Psychoanalytic Therapists in California
My work is informed by depth psychology especially contemporary psychoanalytic therapy, as well as somatic processes, accessing the wisdom of the body.
For over 33 years I have been blessed to work with individuals and couples who put their trust in me to facilitate their own personal healing. Clients have relied on my devotion, warmth, insights and authentic presence to hold them in a safe, sacred space. Through a collaborative exploration, we explore the thoughts, feelings, belief systems that are at the root of life-long patterns. Awareness of these patterns is crucial. However, lasting change requires more than insight. We need to directly experience and release the underlying energies and wounds that block your life force, so you can live and express your authentic gifts.
My work is informed by depth psychology especially contemporary psychoanalytic therapy, as well as somatic processes, accessing the wisdom of the body.
For over 33 years I have been blessed to work with individuals and couples who put their trust in me to facilitate their own personal healing. Clients have relied on my devotion, warmth, insights and authentic presence to hold them in a safe, sacred space. Through a collaborative exploration, we explore the thoughts, feelings, belief systems that are at the root of life-long patterns. Awareness of these patterns is crucial. However, lasting change requires more than insight. We need to directly experience and release the underlying energies and wounds that block your life force, so you can live and express your authentic gifts.
Deborah L Farnsworth
Marriage & Family Therapist, PsyD, MFT
Verified Verified
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy offers a uniquely rich opportunity for growth, self discovery and change.
I have been a Marriage and Family therapist for over 25 years. I enjoy working with and helping couples and individuals who are having difficulty finding joy and happiness in their lives. I believe strongly that we all are trying to build a healthier life, but sometimes need a little help understanding the things that get in our way. We get in a rut, repeating the same destructive behaviors and feel hopeless about ever getting what we really want and need. I can help you identify negative patterns, understand where they come from and change them into effective, self affirming strategies.
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy offers a uniquely rich opportunity for growth, self discovery and change.
I have been a Marriage and Family therapist for over 25 years. I enjoy working with and helping couples and individuals who are having difficulty finding joy and happiness in their lives. I believe strongly that we all are trying to build a healthier life, but sometimes need a little help understanding the things that get in our way. We get in a rut, repeating the same destructive behaviors and feel hopeless about ever getting what we really want and need. I can help you identify negative patterns, understand where they come from and change them into effective, self affirming strategies.
My theoretical orientation is psychoanalytic.
As a clinical psychologist with over ten years of experience in the field, I believe in an individual's ability to overcome traumatic experiences. I specialize in reproductive trauma, as well as perinatal and postpartum mood disorders. I also work with those who have suffered other types of trauma and those who are struggling with life challenges. I take into consideration the importance of an individual's early childhood experiences, including those that are preverbal. I provide a safe space in which the most painful emotions are contained and processed in order for healing to transpire.
My theoretical orientation is psychoanalytic.
As a clinical psychologist with over ten years of experience in the field, I believe in an individual's ability to overcome traumatic experiences. I specialize in reproductive trauma, as well as perinatal and postpartum mood disorders. I also work with those who have suffered other types of trauma and those who are struggling with life challenges. I take into consideration the importance of an individual's early childhood experiences, including those that are preverbal. I provide a safe space in which the most painful emotions are contained and processed in order for healing to transpire.
Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.
Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.
I was also selected for a postdoctoral fellowship through the American Psychoanalytic Association.
I'm a clinical psychologist practicing with those who suffer from loneliness, anxiety, obsessions, trauma, anger, aloofness, issues of identity and intimacy, difficult life circumstances, and many other problems. While I greatly value knowledge about psychopathology, I find a strictly diagnosis-based approach to be limiting. Instead, we might be curious together about the many aspects of life that bear on your particular suffering. This broad exploration and discovery can only happen in a safe and confidential relationship. I feel so privileged when someone chooses to reveal themselves to me on these deeply personal levels.
