“It takes two to know one.”
Portrait of a Woman, Possibly Maria Trip (1639), Rembrandt van Rijn
Details matter.
In his days, Dutch painter Rembrandt, with his masterful skills, meticulous attention to details, and exceptional ability to capture, not only the physical characteristics, but also the distinct identity, personality, and emotional states of his clients, was routinely hired for portraits, On an unconscious level, his clients gained a sense of being seen and understood, from angles they had not previously imagined.
Psychotherapy is quite similar to this process.
Each individual is unique. Your identity, thoughts, feelings and needs are shaped by your own upbringing, family dynamics, past interpersonal encounters and other significant life experiences. As we discuss your past and current concerns and life events, the process of psychotherapy will unearth parts of your self, including thoughts, feelings, needs, internal conflicts, and fantasies that you may not be aware or want to experience. My central role as your therapist is to help you talk about and understand more fully these unexamined parts of your self, develop greater acceptance of who you are, and to pave way for changes to your current struggles with family, romantic, and peer relationships, emotional disturbances, life fulfillment, job satisfaction and/or other significant areas of your life.