Our Therapeutic Approach
We specialize in psychodynamic psychotherapy, a collaborative, highly individualized, and time-honored method used around the world. Unlike some of the other common approaches that use worksheets and homework assignments to teach a set of skills, psychodynamic therapy seeks to understand and address the underlying causes of emotional distress. This emphasis on depth accounts for the fact that multiple research studies demonstrate that, in contrast to the skills-only approaches, the therapeutic benefits of psychodynamic therapy persist many years after individuals finish treatment. This way of working fosters greater self-awareness, emotional resilience, and personal transformation.
Therapeutic Services
We believe that therapy works best when there’s a strong, trusting connection between you and your therapist. That’s why our initial few sessions are designed as an in-depth consultation. In these initial two to three meetings you and your therapist will assess fit, work together to fully understand the nature of the issue that brings you to treatment, your goals for the work and the best course of action for helping you meet your goals.
With a team of skilled clinicians, we’re able to match you with a therapist whose approach and personality align with your unique needs and goals.
In our experience, meaningful emotional change—not unlike physical fitness—requires regularity and consistency. Consequently, we ask that individuals and couples attend weekly sessions while working with us. Lasting change is more likely, and often happens more quickly, when there’s space to track patterns, try out new ways of relating, and adjust based on feedback. Weekly meetings help maintain momentum and support tangible progress.
Individual Therapy
At the Psychotherapy Institute of Back Bay, we offer individual therapy for adults (18+) navigating a wide range of life challenges:
- Relationship issues
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Major life transitions
- Identity exploration
- Grief
- Other emotional and mental health concerns
Couples Therapy
We help couples who may be:
- Struggling to communicate
- Stuck in repetitive fights that don’t get resolved
- Needing help in having difficult conversations
- Feeling distant and emotionally disengaged
- Dealing with aftermath of infidelity
- Navigating life transitions and stressful events
- Looking to reconcile key differences in values, parenting styles, approaches to finances, etc.
- Wishing to explore non-monogamy
Our approach to couples therapy blends practical tools, like communication strategies and conflict-resolution skills, with deeper emotional insight into each partner’s experience. This combination helps couples move beyond surface-level fixes to foster real, lasting change in their relationship.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact us.
The Psychotherapy Institute of Back Bay prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in the provision of clinical services.
We acknowledge the way in which the psychoanalytic establishment has historically neglected to acknowledge the impacts of racism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice on the experience of individuals. We are committed to holding in mind and grappling with these previously neglected dimensions in our teaching, learning, and clinical work.