Psychodynamic Therapy
I integrate psychodynamic therapy into my work to help you understand how past experiences, early relationships, and unconscious patterns continue to shape your thoughts, emotions, and relationships today. This approach is especially helpful for individuals experiencing anxiety, trauma, low self-esteem, and repetitive relationship patterns, such as people-pleasing, difficulty with boundaries, or feeling stuck in familiar dynamics.
In our work together, we explore the deeper “why” behind your patterns, not just what’s happening on the surface. By increasing awareness of these patterns, you can begin to shift them, rather than repeating them automatically.
Psychodynamic therapy is a depth-oriented approach that focuses on long-term, meaningful change. It helps you build self-awareness, emotional insight, and a stronger sense of self, so you can relate to yourself and others in more intentional and authentic ways.
Internal Family System (IFS)
I integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and inner child work to help you understand the different parts of yourself that developed over time, especially in response to early experiences, relationships, and trauma.
Many of the patterns we struggle with, such as anxiety, people-pleasing, difficulty with boundaries, and low self-esteem, are often rooted in younger parts of us that learned how to adapt, protect, or survive. These “inner child” parts may still carry unmet needs, emotional wounds, or beliefs formed early in life.
In therapy, we gently explore these parts with curiosity and compassion, rather than judgment. Instead of trying to push feelings away or “fix” yourself, we work to understand what each part needs and how it has been trying to help you.
As you build a relationship with these parts, you can begin to heal underlying wounds, reduce emotional reactivity, and shift long-standing patterns. This work supports greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and a stronger, more grounded sense of self.
Over time, you may notice it becomes easier to set boundaries, trust yourself, and respond to situations in a way that feels more aligned and intentional, rather than driven by old patterns.
Family Systems
Family Systems Therapy explores how your family dynamics, early relationships, and environment have shaped the way you think, feel, and relate to others. Many of the patterns we carry, such as over-functioning, difficulty setting boundaries, or feeling responsible for others, are often learned within our family system. In therapy, we explore these dynamics to understand how they continue to influence your current relationships and sense of self.
This approach helps you gain insight into roles you may have taken on, patterns of communication, and emotional dynamics that developed over time, so you can begin to shift them in a more intentional and empowered way.
While Family Systems Therapy focuses on your relationships and external dynamics, Internal Family Systems (IFS) focuses more on your internal world, the different “parts” within you (including your inner child) that developed in response to those experiences.
Together, these approaches allow us to understand both where patterns come from and how they live within you today, supporting deeper healing, healthier relationships, and a stronger, more grounded sense of self.
Common Family Roles
In Family Systems Therapy, individuals often take on specific roles within their family, usually unconsciously, as a way to cope, maintain stability, or navigate difficult dynamics.
Some common family roles include:
The Hero: Often the high-achiever or “responsible one” who tries to bring stability or pride to the family. This role is commonly linked to perfectionism, high-functioning anxiety, and pressure to succeed.
The Scapegoat: Often blamed or singled out within the family system. This role may lead to shame, emotional distress, or patterns of conflict in relationships.
The Lost Child: Tends to withdraw or stay quiet to avoid conflict or attention. This can show up as difficulty expressing needs, low self-esteem, or feeling unseen.
The Mascot: Uses humor or lightness to cope with stress or tension in the family. While this can bring relief, it may also mask anxiety, emotional pain, or difficulty being taken seriously.
The Enabler: Often protects or supports others in the family, sometimes at their own expense. This role is commonly associated with people-pleasing, difficulty setting boundaries, and over-responsibility for others.
These roles are not flaws, they are adaptive patterns that developed for a reason. In therapy, we explore these roles with curiosity and compassion, helping you understand how they formed and how they may still be influencing your thoughts, behaviors, and relationships today.