How I work

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

The part of the work that makes change durable — understanding what the pattern was protecting, and what replaces it.

50 minutes, no commitment beyond it

What psychodynamic therapy is

Psychodynamic psychotherapy works with the patterns that repeat — in relationships, in work, in how you treat yourself — and with the reasons they were once necessary.

The premise is that most persistent difficulties aren't random. They were adaptations: ways of staying safe, staying connected, or staying acceptable in circumstances that required them. They persist because they were useful, and because nothing has yet replaced them.

The work is to make that visible, and then to work out what a person does instead — not as an instruction, but as something that becomes available once the original need is understood.

My training is in psychodynamic psychotherapy and group analysis through the ÖAGG in Vienna, and it's the foundation underneath everything else I do.

Processing changes what your body does. This is the part that changes what you do with it.

What it suits

Psychodynamic work is most useful where the difficulty shows up in relationships and in patterns rather than in a single identifiable event — and where you want to understand something, not just reduce a symptom.

It's also what I reach for when processing work has shifted something and the question becomes what to do with the space that opened up.

Particularly indicated for

The same relationship dynamic recurring with different people
Patterns at work: over-responsibility, difficulty delegating, conflict avoidance
A harsh internal voice with a recognisable origin
Difficulty knowing what you want, as distinct from what's expected
Change that happened but hasn't held
Wanting to understand yourself, not only to function better

Where it sits in the work

Psychodynamic therapy is the Consolidate stage of how I work.

Before it: Regulate — building nervous-system capacity with HeartMath, so there's stability to work from. Then Integrate — processing what's still generating the reaction, with EMDR or Lifespan Integration.

Used on its own, psychodynamic work can produce accurate and detailed self-understanding that never reaches the system generating the response. That's the failure mode this whole sequence exists to avoid. Used last, it's what turns a physiological change into a different way of living.

More on how I work → · When insight hasn't been enough →

Practical

Works fully online — this part of the work is conversation
Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly to begin with
Open-ended rather than a fixed number of sessions
Also available in person in Vienna — see fees

Questions people ask

What is psychodynamic psychotherapy?

Psychodynamic psychotherapy works with recurring patterns in relationships, emotions and self-perception, and with the earlier circumstances that made those patterns necessary. The premise is that persistent difficulties are usually adaptations that outlived the situation they were formed in. It's open-ended rather than protocol-driven, and it's concerned with understanding as well as symptom relief.

How is it different from CBT?

CBT works primarily with current thoughts and behaviours using structured techniques over a defined number of sessions. Psychodynamic therapy works with patterns and their origins, including what happens in the therapeutic relationship itself, and is usually open-ended. CBT tends to be faster for contained, well-defined problems; psychodynamic work tends to suit difficulties that are relational, longstanding, and hard to name precisely.

Is it the same as psychoanalysis?

They share a lineage but differ in practice. Classical psychoanalysis involves several sessions a week, often using the couch. Psychodynamic psychotherapy draws on the same understanding of unconscious pattern and defence but is conducted face to face, usually once a week, and is more focused on present-day difficulty.

Does psychodynamic therapy work online?

Yes. This part of the work is conversation, so nothing is lost by video. You'll need a private space and an uninterrupted hour.

How long does it take?

It's open-ended by design, which is an honest answer rather than an evasive one. Some patterns loosen within a few months; developmental and attachment material generally takes longer. I'll give you an estimate once I understand what we're working with, and revise it if I turn out to be wrong.

Do I have to talk about my childhood?

Only where it's relevant, and you set the pace. Earlier experience comes up because it explains something about the present, not as a requirement. Plenty of sessions are about this week.

If the same thing keeps happening

Tell me what the pattern is and what you've already understood about it. I'll tell you honestly whether this is the right approach — or whether something else should come first.

Book a first session