“ ‘How are you?’ When the psychotherapist asks this question, the therapist is welcoming the fullest possible answer from a person. There is no person who means this more sincerely than a psychotherapist and no other situation than the psychotherapy relationship where this question can be explored with, fullness, depth and understanding.
There is perhaps nothing more personal than what people bring to therapy. The original meaning of the word, “patient” is “one who suffers or endures pain.” Each individual’s particular suffering finds its place for relief in individual psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a clinical process of insight and deep discovery in which persons learn about themselves, not in terms of simple information, but as deeply felt, emotional, and therefore meaningful knowledge. Psychotherapeutic knowledge is a creative integration of thought, feeling, and action. It is a way to make peace with the past in order to find possibilities in the present and be able to make more creative choices in life. Personal distress fades. It is a process of moving forward – of moving from “now” to “next.”
“On the therapy process,” Dan Bloom, lecture, 2011
My practice
Individual psychotherapy with men and women is the core of my practice. I work with a wide variety of issues, including:
- Feelings distress, such as loneliness, sadness, anxiety, worry, depression
- Relationship difficulties
- Difficulty with family, friends, work
- Difficulty dealing with disturbing medical information or living with HIV/AIDS
- Sexual orientation issues
- Difficulties with career or profession
Before beginning individual therapy, we have an initial consultation to discuss the reasons you’re considering psychotherapy. This is also a chance to ask me questions about anything you’d like, such as psychotherapy in general, my approach, or anything else that might help you in deciding whether to work with me. Increasingly, I am finding online video sessions effective ways to work with people who cannot come to my office in New York.