I was also selected for a postdoctoral fellowship through the American Psychoanalytic Association.
I'm a clinical psychologist practicing with those who suffer from loneliness, anxiety, obsessions, trauma, anger, aloofness, issues of identity and intimacy, difficult life circumstances, and many other problems. While I greatly value knowledge about psychopathology, I find a strictly diagnosis-based approach to be limiting. Instead, we might be curious together about the many aspects of life that bear on your particular suffering. This broad exploration and discovery can only happen in a safe and confidential relationship. I feel so privileged when someone chooses to reveal themselves to me on these deeply personal levels.
Maeve Odile Jackson-Dufault
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
San Francisco, CA 94123
My approach to therapy is integral; I work from an attachment and trauma informed lens with a deep grounding in relational psychoanalytic theory. I have experience with treating depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, questions of gender and sexuality, complex family dynamics, relationship issues, chronic pain, and grief work. My wish it to foster a therapeutic space that feels both challenging as well as safe so that we can work together to meet your treatment goals. In our work together I may bring in mindfulness techniques, parts work, attachment theory, dream work, movement, and myth.
My approach to therapy is integral; I work from an attachment and trauma informed lens with a deep grounding in relational psychoanalytic theory. I have experience with treating depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, questions of gender and sexuality, complex family dynamics, relationship issues, chronic pain, and grief work. My wish it to foster a therapeutic space that feels both challenging as well as safe so that we can work together to meet your treatment goals. In our work together I may bring in mindfulness techniques, parts work, attachment theory, dream work, movement, and myth.
Susan Hamlin
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MS, LCSW
Verified Verified
Campbell, CA 95008 (Online Only)
I am on the clinical faculty of The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and teach through the Palo Alto Psychoanalytic Training program.
A seasoned psychotherapist with tremendous respect for the complicated difficulty people face when deciding to contact a psychotherapist. Coming to the point of seeking help, is a critical moment that has often been building for a over period and the person making the phone call has already tried in many ways to solve a problem that has become overwhelming. My approach in treatment is accessible, direct and thoughtful. Trained as a psychoanalyst and an addictions specialist, I treat individuals and couples. Areas of particular interest and expertise are issues are issues related to addiction and adult transitions.
I am on the clinical faculty of The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and teach through the Palo Alto Psychoanalytic Training program.
A seasoned psychotherapist with tremendous respect for the complicated difficulty people face when deciding to contact a psychotherapist. Coming to the point of seeking help, is a critical moment that has often been building for a over period and the person making the phone call has already tried in many ways to solve a problem that has become overwhelming. My approach in treatment is accessible, direct and thoughtful. Trained as a psychoanalyst and an addictions specialist, I treat individuals and couples. Areas of particular interest and expertise are issues are issues related to addiction and adult transitions.
I incorporate psychodynamic, psychoanalytic, and relational techniques to offer a personalized approach tailored to each patient’s individual needs, interests, and goals.
I view the therapy process as a partnership where the two of us are working towards an integrated understanding of your problems. Alleviating symptoms may be a central goal. However, I believe it is important to consider each patient as an individual in order to illuminate underlying mechanisms contributing to symptoms and struggles. Your personal strengths are just as significant as your difficulties. I aim to help you become aware of patterns that may not be readily apparent so that you can develop effective coping skills rooted in authenticity. This type of work promotes deep insight, durable change, and overall wellbeing.
I incorporate psychodynamic, psychoanalytic, and relational techniques to offer a personalized approach tailored to each patient’s individual needs, interests, and goals.
I view the therapy process as a partnership where the two of us are working towards an integrated understanding of your problems. Alleviating symptoms may be a central goal. However, I believe it is important to consider each patient as an individual in order to illuminate underlying mechanisms contributing to symptoms and struggles. Your personal strengths are just as significant as your difficulties. I aim to help you become aware of patterns that may not be readily apparent so that you can develop effective coping skills rooted in authenticity. This type of work promotes deep insight, durable change, and overall wellbeing.
