When people ask what psychoanalysis is, they usually want to know about treatment. As a therapy, psychoanalytic work is based on the observation that individuals are often unaware of many of the factors that determine their emotions and behavior. These unconscious factors may create unhappiness, sometimes in the form of recognizable symptoms and at other times as troubling personality traits, difficulties in work or in love relationships, or disturbances in mood and self-esteem. Because these forces are unconscious, the advice of friends and family, the reading of self-help books, or even the most determined efforts of will, often fail to provide relief. Psychoanalytic treatment demonstrates how these unconscious factors affect current relationships and patterns of behavior, traces them back to their historical origins, shows how they have changed and developed over time, and helps the individual to deal better with the realities of adult life. 

Intensive therapeutic work is a mutual commitment between the patient and therapist. It involves 2 - 3 sessions a week in person so that there is the time and space to dive into the core parts of self, undistracted and in the sanctuary of the consulting room.

During this concentrated time we are focusing on core work. This work can include past or current traumas, unhealthy defenses that are keeping patterns stuck in our lives, grief, relational issues, self-image.

The focus is on the development and relationship with self and the work is done though the attachment to the therapist who supports, holds, and challenges in order to support healing and a more secure view of the world. The more time we have together the more effective and concentrated the work becomes.

This truly is some of the deepest therapeutic work you can do, and for this reason Jennifer assesses for readiness and fit for a more intensive process.