for 1-2 years. Psychodynamic therapy can be beneficial in just a few sessions, with cumulative benefits over time.
-
While both Psychodynamic Therapy & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are forms of psychotherapy, they have distinct approaches. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on exploring unconscious processes, childhood experiences, and the therapeutic relationship to gain insight into current challenges. On the other hand, CBT is more structured and cognitive based, meaning it focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to distress. Both are helpful approaches and are part of our integrative and holistic approach to therapy. You can book a free consultation call to learn more about how our holistic therapists can help you heal.
-
If you’re ready to explore psychodynamic therapy, make sure to work with a licensed therapist or counselor with training in psychodynamic therapy. All of our therapists here at The Holistic Counseling Center are licensed to practice psychotherapy and are trained in psychodynamic therapy.
-
If you’re ready to get started with psychodynamic therapy, reach out to schedule a free consultation call. We’ll discuss what’s going on in your life, answer any questions you have, look at logistics like fees and schedules, and if it feels like a good fit, you can schedule your first appointment!
FAQ’s about Psychodynamic Therapy
Make an Appointment for Psychodynamic Therapy in California
Feeling ready to explore Psychodynamic Therapy with one of our therapists? Let’s chat! Click below to schedule your complimentary consultation call and our intake coordinator will reach out to discuss logistics and schedule your first appointment. We offer Psychodynamic Therapy to anyone in California via virtual therapy and in-person Psychodynamic Therapy for anyone in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and El Dorado Hills, near Folsom and Sacramento.
If you have any other questions feel free to send a message through this contact form and we’ll get back to you in the next 48 hours.