Using a psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approach, I work with the mind's elusive parts to help you connect with your most authentic self.
Life can feel overwhelming, confusing, and, at times, impossible. You may know your problems but can’t seem to overcome them. Whether existential issues or life’s minutiae weigh you down, trauma has left you feeling cut off from yourself and others, or your creativity feels stunted by your past, I understand how isolating these challenges can be. You don't have to navigate them alone. I work especially well with academics, students, writers, and artists but help people from all walks of life.
Using a psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approach, I work with the mind's elusive parts to help you connect with your most authentic self.
Life can feel overwhelming, confusing, and, at times, impossible. You may know your problems but can’t seem to overcome them. Whether existential issues or life’s minutiae weigh you down, trauma has left you feeling cut off from yourself and others, or your creativity feels stunted by your past, I understand how isolating these challenges can be. You don't have to navigate them alone. I work especially well with academics, students, writers, and artists but help people from all walks of life.
I work with individual adults, adult families and adolescents. My work is grounded in contemporary and relational psychoanalytic theory, with particular attention paid to multicultural context. My psychotherapy practice serves people who feel blocked by certain behaviors or patterns of relating with people, who seek to improve individual well-being and personal relationships, and/or who have experienced trauma within their families or elsewhere, including survivors of war or other conflict. My practice focus includes older adults and clients with chronic health and/or mental health conditions, and with caregivers.
I work with individual adults, adult families and adolescents. My work is grounded in contemporary and relational psychoanalytic theory, with particular attention paid to multicultural context. My psychotherapy practice serves people who feel blocked by certain behaviors or patterns of relating with people, who seek to improve individual well-being and personal relationships, and/or who have experienced trauma within their families or elsewhere, including survivors of war or other conflict. My practice focus includes older adults and clients with chronic health and/or mental health conditions, and with caregivers.
I enjoy working with a wide range of people using psychoanalytic constructs as well as easy-to-follow cognitive behavioral techniques.
My name is Jorge J. Alvarez and I am a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist and Licensed Educational Psychologist. I enjoy working with a wide range of people who are interested in improving their lives through in-depth exploration of emotions and behaviors which impact personal, social, occupational, and family relationships. As a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, I enjoy working with individuals suffering from trauma, anxiety, and depression. I also enjoy helping individuals meet goals through increased focus, motivation, and empowerment.
I enjoy working with a wide range of people using psychoanalytic constructs as well as easy-to-follow cognitive behavioral techniques.
My name is Jorge J. Alvarez and I am a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist and Licensed Educational Psychologist. I enjoy working with a wide range of people who are interested in improving their lives through in-depth exploration of emotions and behaviors which impact personal, social, occupational, and family relationships. As a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, I enjoy working with individuals suffering from trauma, anxiety, and depression. I also enjoy helping individuals meet goals through increased focus, motivation, and empowerment.
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Psychoanalytic work is healing and leads to growth and realization of potential.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist and certified psychoanalyst. My specialty is in primitive mental states and I work with adolescents, emerging adults, adults, and senior adults. I am in full-time private practice in downtown San Luis Obispo at my detached home-office in the railroad district.
Psychoanalytic work is healing and leads to growth and realization of potential.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist and certified psychoanalyst. My specialty is in primitive mental states and I work with adolescents, emerging adults, adults, and senior adults. I am in full-time private practice in downtown San Luis Obispo at my detached home-office in the railroad district.
Amy E Keller
Marriage & Family Therapist, MSMFT, MAT, PsyD
Verified Verified
2 Endorsed
Pasadena, CA 91101
Moreover, my psychoanalytic training will take you further than traditional psychotherapy as will my love of cultural diversity.
Let me help you be as successful in your relationships as you are in other areas of your life. This is one of the greatest challenges we will ever face - to achieve intimacy and have self-understanding. I sincerely believe (and see!) the effectiveness of therapy and I love guiding you from trauma to transformation! I appreciate how hard it may be to seek counseling, and, I greatly respect my clients' willingness to sort through the difficulties in their lives in order to develop better insight and achieve the skills to create long-lasting change.
Moreover, my psychoanalytic training will take you further than traditional psychotherapy as will my love of cultural diversity.
Let me help you be as successful in your relationships as you are in other areas of your life. This is one of the greatest challenges we will ever face - to achieve intimacy and have self-understanding. I sincerely believe (and see!) the effectiveness of therapy and I love guiding you from trauma to transformation! I appreciate how hard it may be to seek counseling, and, I greatly respect my clients' willingness to sort through the difficulties in their lives in order to develop better insight and achieve the skills to create long-lasting change.
With a background in depth psychology including psychoanalytic, attachment, and Jungian approaches, I will help you explore old patterns & create new perspectives.
Do you feel on track or struggling with juggling work, relationships, and just plain life? You know you want change but how can change happen? Maybe it is time to create a new path, your path. I will collaborate with you to understand the patterns you are repeating & help you develop new skills. Areas of focus include relationships, communication, boundaries, assertiveness, and self awareness. This is practical and grounded depth psychotherapy for both daily and longterm well being. I offer a complimentary fifteen minute phone consult so reach out!
With a background in depth psychology including psychoanalytic, attachment, and Jungian approaches, I will help you explore old patterns & create new perspectives.
Do you feel on track or struggling with juggling work, relationships, and just plain life? You know you want change but how can change happen? Maybe it is time to create a new path, your path. I will collaborate with you to understand the patterns you are repeating & help you develop new skills. Areas of focus include relationships, communication, boundaries, assertiveness, and self awareness. This is practical and grounded depth psychotherapy for both daily and longterm well being. I offer a complimentary fifteen minute phone consult so reach out!
Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.
Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.
Yin Yin Lim
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
I offer culturally sensitive and affirming relational psychoanalytic therapy.
Seeking help is a sign of inner strength. Perhaps things don’t seem to go the way you wanted in your personal, family, and/or professional life. You might be hitting a wall in your relationships, missing out on promotions, or feeling a sense of emptiness despite your accomplishments and accolades. You might feel stuck and lonely, your usual ways of managing life no longer serve you well. You might wonder “What is wrong with me?” “Something is missing in my life” "I am just not good enough." I hope that through our therapeutic collaboration, you would start to explore the question of “What happened to me?"
I offer culturally sensitive and affirming relational psychoanalytic therapy.
Seeking help is a sign of inner strength. Perhaps things don’t seem to go the way you wanted in your personal, family, and/or professional life. You might be hitting a wall in your relationships, missing out on promotions, or feeling a sense of emptiness despite your accomplishments and accolades. You might feel stuck and lonely, your usual ways of managing life no longer serve you well. You might wonder “What is wrong with me?” “Something is missing in my life” "I am just not good enough." I hope that through our therapeutic collaboration, you would start to explore the question of “What happened to me?"
Brown Therapy Center
Marriage & Family Therapist
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
San Francisco, CA 94102
Though we draw from the traditional psychoanalytic frameworks, we aim to take an integrative approach to counseling that incorporates elements of philosophy, spirituality, and perspectives from across cultures.
We work with a diverse population of adult individuals, couples, and special interest groups who may be struggling with any number of mental health challenges related to anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, relationship issues, and substance abuse, among others. We are committed to providing culturally competent care across the spectrum of age, race, gender, sexuality, religion, and background.
Though we draw from the traditional psychoanalytic frameworks, we aim to take an integrative approach to counseling that incorporates elements of philosophy, spirituality, and perspectives from across cultures.
We work with a diverse population of adult individuals, couples, and special interest groups who may be struggling with any number of mental health challenges related to anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, relationship issues, and substance abuse, among others. We are committed to providing culturally competent care across the spectrum of age, race, gender, sexuality, religion, and background.
Rebecca Chadwick
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified Verified
3 Endorsed
San Francisco, CA 94118
I work from contemporary psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, and relational approaches.
I help individuals who are feeling anxious, lost, disconnected, overwhelmed, unstable, or alone. These feelings may be related to a specific season of life or could be ways that you’ve felt for a long time. My areas of focus include anxiety, depression, developmental trauma, identity exploration, survivors of intimate partner abuse, life transitions, and relationship issues. My approach is compassionate, engaged, and warm.
I work from contemporary psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, and relational approaches.
I help individuals who are feeling anxious, lost, disconnected, overwhelmed, unstable, or alone. These feelings may be related to a specific season of life or could be ways that you’ve felt for a long time. My areas of focus include anxiety, depression, developmental trauma, identity exploration, survivors of intimate partner abuse, life transitions, and relationship issues. My approach is compassionate, engaged, and warm.
Douglas Browne
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFT
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Santa Monica, CA 90403
I practice a form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy that is non-directive, rooted in reflective listening and a deep curiosity about your self-experience and the uniqueness of your inner world.
I work with a broad range of people at different stages of life, who experience a variety of personal struggles, inner and outer conflicts, and painful emotional and mental health challenges. I have experience treating children, adolescents, and adults (individuals and couples). Regardless of age or phase of life, I enjoy working with people who are hungry to discover and possess more of themselves, to answer the questions that elude them, and to know the sources of their frustration and pain in the hope of living more pleasurably and creatively.
I practice a form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy that is non-directive, rooted in reflective listening and a deep curiosity about your self-experience and the uniqueness of your inner world.
I work with a broad range of people at different stages of life, who experience a variety of personal struggles, inner and outer conflicts, and painful emotional and mental health challenges. I have experience treating children, adolescents, and adults (individuals and couples). Regardless of age or phase of life, I enjoy working with people who are hungry to discover and possess more of themselves, to answer the questions that elude them, and to know the sources of their frustration and pain in the hope of living more pleasurably and creatively.
My approach to therapy is psychodynamic, psychoanalytic and relational. Our task together is to help unlock the parts of you that got stuck somewhere along the way.
My approach to therapy is psychodynamic, psychoanalytic and relational. Our task together is to help unlock the parts of you that got stuck somewhere along the way.
See more therapy options for California
Psychoanalytic Therapists
Does psychoanalytic therapy work?
Psychoanalytic therapy derives from the work of Sigmund Freud. In this type of therapy, discovering buried thoughts and emotions from the unconscious will help a person work through their difficulties and negative behaviors. Research shows that psychoanalytic therapy can be highly effective, with patients reporting improvement in mood, quality of life, and overall well-being.
How long are people typically in psychoanalytic therapy?
Traditional psychoanalysis is in-depth and is conducted in five sessions every week. Today, modern psychoanalytic therapy is less intense and normally incorporates as few as one or two sessions a week. In some cases, positive change can occur quickly. However, if the condition, difficulty, or behavior is deep-seated, improvement may require many months or years of therapy.
Is psychoanalytic therapy suitable for young people?
Children and adolescents can benefit from this type of therapy. Many kids and teens are often unable to form and communicate their thoughts and emotions. Psychoanalytic therapy uses specific techniques such as dream analysis, symbolism, and free association or word association; all of which can be useful tools for less-communicative young people. Through this therapy, a patient will hopefully make connections between what they feel inside and how the world works outside.
Can psychoanalytic therapy be done online?
Modern-day psychoanalytic therapy is very different from traditional psychoanalysis. While an individual can sit face-to-face with the psychoanalyst for multiple sessions a week, they do not have to. Today, psychoanalytic therapy can be effectively conducted online or by phone. The key is that the individual confronts what is repressed and avoided, and this can be done whether in person or over online video.